Installing from running FreeBSD

[Warren Block]

On Fri, 28 Nov 2014, Eduardo Morras wrote:

> I have a server running FreeBSD 9.2-p15. I want to upgrade it to release 10.1 with minimal shutdown so I'm thinking about installing 10.1 in a new partition running the 10.1 installer from 9.2., configure the system, install and configure ports, and then restart with 10.1. I never did it before nor know if it can be done and some questions emerge:
>
> a) Did someone tried it before?

Many people use the two-partition method, and it can be controlled with 
settings for boot0 or gptboot.  However, I don't think it will work with 
different major versions of FreeBSD.

> b) Can it be done safety/ly?
> c) How can I install ports or pkgs in 10.1 partition from 9.2, perhaps with the pkg jail (-j) option?

See above.  Consider VirtualBox or some other type of VM software (bhyve 
is probably not available on 9.2).  Better yet, install it on a second 
machine rather than messing with the partitions of an operating server.