OpenBSD Upgrade Guide: 5.0 to 5.1

[FAQ Index] | [4.9 -> 5.0] | [5.1 -> 5.2]

Note: Upgrades are only supported from one release to the release immediately following it. Do not skip releases.

It is highly recommended that you read through and fully understand this process before attempting it. If you are doing it on a critical or physically remote machine, it is recommended that you test this process on an identical, local system to verify its success before attempting on a critical or remote computer.

Upgrading is a convenient way to bring your OpenBSD system up to the most recent version. However, the results are not intended to precisely match the results of a wipe-and-reload installation. Old library files in particular are not removed in the upgrade process, as they may be required by older applications that may or may not be upgraded at this time. If you REALLY wish to get rid of all these old files, you are probably better off reinstalling from scratch.

Table of Contents:

• Before upgrading
  • BEFORE UPGRADING: Must delete an X directory
  • ccd(4) has been removed
  • NSD upgrade
  • Modified kernel
  • Advanced Notice: raid(4) and RAIDframe are going away for 5.2
• The upgrade process
• Final steps
  • Merging locally changed files via sysmerge(8)
  • Merging locally changed files via patch file
  • Files to delete
  • Checking the kernel
  • Upgrading packages

Before upgrading: things to think about and be aware of

• BEFORE UPGRADING: must delete an X directory:
  Failure to do this during a remote upgrade (i.e., without bsd.rd) will result in error messages while unpacking xshare51.tgz and probably result in your keyboard not functioning in X! This is handled properly by the bsd.rd upgrade scripts, but a remote upgrade user MUST do this before unpacking the install files:

  rm -rf /usr/X11R6/share/X11/xkb/symbols/srvr_ctrl
  

• ccd(4) has been removed:
  If you are currently using ccd(4), you will need to look at other alternatives, most likely softraid(4).

• NSD upgrade:
  NSD was updated to v3.2.9. The binary database format has changed; after upgrading, you will need to rebuild it from the zone files and re-start nsd:

  nsdc rebuild
  /etc/rc.d/nsd restart
  

• Modified kernel:
  Check whether you have made any modifications to your kernel. For example, you might have modified your network device to use a non-default setting using config(8). Note your changes, so you can repeat them for the new 5.1 kernel.

• Advanced Notice: raid(4) and RAIDframe are going away for 5.2: If you are using RAIDframe for a system currently, you will need to make plans to rebuild it using softraid(4) before you can upgrade it past 5.1. This will not impact your upgrade to 5.1, this is just advance warning of future changes.

The upgrade process

Upgrading by install kernel

Afterwards, complete the upgrade by following the final steps as detailed below.

One easy way to boot from the install kernel is to place the 5.1 version of bsd.rd in the root of your boot drive, then instruct the boot loader to boot using this new bsd.rd file. On amd64 and i386, you do this by entering "boot bsd.rd" at the initial boot> prompt.

Upgrading without install kernel

Sometimes, one needs to do an upgrade of a machine when one can't easily use the normal upgrade process. The most common case is when the machine is in a remote location and you don't have easy access to the system console. One can usually do this by carefully following this process:

• Place install files in a "good" location. Make sure you have sufficient space!

• Become root with ksh(1): While using sudo(8) before each command is generally a good practice, the sudo(8) command will be broken by the last steps, so you should be root before starting this process. Also, the use of the OpenBSD ksh(1) shell is assumed.

• Stop any appropriate applications: During this process, all the userland applications will be replaced but may not be runnable, and strange things may happen as a result. If this is a concern to you, shut down any applications that may be impacted. There may be other applications which you wish to keep from running immediately after the upgrade, stop and disable them as well.

• Check the kernel: Although most people can skip this step, if you had a modified kernel in 5.0, it is likely you will need to modify the stock kernel of 5.1. Especially when you are performing the upgrade process remotely, now is the time to make sure the new kernel will work upon rebooting the machine. If any changes must be made to the kernel, the safest thing to do is to make those changes on a local 5.1 system. This can be as simple as modifying a specific device using config(8), or it can involve a recompilation if the option you need is not included in the GENERIC kernel. Please consult FAQ 5 - Building the system from source before deciding to recompile your kernel.

