Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2025 20:00:48 +0200 From: Erwan David <erwan@rail.eu.org> To: questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: etcupdate usage Message-ID: <c7847bb4-d2ad-40b9-bb3d-ac5fbd7ccdb5@rail.eu.org> In-Reply-To: <aO5r5wzBYALn0uz3@dragon.home.genyosha.net> References: <aO31zACedXpxfqsj@rail.eu.org> <aO5r5wzBYALn0uz3@dragon.home.genyosha.net>
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Le 14/10/2025 à 17:27, Steve Rikli a écrit : > On Tue, Oct 14, 2025 at 09:03:40AM +0200, Erwan David wrote: >> Hello, >> >> I do not understand how to use etcupdate. I am lost in the different options. >> s there somewhere a tutorial on its usage ? > The general reference I use for updating FreeBSD, which discusses several > different methods (src, binary, etc): > > https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/handbook/cutting-edge/ > > For upgrading systems from src (*not* pkgbase or freebsd-update) I use > this as a reference: > > "26.6. Updating FreeBSD from Source" > https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/handbook/cutting-edge/#makeworld > > There are several examples and walk-thru, both quickstart and more > thorough + annotated. For etcupdate in particular, there is this > specific section: > > "26.6.6.1. Merging Configuration Files with etcupdate(8)" > https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/handbook/cutting-edge/#updating-src-completing-merge-etcupdate > > in general, in my experience there isn't usually a lot you need to do > most times for etcupdate to work. I run it with every world src upgrade > procedure as advised, so my /etc/ doesn't grow stale or drift from the > installed binaries and such. > >> PS: on a machine that juste went from 14.2 to 14.3, etcuodate diff >> shows diff, but etcupdate says >> Failed to build new tree. >> >> Is it because src is not on the machine ? (not enough disk) > That's a possibility; etcupdate is for upgrading systems from src > (not freebsd-update binary upgrades) and it constructs its list of > diffs and changes from /usr/src/etc/ for reference. > >> I soon will upgrade another machine (with /usr/src this one), and I'd >> prefer to be sure to be able to use etcupdate on it (especially if I >> need to to a extract or build before upgrade) > If you're just getting started building FreeBSD from src, it's worth > reading that whole Handbook chapter 26.6 IME. > > sr. > > I use freebsd-update thus, I do not need /etc/update. Except maybe for jails : I use thin jails with a shared world using nullfs (as in https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/handbook/jails/#creating-thin-jail-nullfs ). When updating them with freebsd-update, following https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/handbook/jails/#upgrading-thin-jail I then update the sahred part. However /etc is not shared, thus cannot be updated. Should I use etcupdate then ?
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