In the ever-evolving landscape of smart homes, staying up-to-date with software updates is crucial. However, there are times when the convenience of modern technology clashes with the fear of potential disruptions. Let me share my recent experience with delaying updates on my Home Assistant instance and the lessons I learned along the way.
Living in a smart home powered by Home Assistant adds a layer of dependency on technology. While the ability to control lights or adjust the thermostat manually still exists, any prolonged outage feels like a leap back into the stone age. With this mindset, I found myself hesitating to install new updates, considering my Home Assistant instance as mission-critical.
One of the key lessons I've learned is the importance of diligent research before applying updates. While I acknowledge the need to read release notes thoroughly, I confess to being occasionally lax in this due diligence. This oversight nearly led to a significant issue with the recent update to the Nginx Proxy Manager.
The update, marked as version 1.0, clearly stated that it would remove all configured proxies. This critical piece of information, was clearly outlined in the release notes, could have caused substantial disruptions had I not taken the time to review them. It's surprising that there isn't a built-in backup/export option within the Nginx Proxy Manager, adding an extra layer of caution to the update process.
Fortunately, my delay in applying this particular update proved beneficial. Browsing through the HomeAssistant subreddit, I stumbled upon numerous users sharing their grievances about the update. Leveraging their experiences, I manually documented the various routes I had exposed for my services running as Home Assistant addons. This documentation might aid in future recovery efforts if I ever encounter a catastrophic failure as Nginx Proxy Manager relies on the MariaDB which is notoriously difficult to recover backups of with Home Assistant.
This step-by-step approach helped me avoid the pitfalls that others had encountered. Also by conducting the update during a period when I knew I would have ample time to address any issues and deal with a planned outage of critical services by adjusting my various smart devices to ideal states while the update was conducted.
While I typically include screenshots in my documentation, I refrained from doing so in this instance. Unlike exposed ports, various subdomains aren't readily advertised to the general public. Recognizing the potential security risks, especially considering the days of exposed ports and basic port scans, I opted to keep this information confidential.
In conclusion, my journey through this smart home update serves as a cautionary tale. It emphasizes the need for a balanced approach to updates—promptness tempered with thorough research. In the realm of smart homes, where technology is both a convenience and a vulnerability, staying informed is the key to a seamless and secure experience.
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