Upgrading FreeBSd when using a zfs-only installation?

[Daniel Staal]

On Wed, March 16, 2011 2:36 pm, Randal L. Schwartz wrote:
>
> Randal> SOMEONE here knows.  Please help.
>
> So, nobody knows?
>
> Most of the other answers were about a source-code upgrade, not a binary
>  upgrade.

I thought Matthew Seamans' answer sounded pretty definitive:

> A system update via freebsd-update or otherwise won't touch whatever
> bootblocks you have installed.  So if you have already installed
> gptzfsboot and your system already boots ZFS v12 then it will continue to
>  boot ZFS v12 without your touching anything to do with boot blocks.
>
> However, with the 8.1 -> 8.2 upgrade, you get (inter-alia) ZFS v13
> support (I think it's v13 -- all my personal kit is running the stable/8
>  v28 patchset...) plus equivalent zpool version bump.  The 8.1 bootblocks
>  don't understand ZFS v13.  If you wish to update the on-disk formats of
>  your ZFS stuff: 'zpool upgrade -a' or 'zfs upgrade -a' then you *will*
>  need to reinstall the gptzfsboot boot-blocks.
>
> You don't have to update the ZFS formats, but you'll miss out on various
>  performance and bug-fixes if you don't.
>
> Given that the gptzfsboot boot blocks are backwards compatible to older
> ZFS versions, highly recommended to update the boot blocks even if you
> aren't intending to upgrade the ZFS bits just yet.  Just as an
> anti-foot-shooting measure.

By that: You don't _have_ to do anything.  But it is probably a good idea.

Daniel T. Staal

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