Building FreeBSD to install or update in two DESTDIRs

[Thomas Mueller]

> What exactly went wrong?  Setting DESTDIR is the correct way to do this
> sort of thing.  You only need to set it when running the installworld or
> installkernel steps though -- there's nothing that gets compiled into
> /usr/obj which prevents you from installing into a different than normal
> tree.

> I use this sort of construct frequently for updating jails, or when
> managing boot environments.

> > /usr/src/UPDATING doesn't say how to update for two DESTDIRs on the
> > same build.

> For each different DESTDIR, just repeat the installworld, installkernel,
> check-old, delete-old* steps setting DESTDIR=/some/where
> on the make command line.

> The equivalent for mergemaster is to add '-D /some/where' to the
> commandline.

>         Cheers,

>         Matthew

> --
> Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil.

I guess after the first installkernel, to default location, I should immediately make installkernel again, this time with DESTDIR=/mnt?

Better to "make buildkernel" and "make installkernel" as two separate steps, rather than "make kernel"?

After rebooting single-user, do "mergemaster -p", then "mergemaster -p -D /mnt", and then "make installworld" and immediately following that, "make installworld DESTDIR=/mnt" ?

After that, I would do "mergemaster -i" followed by "mergemaster -i -D /mnt"?  And then make delete-old followed by "DESTDIR=/mnt make delete-old"? 

Would I need to do "make distribution"?

First time, "make installkernel DESTDIR=/mnt" only installed part.  I installed to USB stick only after fully upgrading on main installation, finally copied /boot/kernel directory, and that USB stick is now bootable.  So now I know how to make a USB stick bootable with GPT.

Maybe some of the files were cleaned out?

It is surely useful to have a rescue backup, considering the possibility of an update going awry on the main installation.

Tom