Updating from 11.3-stable to 12.1-stable?

[Polytropon]

On Thu, 30 Apr 2020 08:46:52 -0500, Scott Bennett wrote:
>      On Wed, 29 Apr 2020 16:27:54 -0500 Bob Willcox <bob at immure.com> wrote:
> >
> > Well, here are the steps that I took to upgrade my 11.3-STABLE system to
> > 12.1-STABLE. May not be the best/most efficient but they worked for me
> > and I thought someone else may benefit from them.
> >
> > 1)  Make a backup of the current system
> > 2)  Delete everything in /usr/src, making certin to remove the files and directories
> >     that start with a dot (".").
> > 3)  Delete everything in /usr/obj.
> > 4)  Download (via svn) the new FreeBSD release /usr/src to be updated to.
> > 5)  Build the new world from the source.
> > 6)  Build the new kernel from the source.
> > 7)  Run "mergemaster -Fp" to update files that may be needing update prior to
> >     doing the installworld.
> > 8)  Run "make installworld" in /usr/src.
> > 9)  Run "make installkernel" in /usr/src.
> > 10) Run "mergemaster -iU" do update any remaining files that need to be updated.
> > 11) Reboot the system.
> > 12) Run "pkg update" to update the pkg database to the new system's level.
> > 13) Run "pkg upgrade" to update all packages to reflect the new system's level.
> > 14) Reboot the system.
> >
>      If you did things as you state and it worked, you got lucky.  Your step 7) has
> to be run in /usr/src, just like 8) and 9) and 10).  8) and 9) appear above in
> reversed order.  Also, you omitted 8.5).  Steps 8) through 9) should have been:
> 
>  8)  Run "make installkernel" in /usr/src.
>  8.5)  Reboot.  IFF this new kernel comes up correctly, then proceed to step 9).
>  9)  Run "make installworld" in /usr/src.
> 
> Not doing it like this runs a grave risk of needing to restore the system from
> backups to make it usable again.  The last time I looked at it, the Handbook
> laid this procedure out clearly.

I'd like to add that the order in which kernel and world are
to be installed, combined with the suggestion to install world
in single-user mode, is provided to minimize the risk of
accidentally rendering the systen unbootable or damaged.
That's why the instructions in /usr/src/Makefile should be
taken as _the_ recommended method when updating from source.

Check the comment header of /usr/src/Makefile for details.



-- 
Polytropon
Magdeburg, Germany
Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0
Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...