How go back from X.Y-RELEASE-pZ to X.Y-RELEASE?

[Peter Olsson]

On Fri, Nov 23, 2012 at 01:25:06PM +0100, Bas Smeelen wrote:
> On 11/23/2012 12:22 PM, Peter Olsson wrote:
> > We are currently using cvs for both source and ports.
> > I have begun changing to portsnap for ports, and I
> > would also like to try changing at least some of our
> > servers to freebsd-update.
> >
> > But all servers have been patched, using either RELENG_8_3
> > or RELENG_9_0 as cvs tag. I need to revert them to their
> > respective RELEASE to be able to use freebsd-update.
> > Complete reinstall from eg CD is not an option, and I don't
> > want to upgrade to a newer RELEASE at the moment.
> >
> > Can I change the cvs tags to RELENG_8_3_0_RELEASE or
> > RELENG_9_0_0_RELEASE, and then build/install world and
> > kernel as usual?
> > Or will that method cause problems for the system or the
> > installed ports?
> >
> > Thanks!
> 
> RELENG_9_0 and RELENG_8_3 are RELEASE branches including patches 
> (8.3-RELEASE-p4 for instance), so you should be able to use freebsd-update 
> ont them without changing anything.
> If the servers are up to date then freebsd-update doesn't have to do 
> anything for them untill the next paches for them come around.

I tried this in a lab server running 8.3-RELEASE-p4.
The only complaint during freebsd-update fetch was this:
The following files are affected by updates, but no changes have
been downloaded because the files have been modified locally:
/var/db/mergemaster.mtree

But it wanted to update a lot more files than just the latest
patches to p5. Mostly files in /rescue, but also files belonging
to openssl, crypt and ipv6, ie previous patches that I already
had installed. So it didn't recognize that I already had
installed those patches.

Anyway, I ran freebsd-update install, and it finished without
complaints. Then I rebooted and the server seems fine.
/usr/src/sys/conf/newvers.sh now has these lines:
REVISION="8.3"
BRANCH="RELEASE-p5"

However, freebsd-update IDS reports more than 23000 non-matching
files, so I will instead try using cvs tag RELENG_8_3_0_RELEASE
and see how freebsd-update behaves after install of that kernel
and world.

The complaints about /var/db/mergemaster.mtree will probably
continue, but I suppose I can install another lab server from
8.3 install media and copy that file from there?

Another question: I like to read the file /usr/src/UPDATING
before installing patches, but freebsd-update doesn't seem to
bother with that file. What is the easiest way of accessing a
current /usr/src/UPDATING for the RELENG branches, without
using cvs or subversion? I thought it would be located at
http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/cvsweb.cgi/src/?only_with_tag=RELENG_8_3
but there is no UPDATING in that list.

Thanks!

Peter Olsson