Re: FreeBSD15.0 stable pkgbase

Manfred Koch <md-koch_at_t-online.de> wrote on
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2025 21:35:36 UTC :

> thank you for your advices. I have only tried
> the FreeBSD-base, because the freebsd-update
> will be going in the future.

2yrs to 4yrs in the future, depending on when
you switch from a FreeBD 15.* to a FreeBSD 16.* .

Details . . .

freebsd-update will be in place for all the 15-*
releases and for stable/15 for as long as it is
supported. The plan is now for FreeBSD 16 to make
the switch to a then-updated pkgbase (not just
what now exists) for the primary/support way to
install and upgrade FreeBSD.

https://freebsdfoundation.org/blog/navigating-freebsds-new-quarterly-and-biennial-release-schedule/

shows FreeBSD 16 starting in 2027-Dec, about mid-way during
FreeBSD 15.3's time frame.

But 15.6 is shown as ending in 2029-Dec or so,
about mid 16.3's time frame.

So it is 2yrs to 4yrs before needing to use pkgbase,
depending on when you switch form a FreeBSD 15.* to
a FreeBSD 16.* . (I assume non-use of main here.)

> When I set up the FreeBSD15.0

At this point had FreeBSD 15.0 been installed via
base-packages? Some other way? I'm unclear on the
relative order of the various upgrades of various
types.

The below few lines part seems to be only about
port-packages, not about how FreeBSD 15.0 was
installed.

> with repo in:
> 
> /usr/local/etc/pkg/repos/FreeBSD.conf
> 
> I installed the packages with pkg install `cat ./installed_packages`
> in order to get the programmes, which I have in RELEASE 14.0.

As I understand, all of those packages were port-packages,
not base-packages. Nothing about the above required any
involvement of any base-packages before, during, or after
--as far as I can tell.

> Or is it
> not the right way to get a System with the same installed packages as before
> for "pkgbase" repo?

looks good for installing port-packages to me, no
base packages being involved.

The pkgbase repositories do not include any port-packages.
The port-package repositories (latest and quarterly types)
do not include any base packages.

Before base-packages have been installed, only port-packages
might be involved (or no packages of any kind for a time).

> I only did the command : pkg install -r FreeBSD-base -g 'FreeBSD-*'
> get to know what happened.

In my view, that kind of experimentation on your primary
environment instead of on a throwaway/temporary one turned
out to be a messy mistake. Transitions from version V.*
to (V+1).0 need not go well for such experiments, being
more likely to be messy than updates from V.M to V.(M+1)
are typicially.

Was this before installing the port-packages? After?

If after, you would have been okay just not doing the
base-package experiment at all --or having a backup that
you know you could restore (or it being a bootable copy).

> I observed, that some FreeBSD-* snap files need a lot time
> to be installed!!!

One thing about your choice of use of: -g 'FreeBSD-*'
is that you got copies of everything. That is not
expected to be the typical type of installation. But
if you do some development type of activities on
FreeBSD it might well be reasonable. (I actually
install everything, though just for informal/personal
activity.)

Using selections from the bsdinstall utility for
terminology (mostly). . .

First off there are two types of overall context:
bootable contexts and jail contexts. Here we are
talking bootable contexts. (Note: "bootable" is
my additional descriptive term in order to have
a word to contrast with "jail".)

There is a minimal set always installed by
BSD install, intended for multi-user system.

Options:

base (includes devel and optional from below)
debug (debug symbols)
devel (C/C++ compilers and related utilities)
lib32 (32-bit compatibility libraries)
optional (optional software other than what devel includes)
src (the FreeBSD source code)
tests (test suite)

What of that do you want to have installed? All
of it?

(Note base and optional have jail variants
base-jail and optional-jail.)

> Is it that what us awaiting with pkgbase?

I would not conclude much about pkgbase details
as they will be 2yrs+ into the future when you
transition to some 16.* version (if you stick
with FreeBSD). There is a reason that using base
packages has been labeled a Technology Preview
by bsdinstall .

> It could be a cause to
> change to another OS.

I've no clue how much lead time you need. But, as
stands, it appears to be 2yrs to 4 yrs before you
would need to move to some FreeBSD 16.* in order
to maintain a supported status (and so must start
to use pkgbase as it then is).


===
Mark Millard
marklmi at yahoo.com