updating pc's to the same date/time

[Roland Smith]

On Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 09:14:59AM -0500, Andrew Gould wrote:
> I would like to do a fresh installation of FreeBSD 7.2 and then update
> it to the same state as another computer so I can transfer it's
> packages and have them in sync with the ports.  Is my understanding of
> the system correct in that all I have to do is:
> 
> 1.  Copy /usr/src and /usr/ports to the new computer.

If you copy the installed applications, you don't have to copy /usr/ports.

> 2.  Rebuild and install the kernel and "world".
> 3.  Copy and install the packages I created on the first computer.

Ports and packages install in /usr/local by default. So after you have
built/installed all ports on the first machine, use tar(1) and nc(1) to copy
the whole /usr/local tree over. Subsequently, after you have updated the ports
on the first machine, use rsync(1) to keep both copies syncronized; that is
much faster than copying. (In this scenario the second machine doesn't need
/usr/ports or /var/db/ports and /var/db/pkg at all!) Remember to enable any
daemons in /etc/rc.conf as necessary.

Alternatively, you could use nfs to export /usr/local from the first to the
second machine. But this will probably be significantly slower in day-to-day
usage. And if the first machine is down, the second one looses its ports. :-(

Roland
-- 
R.F.Smith                                   http://www.xs4all.nl/~rsmith/
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