security updates

[Manolis Kiagias]

jdd sur free wrote:
> Hello :-)
> I'm new to freeBSD, so forgive me if my question is boring :-(
>
> I just discover than my computer hosting company allow the use of 
> freeBSD 
> (http://www.ovh.com/fr/particulier/items/distributions/free_bsd.xml?sort=bsd&gm=pop) 
> on they cheap (20€/month 
> http://www.ovh.com/fr/particulier/produits/kimsufi08.xml) systems.
>
> until now I used on my hosted computer my linux of choice, that is 
> openSUSE, but on a cheap, that is with little power, server, openSUSE 
> is overkill
>
> so I plan to use freBSD soon.
>
> However, as said, I don't now yet freeBSD. I have some sort of 
> experience of openBSD, but only on old fashioned computer (SS1, 
> SS20...) but I think there will not be major difference and I plan 
> anyway to install freebsd on virtualbox first to test it.
>
> I'm an old linux hacker and compiling is not really a problem, even if 
> I feel better without :-)
>
> so then, my question: what about security updates? with openSUSE I 
> have an automatic update. For freeBSD, I didn't find anything on this 
> archive list and the google search sent me to old doc (2003)
>
> http://www.daemonology.net/freebsd-update/binup.html
>
> where is freeBSD in this respect?
>
> thanks
> jdd
>

The FreeBSD base system gets security updates through freebsd-update, 
very easily:

freebsd-update fetch
freebsd-update update

(assuming you install a -RELEASE version)

For third party applications (what you install from ports or packages) 
you can use a variety of utilities to update / check them:

ports-mgmt/portaudit will warn you when an installed application has  a 
known security problem
ports-mgmt/portupgrade will allow you to upgrade any (or all) 
applications to their latest versions.

There are quite a few more programs that deal with application 
install/upgrade, I suggest you have a look at the ports-mgmt directory