• Install new kernel(s):
  • If using a single processor kernel:

    export RELEASEPATH=/usr/rel   # where you put the files
    cd ${RELEASEPATH}
    rm /obsd ; ln /bsd /obsd && cp bsd /nbsd && mv /nbsd /bsd
    cp bsd.rd bsd.mp /
    

    (note: you will get a harmless error message if your platform doesn't have a bsd.mp):

  • If you are using the multiprocessor kernel:

    export RELEASEPATH=/usr/rel   # where you put the files
    cd ${RELEASEPATH}
    rm /obsd ; ln /bsd /obsd && cp bsd.mp /nbsd && mv /nbsd /bsd
    cp bsd.rd /
    cp bsd /bsd.sp
    

  Note the extra steps for copying over the primary kernel: those are done to ensure that there is always a valid copy of the kernel on the disk that the system can boot from should there be a really badly timed power outage or system crash.

• Save a copy of reboot(8), install new userland applications. You are still running the old kernel, it is possible the new reboot command will not run on the old kernel, so we will start by saving a copy of the old reboot command. Do NOT install etc51.tgz and xetc51.tgz now, because that will overwrite your current configuration files! Note that we are installing base51.tgz LAST, because it will include a new tar(1) utility, which may or may not run on the old kernel. We reboot immediately, as the system is probably barely runnable after the unpacking of all the new files.

  cp /sbin/reboot /sbin/oreboot
  rm -rf /usr/X11R6/share/X11/xkb/symbols/srvr_ctrl
  tar -C / -xzphf xserv51.tgz
  tar -C / -xzphf xfont51.tgz
  tar -C / -xzphf xshare51.tgz
  tar -C / -xzphf xbase51.tgz
  tar -C / -xzphf game51.tgz
  tar -C / -xzphf comp51.tgz
  tar -C / -xzphf man51.tgz
  tar -C / -xzphf base51.tgz # Install last!
  /sbin/oreboot
  

  Not all file sets will need to be installed for all applications, however if you installed a file set originally, you should certainly upgrade it with the new file set now.

  Again, the files in /etc are handled separately below, so etc51.tgz and xetc51.tgz are NOT unpacked here.

• After reboot completes, upgrade /dev. The new MAKEDEV file was copied to /dev by the installation of base51.tgz, so you simply need to do the following:

  cd /dev
  ./MAKEDEV all
  

Final steps

1a. Merging locally changed files via sysmerge(8)

Who should use sysmerge(8):
People running highly modified systems or systems that didn't start out at the previous release (for example, a snapshot part way between releases), who are upgrading to a snapshot or who have not carefully upgraded their system in the past will find sysmerge vastly superior to using the patches, as it works with what is actually on your system, instead of what we expected was on your system. It will also give you much greater control over your upgrade process, and will involve you in it more closely.

Who may wish to NOT use sysmerge(8):
With recent improvements in sysmerge, we hope that relatively few people have reason not to use sysmerge(8)! However, people with a large quantity of similar machines to upgrade may find the "patchfile" process faster, and perhaps the basis of a customized upgrade script.

Using sysmerge(8) for the first time:
If you have a system that's been upgraded in the past via the patchfile process you will probably find the FIRST time you upgrade by sysmerge, you have a LOT of manual file changes to make. This is because the patch file process only attempted to achieve functional compatibility on the upgraded system, and did not respect the version control information sysmerge(8) uses to identify "unchanged" files. Rest assured, later runs of sysmerge will be far less painful, and often completely effortless.

The sysmerge(8) utility will compare the files that are actually on your system with those that would be installed in a fresh install, and assist you in merging the changes into your system. Note that unlike the patch file, there are no assumptions made about what is actually on your system, so you can use sysmerge(8) to move between more arbitrary points in the development process, such as from an earlier 5.0-current to 5.1-release or from one -current to a later one. Sysmerge(8) compares the current files on your system with the files that would have been installed with a new install, and what would have been there from the last run of sysmerge. Usually, it can figure out what to do to update your files, but if it has difficulty, it will give you the option of keeping the old file, installing the new file, or assisting you in the manual merging of the old and new files, using sdiff.

