freebsd-update patches custom /boot/kernel/kernel which it should not

[Paul Schmehl]

--On January 2, 2013 6:45:50 PM +0100 andreas scherrer 
<ascherrer at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi
>
> This can be considered a follow up to the message "How to keep
> freebsd-update from trashing custom kernel?" sent to this list by Brett
> Glass on August 13th 2012 (see [1]). Unfortunately there is no solution
> to the problem in that thread (or I cannot see it).
>
> I am running currently running 9.0-RELEASE-p4 and freebsd-update
> recommends to update to p5. It states:
>
> -----
> The following files will be updated as part of updating to 9.0-RELEASE-p5:
> /boot/kernel/kernel
> <snip>
> -----
>
> And from experience this is what it will do: replace /boot/kernel/kernel
> which is my custom kernel with a GENERIC kernel.
>
> As it seems that freebsd-update works by comparing a hash of
> /boot/kernel/kernel with the GENERIC kernel's hash I checked the md5 and
> sha1 hash of /boot/kernel/kernel and /boot/GENERIC/kernel. They differ
> (see [3]).
>
> So why is freebsd-update going to overwrite my custom kernel? And how
> can I prevent it from doing so?
>

Read man (5) freebsd-update.conf.  Particularly the COMPONENTS portion that 
explains how to update world without changing kernel.

-- 
Paul Schmehl, Senior Infosec Analyst
As if it wasn't already obvious, my opinions
are my own and not those of my employer.
*******************************************
"It is as useless to argue with those who have
renounced the use of reason as to administer
medication to the dead." Thomas Jefferson
"There are some ideas so wrong that only a very
intelligent person could believe in them." George Orwell