From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Jan 23 00:52:24 2009 Return-Path: Delivered-To: questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9659B1065688 for ; Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:52:24 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from svein.h@lvor.halvorsen.cc) Received: from bene1.itea.ntnu.no (bene1.itea.ntnu.no [IPv6:2001:700:300:3::56]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id CDAD88FC1F for ; Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:52:23 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from svein.h@lvor.halvorsen.cc) Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by bene1.itea.ntnu.no (Postfix) with ESMTP id E0EDB16C8A5 for ; Fri, 23 Jan 2009 01:52:21 +0100 (CET) Received: from maren.thelosingend.net (maren.math.ntnu.no [129.241.211.48]) by bene1.itea.ntnu.no (Postfix) with SMTP id 5E99716C7AB for ; Fri, 23 Jan 2009 01:52:19 +0100 (CET) Received: (qmail 37772 invoked by uid 88); 23 Jan 2009 01:49:37 +0100 Received: from maren.math.ntnu.no (HELO [127.0.0.1]) (129.241.211.48) by maren.thelosingend.net (qpsmtpd/0.31.1) with ESMTP; Fri, 23 Jan 2009 01:49:37 +0100 Message-ID: <49791625.7000806@lvor.halvorsen.cc> Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2009 01:58:13 +0100 From: Svein Halvor Halvorsen User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.18 (X11/20081205) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: questions@freebsd.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Virus-Scanned: Debian amavisd-new at bene1.itea.ntnu.no Cc: Subject: Keeping FreeBSD updated (the binary way) X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:52:24 -0000 Hi, list! I have just acquired a new computer to replace an old server. This older server has been running FreeBSD 5.3 since 2004 and most of its packages are way out of date. I've been scared of changing something in fear of rendering the machine unbootable, or some core applications unrunnable. I want to make sure I have better routines this time around, when I'm starting a-fresh. I'd like to keep my system and packages fairly up to date, and still keep the compiling to a minimum. Is it possible to pkg_add -r packages from -STABLE on the latest -RELEASE? That is, will the following work, or slowly render my system to an incoherent state: 1) Regularly run freebsd-update 2) Regularly run portsnap 3) Set my PACKAGESITE to the -STABLE location 4) Regularly run portupgrade -P Will the postsnap'ed index always be in sync with what's available as precompiled packages for -STABLE? Will these -STABLE packages always run on my freebsd-update'd -RELEASE system? If some ports have the NO_PACKAGE bit set, will compiling them against dependencies from -STABLE work, as long as I've run portsnap? Svein Halvor