6.1 with PAE on a recent server (HP DL380 G5 or Dell PE 1950) ?

[Oliver Fromme]

Olivier Mueller wrote:
 > Oliver Fromme wrote:
 > > The easiest way is to re-install with an /amd64 ISO.
 > 
 > On new servers, sure. But on already active (and in production)
 > systems?  I guess a make buildkernel is not enought, and
 > that at least a make buildworld would be necessary?  Or even
 > some ports?  I can go offline for a few minutes, but certainly
 > not hours... :)

To take full advantage, you have to recompile everything
(kernel, world, ports), and the order of things is non-
trivial, because amd64 and i386 are incompatible (even
though FreeBSD/amd64 has a compatibility framework for
running i386 binaries, somewhat similar to the Linux ABI).

There have been detailed instructions on the amd64 list
how to go from i386 to amd64 "the hard way", i.e. via the
sources, but that's not the officially supported way, as
far as I know.  Simply re-installing from an ISO is faster
and less error-prone.  You'll have some downtime either
way anyway.

If you need to minimize downtime, it's probably a good idea
to install on a separate HD, and switch HDs when you're
ready.  That approach also has the nice advantage that you
have a very easy fall-back in case something goes wrong:
simply switch to the first HD again.

Of course, YMMV.

Best regards
   Oliver

-- 
Oliver Fromme,  secnetix GmbH & Co. KG, Marktplatz 29, 85567 Grafing
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