freebsd-update and kernels

[Adam Weinberger]

Hi, doc folks. Can someone please take a look at section 23.2.3 of the handbook?

At multiple points in 23.2.3.1, and in the nextboot instructions, it tells users that the GENERIC kernel will be updated if it lives in /boot/GENERIC. AFAICT, freebsd-update will only update the GENERIC kernel if it lives in /boot/kernel, NOT /boot/GENERIC.

At best, running "nextboot -k GENERIC" after following the instructions will boot an old, non-updated kernel. At worst (i.e., if people follow the instructions given), they will attempt to boot a kernel that doesn't exist.

Shouldn't users be told to keep GENERIC in /boot/kernel, where freebsd-update will actually update it, and to install custom kernels into /boot/SOMENAME?


I'd suggest changing that nextboot line to be "nextboot -k kernel".

Then, I'd suggest replacing the first paragraph of 23.2.3.1 with something like this:

"""
Before using freebsd-update, ensure that a copy of the GENERIC kernel exists in /boot/GENERIC as a backup in case anything goes wrong.

freebsd-update will update the GENERIC kernel, but only if it is installed into /boot/kernel and only if it is completely unmodified. If a custom kernel has only been built once, [... etc]
"""

And in the last sentence of that section, change /boot/GENERIC to /boot/kernel.

# Adam


-- 
Adam Weinberger
adamw at adamw.org // adamw at FreeBSD.org
https://www.adamw.org