From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Sun Oct 14 20:37:37 2007 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id AF73216A417 for ; Sun, 14 Oct 2007 20:37:37 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from cliftonr@lava.net) Received: from malasada.lava.net (malasada.lava.net [64.65.64.17]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8844C13C45B for ; Sun, 14 Oct 2007 20:37:37 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from cliftonr@lava.net) Received: by malasada.lava.net (Postfix, from userid 102) id BA379153882; Sun, 14 Oct 2007 10:37:36 -1000 (HST) Date: Sun, 14 Oct 2007 10:37:36 -1000 From: Clifton Royston To: FreeBSD hackers list Message-ID: <20071014203736.GB2677@lava.net> Mail-Followup-To: FreeBSD hackers list Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.2i Subject: A more tenuously package-related question X-BeenThere: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Technical Discussions relating to FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 14 Oct 2007 20:37:37 -0000 I used to use pkg_update from the 'pkg_install-devel' toolset to upgrade systems via replacement of binary packages. Its implementation had some minor flaws - it was essentially a perl wrapper for an iterative "pkg_delete -f" followed by "pkg_add -f", which made it problematic to upgrade either the perl or pkg_install packages, for instance - but the core idea was excellent. Despite those flaws it was very useful in maintaining servers via binary packages, because it would reconnect the pkgdb dependencies on the old package version to the new package version. However, it's not part of the current base package tools. Is there any better equivalent tool at the moment, or should I just resuscitate the old "pkg_update"? I browsed through /usr/ports/ports-mgmt, but didn't spot anything which did this seemingly simple and important function. (The "pkg_replace" function *sounds* promising but has almost no information on what it actually does.) -- Clifton -- Clifton Royston -- cliftonr@iandicomputing.com / cliftonr@lava.net President - I and I Computing * http://www.iandicomputing.com/ Custom programming, network design, systems and network consulting services