Howto set sysinstall to use CURRENT packages

[Matthew Seaman]

On Tue, May 18, 2004 at 01:55:54PM -0700, Dinesh Nadarajah wrote:

> How do I set sysinstall to use current packages? In the config menu I
> changed 5.2.1-RELEASE to 5.2.1-CURRENT and several other values but
> would not recognize. Complains no such distribution is available on
> ftp.freebsd.org.

There's no such package collection I'm afraid.  Mostly because there's
no such thing as '5.2.1-CURRENT'.  There is 5-CURRENT, but that is the
bleeding edge absolute latest development version of the OS, and as
it's of no conceivable use except to system developers it doesn't have
a package collection compiled for it. (OTOH, as you can probably use
the packages for a similar OS version, the FTP sites do have a
'packages-5-current' sym-link to the packages-5.2-release directory).

However, the packages for 5.2.1-RELEASE (or 4.10-RELEASE due any time
now...) are updated at reasonably frequent intervals.  Check the
'Latest' directory on the FTP sites -- eg:

	ftp://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/i386/packages-5.2-release/Latest
> also, where is the config file for sysinstall? Where can I set its
> package repository, etc?

Sysinstall(8) doesn't really have a config file in the way you mean.
Sysinstall is designed for /installing the system/ (the clue is in the
name) not as a general systems administration interface (although you
can do some stuff with it along those lines).  So the config file that
sysinstall does have is more aimed at doing automated installion.
There isn't a file that sysinstall will automatically check -- if you
want to load a config file you have to either do it via the sysinstall
Menu system, by setting 'LOAD_CONFIG_FILE' in the environment before
you start sysinstall or by telling sysinstall the filename on the
command line.

Instead of sysinstall, try using the pkg_add(1) command -- the man
page will tell you everything you need to know about how to use it.

	Cheers,

	Matthew

-- 
Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil.                       26 The Paddocks
                                                      Savill Way
PGP: http://www.infracaninophile.co.uk/pgpkey         Marlow
Tel: +44 1628 476614                                  Bucks., SL7 1TH UK
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 187 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions/attachments/20040519/f3612c8a/attachment.bin