From owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Nov 6 19:56:48 2007 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-current@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0836A16A41B for ; Tue, 6 Nov 2007 19:56:48 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from askbill@conducive.net) Received: from conducive.net (lindfield.ch [203.194.153.81]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C7C0213C4B0 for ; Tue, 6 Nov 2007 19:56:47 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from askbill@conducive.net) Received: from cm218-253-81-177.hkcable.com.hk ([218.253.81.177]:61193 helo=pb.local) by conducive.net with esmtpsa (TLSv1:AES256-SHA:256) (Exim 4.63 (FreeBSD)) (envelope-from ) id 1IpUXW-000A3g-6V for freebsd-current@freebsd.org; Tue, 06 Nov 2007 19:56:46 +0000 Message-ID: <4730C6F6.3050104@conducive.net> Date: Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:56:38 -0500 From: =?UTF-8?B?6Z+T5a625qiZIEJpbGwgSGFja2Vy?= User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X Mach-O; en-US; rv:1.8.1.2) Gecko/20070221 SeaMonkey/1.1.1 MIME-Version: 1.0 To: freebsd-current@freebsd.org References: <4730BC31.5010300@chuckr.org> In-Reply-To: <4730BC31.5010300@chuckr.org> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Subject: Re: conversion of an installed base i386 -> amd64 X-BeenThere: freebsd-current@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussions about the use of FreeBSD-current List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 06 Nov 2007 19:56:48 -0000 Chuck Robey wrote: > I have finally decided that I really should have installed my > quad-core-2 equipped box as a amd64, instead of the i386 (32 bit should > have been 64 bit). I just finished a buildworld, and I checked, the > binaries (which I haven't yet done an installworld on) are actually > amd64/64 bit binaries. I'm running -current, which is mostly why I;m on > this list, but my question is one of installation order: in doing the > conversion, I don't really like the idea of accidentally hanging the > box. I would like someone to please let me know, what's next? > Understand, I am still running the i386 compiler (but the buildworld > builds it's own private compiler, thank you very much). I need to know, > should I install the world next? Or, is there some more correct > strategy to get the kernel built? > > Understand, I'm running a 3ware raid, and while I got that in position, > to make me feel really safe, i installed the system first in a > junk-pile EIDE drive I happened to have laying about, so I actually do > have a emergency drive I can quite easily boot from, if some disaster > happens. I've tried it, it serves me as a very safe backup right now. > So, I don't need to worry TOO MUCH about a disaster, but I would like to > avoid it as much as I could anyhow. > > Thanks. Not really much to worry about so long as the box is within physical reach. A Core-2 Quad with decent RAM complement builds fast enough that multiple installs and rebuilds in the same day are nearly painless. What you might want to do is keep a local backup copy of the sources and ports, rotate & refresh that periodically so you are not at the mercy of your net link or potentially heavily-loaded mirrors to go forward, backwards, or 'sideways'. Bill