Debian Server 11 Bullseye Update Version Debian 11 (bullseye)

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

• Local account password hashing now uses yescrypt by default instead of SHA-512, improving resistance to password guessing attacks.
• Linux 5.10 enables user namespaces for all users by default, improving sandboxing for browsers and container tools.
• Linux disables unprivileged bpf() calls by default; admins can re-enable them with kernel.unprivileged_bpf_disabled = 0 if required.
• The security archive layout changed to bullseye-security, which may require APT source and pinning adjustments.

• Improved support for alternative init systems, with many desktop environments working better on non-systemd systems.
• Persistent systemd journal is enabled by default, changing logging behavior and storage location to /var/log/journal/.
• OpenSSH, Vim, unbound, rsync, Exim, and other core packages received major version updates with related fixes and changes.
• The installer can now help install required firmware automatically on supported unofficial firmware-including images.
• Driverless printing and scanning are improved through ipp-usb, sane-escl, and sane-airscan support.
• The Linux kernel now supports exFAT natively, removing the need for exfat-fuse in most cases.

• Debian 11 ships with GNOME 3.38, KDE Plasma 5.20, LXDE 11, LXQt 0.16, MATE 1.24, and Xfce 4.16.
• A new generic open command is available as a convenience alias for xdg-open or run-mailcap.
• Systemd defaults to cgroup v2, providing a unified resource-control hierarchy.
• The Bazel build system is available in Debian for the first time via bazel-bootstrap.
• The installer can automatically help install firmware needed by detected hardware.
• Cloud images and container/VM images are available for bullseye across supported deployment targets.

• XFS no longer supports the barrier and nobarrier mount options; systems using them will fail to mount.
• OpenStack Victoria requires cgroup v1 for some features, so bullseye's default cgroup v2 can break block device QoS unless overridden.
• Upgrading may temporarily block new SSH connections; upgrading openssh-server first is recommended for remote upgrades.
• Exim 4.94 introduces tainted-data handling that can break older configurations unless they are updated.
• 32-bit Xen PV guests are no longer supported by the Linux kernel.
• The rescue boot option is unusable without a root password unless SYSTEMD_SULOGIN_FORCE=1 or a similar workaround is configured.

• 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 selection data.
• Use apt upgrade --without-new-pkgs for a minimal upgrade, then apt full-upgrade for the full release upgrade.
• Record the upgrade session with script so you can review or report problems later.
• Update APT sources from buster/updates to bullseye-security and remove proposed-updates before upgrading.
• Install a linux-image-* metapackage after the upgrade so future kernel updates are pulled in automatically.
• Bullseye is the last Debian release to support the non-merged-usr layout and to ship apt-key.
• For OpenStack nodes, consider adding systemd.unified_cgroup_hierarchy=false and systemd.legacy_systemd_cgroup_controller=false to restore cgroup v1.
• For NIS/NIS+ systems, verify that libnss-nis and libnss-nisplus are installed after upgrading.

• Debian 11 release notes
  https://www.debian.org/releases/bullseye/releasenotes
• Debian 11 installer images and guide
  https://www.debian.org/releases/bullseye/debian-installer/
• Debian security information
  https://www.debian.org/security/

Product Information

Vendor: Debian

Product: Server

Product type: Software

Application category: Utilities

Platform: Linux

Variant: 11 Bullseye

Version: Debian 11 (bullseye)

Vendor release date: Aug 31, 2024

Original release notes: View on vendor site

Published on updatealert.io: Jul 31, 2026