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Date:      Tue, 24 Jul 2001 16:45:47 -0400
From:      Bill Moran <wmoran@iowna.com>
To:        Kevin Golding <kevin@caomhin.demon.co.uk>
Cc:        freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: make world from across the globe
Message-ID:  <3B5DDE7B.827D5303@iowna.com>
References:  <KvQQHNBk7aX7Ewvw@caomhin.demon.co.uk>

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Kevin Golding wrote:
> The problem is that I have no direct access to the machine in question,
> I usually just connect with ssh and for day to day stuff that serves me
> just fine, but from the stuff I've read about upgrades I should drop
> down to single user mode for the final stages like make installworld.

That is a problem. Especially if this is a critical system and it really
is "across the globe".
Is there someone at the facility that you could have on call in case the
upgrade goes badly? If not, you may want to plan a trip to do this.

> Now to my knowledge this makes remote logins a problem.

The way to do this is to have a second machine connected to the first
via serial connection. You can then login to the second machine via
ssh and reboot the first as if you're sitting right at it. If you plan
on doing this sort of remote admin very often, I would suggest you take
the time to set something like this up.

> I've thought about setting /etc/ttys to insecure and then just dropping
> down but I'm not exactly confident that'll work.

Nor am I.

> I've also read <URL: http://www.nothing-going-
> on.demon.co.uk/FreeBSD/make-world/make-world.html > which looks like I
> might be able to avoid dropping to single user if I'm *very* careful,
> prepared and desperate.

I've done it. It's not a good idea and there are no guarantees. Even if
you take this route, it's still a good idea to have someone on call at
the facility. At some point you have to reboot, and what happens if the
new kernel doesn't boot?

Hope this helps,
Bill

-- 
It may be that true happiness is nothing more than the ability to *always*
know the right thing to say at the right time,  whereas true misery is the
state of perpetually saying to oneself, "What I *should* have said was..."

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