Please read the sysmerge(8) manual page before using it on your system. You are also advised to read the diff(1), sdiff(1) and even review more(1) manual pages before continuing.

Assuming the etc51.tgz and xetc51.tgz files exists in your $RELEASEPATH, run it with:

sysmerge -s $RELEASEPATH/etc51.tgz -x $RELEASEPATH/xetc51.tgz

For the files sysmerge(8) can't resolve on its own, it will show you a unified diff(1), run through your favorite $PAGER (i.e., more(1)) and ask you if you wish to:

  Use 'd' to delete the temporary ./var/www/htdocs/index.html
  Use 'i' to install the temporary ./var/www/htdocs/index.html
  Use 'm' to merge the temporary and installed versions
  Use 'v' to view the diff results again

  Default is to leave the temporary file to deal with by hand

If you wish to retain your existing file, delete the temporary file, if you wish to replace your existing file with the new version, install the temporary file. If you wish to merge the two together, choosing 'm' will put you into sdiff(1), where you can manually merge the file. The default is to come back and deal with the file later, manually.

Sysmerge(8) saves all your replaced files into a temporary directory, similar to /var/tmp/sysmerge.24959/backups, so if you accidentally clobber something that was probably not such a good idea, you have a chance to recover it. Note that daily(8) cleans old files from this directory, but it will survive a reboot.

1b. Merging locally changed files via a patch file

This process makes a lot of assumptions about what files you have and have not modified, and that you are upgrading from 5.0-release to 5.1-release. Before following this, make sure your system matches the assumptions, and alter the process accordingly if needed -- or just use the above sysmerge process.

No new users and groups need to be created for 5.1.

You will want to extract the etc51.tgz files to a temporary location:

export RELEASEPATH=/usr/rel
tar -C /tmp -xzphf ${RELEASEPATH}/etc51.tgz

Files that can probably be copied from etc51.tgz "as is":

etc/daily
etc/mixerctl.conf
etc/moduli
etc/netstart
etc/rc
etc/rc.conf
etc/mail/localhost.cf
etc/mail/sendmail.cf
etc/mail/submit.cf
etc/rc.d/amd
etc/rc.d/ftpd
etc/rc.d/identd
etc/rc.d/ldapd
etc/rc.d/mopd
etc/rc.d/nsd
etc/rc.d/ntpd
etc/rc.d/popa3d
etc/rc.d/rarpd
etc/rc.d/rc.subr
etc/rc.d/sendmail
etc/rc.d/smtpd
etc/rc.d/sndiod
etc/rc.d/ypbind
etc/rc.d/ypldap
etc/rc.d/ypserv

Note that it IS possible to locally modify these files; if this has been done, do NOT simply copy over those files, and consider using the sysmerge(8) process instead. Pay special attention to mail/* if you are using something other than the default Sendmail(8) configuration.

Here are copy/paste lines for copying these files, assuming you unpacked etc51.tgz in the above recommended place:

cd /tmp/etc
cp daily mixerctl.conf moduli netstart rc rc.conf /etc
cd /tmp/etc/rc.d
cp amd ftpd identd ldapd mopd nsd ntpd popa3d rarpd sendmail \
   smtpd sndiod ypbind ypldap ypserv /etc/rc.d
cp /tmp/etc/mail/*.cf /etc/mail  # Use with care!

