Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 18:06:00 +1000 From: Sue Blake <sue@welearn.com.au> To: FreeBSD-Newbies@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: upgrading notes Message-ID: <19981019180600.39400@welearn.com.au>
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You'll be hearing that a new version of FreeBSD is coming out.
Here's some cautionary notes, presented with no authority other than
that I was an observant newbie here when the last version came out,
and the previous, and the version before that, and I hate the smell
of burning flesh
My suggestions for newbies are:
- Don't try to be first kid on the block with a new version.
Let the expert and the gullible fall into any holes first.
- Don't bother upgrading unless you have a reason to. Many people
are running older versions just fine (2.2.2 here).
- Back up well before upgrading, especially /etc.
- Read all of the available documentation for the new release.
There's a lot of *.TXT files on the FTP site, all worthwhile.
- Search the freebsd-questions archives for other people's
upgrading problems and their solutions.
- There are a few different approaches to upgrading. If you don't
know what they are, check out the handbook or ask FreeBSD-questions
if you're still stuck.
- Upgrading FreeBSD is not an "upgrade" in the microsoft sense.
Expect a bit of careful manual work and heaps of reading.
- No, you can't just upgrade the kernel!! Linux is a kernel with add-on
operating system bits (the distribution); FreeBSD is an integrated
system that won't work piecemeal. Upgrade kernel and binaries
together, by following the instructions.
- Generally newbies will be running a FreeBSD-RELEASE version,
never -CURRENT and almost never -STABLE. The last two have
their own mailing lists and list membership is a prerequisite.
We don't deal with them here, or any other place. See handbook.
- If you don't like being told not to take risks, that's fine.
Other newbies have businesses that depend on their systems
so allow them to choose too. Try not to confuse them with reports
of your risky experiments.
- If you have any problems at any stage, *always* send them
to freebsd-questions (not here). The people in -questions
will give you reliable answers (usually), your questions
and their answers will be archived where the next person can
find them before it's too late, and the people who care about
what problems people have (developers, doc writers) will see them.
Do these suggestions sound useful? reasonable? Got anything to add?
Should we repost something like this when each new version comes out?
Last time I tried something like this I got a huge stack of rotten
fruit hurled at me, and it's making fine compost now.
--
Regards,
-*Sue*-
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