updating in single-user mode

Eric F Crist ecrist at secure-computing.net
Tue Oct 25 03:30:53 PDT 2005


On Oct 24, 2005, at 11:45 PM, Dimitar Vasilev wrote:

>> I don't reccommend doing installworld or kernel in multiuser, but  
>> I have never
>> had any problems doing it on a lightly loaded machine. With that  
>> said what
>> could bite you is your new kernel not booting or something broken in
>> userland. You will then need console access (serial or local) to  
>> fix it. I
>> would set up your machine with serial console access and use a  
>> laptop or
>> another machine when you reboot.
>>
>> Beech
>> --
>>
> I have done it when there is NO activity on the machine. Read  
> UPDATING first.
> Reset your securelevel to -1, stop all services except SSH and go.
> It's possible to break your machine though.
> Then you have to rebuild it again and it's 50/50 to succeed.
> As advised twice, use serial cables/KVM switches if possible.
> --
> Димитър Василев
> Dimitar Vassilev
>
> GnuPG key ID: 0x4B8DB525
> Keyserver: pgp.mit.edu
> Key fingerprint: D88A 3B92 DED5 917E 341E D62F 8C51 5FC4 4B8D B525


If this isn't a production machine, try it.  I have been doing system  
updates since 3.4 and not once have I booted into single user mode to  
compile my kernel or userland.  I've even done it as recently as two  
weeks ago.  I don't have a huge userbase, so my system is pretty quiet.

_______________________________________________________
Eric F Crist                  "I am so smart, S.M.R.T!"
Secure Computing Networks              -Homer J Simpson



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