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Update Summary

Debian 11 (bullseye) release notes for 64-bit PC describe major distribution changes, upgrade guidance from Debian 10, and known issues. They also cover security-related defaults such as cgroup v2, yescrypt password hashing, and the new bullseye-security archive layout.

Update Details

Security

  • Password hashing now uses yescrypt by default, improving resistance to dictionary attacks.
  • Linux 5.10 allows user namespaces by default to improve sandboxing for browsers and container tools.
  • Linux disables unprivileged bpf() calls by default; this reduces attack surface.
  • The security archive layout changed to bullseye-security, which may require APT source and pinning updates.

Bug Fixes

  • Persistent systemd journal is enabled by default.
  • Improved support for alternative init systems such as OpenRC and SysV init.
  • Open vSwitch upgrades may require changing /etc/network/interfaces from allow-ovs to auto.
  • Exim 4.94 introduces taint handling changes that require configuration updates.
  • FUSE 3 replaces FUSE 2 for some packages, which may require package adjustments during upgrade.
  • Upgrades involving libgc1c2 may require running the upgrade twice.
  • openssh-server may block new SSH connections for longer than usual during upgrade.

New Features

  • Driverless printing and scanning are expanded with ipp-usb support for USB-connected devices.
  • A new generic open command is available as an alias for xdg-open or run-mailcap.
  • systemd defaults to cgroup v2.
  • Kernel support for exFAT is included and used by default.
  • Fcitx 5 is introduced as the new input method framework.
  • Bazel is available in Debian as bazel-bootstrap.
  • Persistent systemd journal storage is enabled by default.

Known Issues

  • XFS no longer supports the barrier and nobarrier mount options.
  • The rescue boot option is unusable without a root password unless SYSTEMD_SULOGIN_FORCE=1 is configured.
  • 32-bit Xen PV guests are no longer supported.
  • Some browser engines in bullseye are not covered by Debian security support.
  • Intel microcode updates may break Wi-Fi on some CoffeeLake systems or cause boot hangs on some Skylake systems.
  • redmine is not provided in bullseye.
  • wicd is no longer available after the upgrade.
  • lilo and Mailman 2.1 are removed from bullseye.

Hints

  • Upgrade from Debian 10 (buster) only; direct upgrades from older releases are not supported.
  • Before upgrading, back up /etc, /var/lib/dpkg, /var/lib/apt/extended_states, and package selections.
  • Use apt upgrade --without-new-pkgs for a minimal upgrade, then apt full-upgrade.
  • Record the upgrade session with script to aid troubleshooting.
  • Update APT sources from buster/updates to bullseye-security and remove proposed-updates before upgrading.
  • Install a linux-image-* metapackage after upgrading to keep receiving kernel updates.
  • For OpenStack nodes, cgroup v1 may need to be restored via kernel parameters.
  • For compatibility with buster, yescrypt can be changed back to sha512 in common-password.

Links

Product Information

Vendor: Debian

Product: Server

Product type: Software

Application category: Utilities

Platform: Linux

Variant: 11 Bullseye

Version: Debian 11 (bullseye), 64-bit PC

Vendor release date: Aug 31, 2024

Original release notes: View on vendor site

Published on updatealert.io: Jul 31, 2026