From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Jul 15 15:25:19 2011 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 449CC106566C for ; Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:25:19 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from FreeBSD@InsightBB.com) Received: from mail.insightbb.com (smtp1.insight.synacor.com [208.47.185.23]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0AA578FC0C for ; Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:25:18 +0000 (UTC) X_CMAE_Category: 0,0 Undefined,Undefined X-CNFS-Analysis: v=1.1 cv=WQv0epGoA/U3Wv7Ycfke4QT3TDweB4tbzARl60/71+A= c=1 sm=0 a=qGV6uSQ7kSsA:10 a=jLN7EqiLvroA:10 a=8nJEP1OIZ-IA:10 a=z6GzXvnUod6s600mUaMA:9 a=wPNLvfGTeEIA:10 a=Y155h1DoS737AfrD/5xiRQ==:117 X-CM-Score: 0 X-Scanned-by: Cloudmark Authority Engine Authentication-Results: smtp02.insight.synacor.com header.from=FreeBSD@InsightBB.com; sender-id=softfail Authentication-Results: smtp02.insight.synacor.com smtp.mail=FreeBSD@InsightBB.com; spf=softfail; sender-id=softfail Authentication-Results: smtp02.insight.synacor.com smtp.user=FreeBSD; auth=pass (LOGIN) Received-SPF: softfail (smtp02.insight.synacor.com: transitional domain InsightBB.com does not designate 208.46.39.11 as permitted sender) Received: from [208.46.39.11] ([208.46.39.11:1380] helo=[192.168.2.3]) by mail.insightbb.com (envelope-from ) (ecelerity 2.2.2.40 r(29895/29896)) with ESMTPSA (cipher=AES256-SHA) id DC/37-04271-ADB502E4; Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:25:14 -0400 Message-ID: <4E205BD7.7010903@InsightBB.com> Date: Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:25:11 -0400 From: Steven Friedrich User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 5.1; rv:5.0) Gecko/20110624 Thunderbird/5.0 MIME-Version: 1.0 To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org References: <4E2042CD.7020409@infracaninophile.co.uk> In-Reply-To: <4E2042CD.7020409@infracaninophile.co.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Subject: Re: Upgrading very old installation 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, 15 Jul 2011 15:25:19 -0000 On 7/15/2011 9:38 AM, Matthew Seaman wrote: > On 15/07/2011 13:20, Jaime Kikpole wrote: >> I'm running a FreeBSD 6.x server that hasn't been updated in about 1.5 years. >> >> atlas:~>uname -mprs >> FreeBSD 6.4-RELEASE-p8 i386 i386 >> >> What is the recommended way to upgrade it to something current? >> Should I upgrade it to the most recent 6.x and then to 7.x and then to >> 8.x? Or should I use a more direct route, upgrading it straight to >> the 8-RELEASE branch? > You'll almost certainly find it quicker and less painful to just > reinstall using an up to date version of FreeBSD. Personally, I'd go > and buy a new hard drive for the machine, install the latest OS and > applications on that and then copy over data etc. It helps if you can > have both drives mounted in the same machine at once. > > There are variations on this theme -- for instance if your server has > mirrored HDDs then you can split the mirror, re-install on one half, > reconcile configurations, data, user accounts between the two halves > and ultimately resynch the old drive to the new one. > > The big advantage of this sort of approach is that you get your new > install up and running and tested before you need to commit to the > potentially irreversible step of overwriting your last copy of the old one. > > Cheers, > > Matthew > Excellent advice, Matt. You rock.