These files likely have local changes, but should be updated for 5.1. IF you have not altered these files, you can copy over the new version, otherwise the changes should be merged with your files:

etc/changelist
etc/login.conf
etc/protocols
etc/services

The changes to these files are in this patch file. Please test this process before relying on it for a machine you can not easily get to. You can attempt to use this by executing the following as root:

cd /
ftp http://www.openbsd.org/faq/upgrade51.patch
patch -C -p0 < upgrade51.patch

This will test the patch to see how well it will apply to YOUR system; to actually apply it, leave off the "-C" option. Note that it is likely that if you have customized files or not kept them closely updated, or are upgrading from a snapshot of 5.0, they may not accept the patch cleanly. Make sure all file changes are attempted; patch(1) may quit prematurely if it gets too confused in one file, which may happen if your machine was originally installed from a snapshot or otherwise has some interim changes. The last file to be changed here should be services. Deleting the file sections that fail from the patch file may permit the rest to be applied. You will need to manually apply the changes that are skipped.

The following files have had changes which should be looked at, but it is unlikely they should be directly copied or merged (i.e., if you are using nsd.conf, look at the suggested change of strategy, and decide if it is appropriate for your use).

etc/nsd.conf
etc/ypldap.conf

Finally, use newaliases(8) to update the aliases database, mtree(8) create any new directories:

newaliases
mtree -qdef /etc/mtree/4.4BSD.dist -p / -u

All upgraders, whether merging via sysmerge(8) or patch file should continue the upgrade process with these steps:

2. Files to delete

rm /etc/rc.d/aucat
rm /etc/ccd.conf /sbin/ccdconfig /usr/share/man/man8/ccdconfig.8
rm /usr/sbin/pkg_merge
rm /usr/libexec/getNAME /usr/share/man/man8/getNAME.8
rm -rf /usr/lib/gcc-lib/i386-unknown-openbsd5.0
rm -f /usr/bin/midicat /usr/share/man/man1/midicat.1
rm -f /usr/bin/makewhatis /usr/bin/mandocdb /usr/share/man/man8/mandocdb.8

3. Checking the kernel

If you followed the instructions for the upgrade process without install kernel, you have already completed this step. However, if you used the install kernel, and if you had a modified kernel in 5.0, it is likely you will need to modify the stock kernel of 5.1. This can be as simple as modifying a specific device using config(8), or it can involve a recompilation if the option you need is not included in the GENERIC kernel. Please consult FAQ 5 - Building the system from source before considering to recompile your kernel.

4. Upgrading packages

The following packages are known to have significant upgrade issues that will impact a large number of users. The fact that a package is not on this list doesn't mean it will have a trivial upgrade. You must do some homework on the applications YOU use.

• kqemu: Must be kept in sync with the kernel. pkg_delete prior to the upgrade, then pkg_add the new package once the upgrade has been completed.

• QEMU binary name change: As of QEMU 1.0 the i386 target has been renamed from qemu to qemu-system-i386, you will need to change scripts/command lines as necessary.

• PostgreSQL: Major upgrade to PostgreSQL 9.1.0. A dump/restore is required.

• Subversion: Major upgrade to Subversion 1.7.0. Existing working copies need to be upgraded manually. See the Subversion 1.7 release notes for details.

• php 5.3: The primary PHP version used in ports was switched to 5.3. This change means that if you run PHP applications packaged in ports, you will need to switch your webserver config to use the newer version of PHP. If you are currently using PHP with Apache in base, you will need to adjust your configuration:

  cd /var/www/conf/modules
  ln -fs /var/www/conf/modules.sample/php-5.3.conf /var/www/conf/modules/php.conf
  

  You will also need to check for links to any active PHP extension modules in /etc/php-5.2 and re-create them in /etc/php-5.3, e.g.

  cd /etc/php-5.3
  ls -l ../php-5.3.sample
  ln -s ../php-5.3.sample/pdo_mysql.ini .
  # (etc)
  

  Note that mhash is now part of the main php-5.3 package so an existing mhash.ini symbolic link can be ignored.

• courier-imap 4.10 Courier-imap has reset its epoch for the internal sequence number generator for new mail folders. Please read the UPGRADING section of the INSTALL notes for details.

• www/ntlmaps: www/ntlmaps has been removed. You can use www/cntlm as a replacement.

The package tools support in-place updating using pkg_add -u. For instance, to update all your packages, make sure PKG_PATH is pointing to the 5.1 packages directory on your CD or nearest FTP mirror, and use something like

pkg_add -ui

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