Updating from 11.3-stable to 12.1-stable?

[Bob Willcox]

On Thu, Apr 30, 2020 at 08:46:52AM -0500, Scott Bennett wrote:
>      On Wed, 29 Apr 2020 16:27:54 -0500 Bob Willcox <bob at immure.com> wrote:
> >
> > Well, here are the steps that I took to upgrade my 11.3-STABLE system to
> > 12.1-STABLE. May not be the best/most efficient but they worked for me
> > and I thought someone else may benefit from them.
> >
> > 1)  Make a backup of the current system
> > 2)  Delete everything in /usr/src, making certin to remove the files and directories
> >     that start with a dot (".").
> > 3)  Delete everything in /usr/obj.
> > 4)  Download (via svn) the new FreeBSD release /usr/src to be updated to.
> > 5)  Build the new world from the source.
> > 6)  Build the new kernel from the source.
> > 7)  Run "mergemaster -Fp" to update files that may be needing update prior to
> >     doing the installworld.
> > 8)  Run "make installworld" in /usr/src.
> > 9)  Run "make installkernel" in /usr/src.
> > 10) Run "mergemaster -iU" do update any remaining files that need to be updated.
> > 11) Reboot the system.
> > 12) Run "pkg update" to update the pkg database to the new system's level.
> > 13) Run "pkg upgrade" to update all packages to reflect the new system's level.
> > 14) Reboot the system.
> >
>      If you did things as you state and it worked, you got lucky.  Your step 7) has
> to be run in /usr/src, just like 8) and 9) and 10).  8) and 9) appear above in
> reversed order.  Also, you omitted 8.5).  Steps 8) through 9) should have been:

Yes, step was run from /usr/src. I just failed to point that out. I was still in
that directory after the builds completed.

As for the order of installworld and installkernel. I used to run them in the
order you suggest but found that, as I recall, doing the installkernel first
didn't always work when I had the nvidia driver specified in my /etc/src.conf
file. The details are a bit hazy now, but by installing world first the nvidia
driver was successfully built from ports during the installkernel step.

> 
>  8)  Run "make installkernel" in /usr/src.
>  8.5)  Reboot.  IFF this new kernel comes up correctly, then proceed to step 9).
>  9)  Run "make installworld" in /usr/src.
> 
> Not doing it like this runs a grave risk of needing to restore the system from
> backups to make it usable again.  The last time I looked at it, the Handbook
> laid this procedure out clearly.

Well, as I have said, perhaps I've been incredibly lucky for these past 20+
years that I've been doing it this way as I have had no such incidents. I don't
doubt that there are risks, just updating a system carries some pretty significant
risks.

Guess I sorry I said anything about this...didn't mean to get people riled up.

Bob

> 
> 
>                                   Scott Bennett, Comm. ASMELG, CFIAG
> **********************************************************************
> * Internet:   bennett at sdf.org   *xor*   bennett at freeshell.org  *
> *--------------------------------------------------------------------*
> * "A well regulated and disciplined militia, is at all times a good  *
> * objection to the introduction of that bane of all free governments *
> * -- a standing army."                                               *
> *    -- Gov. John Hancock, New York Journal, 28 January 1790         *
> **********************************************************************

-- 
Bob Willcox    | It's possible that the whole purpose of your life is to
bob at immure.com | serve as a warning to others.
Austin, TX     |