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Date:      Thu, 18 Apr 2002 09:15:08 -0700
From:      "Bruce A. Mah" <bmah@FreeBSD.ORG>
To:        freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG, Lawrence Mayer dsg <Lawrence.Mayer@dsg.ki.se>
Subject:   Re: site down? releng4.freebsd.org 
Message-ID:  <200204181615.g3IGF8eF012098@intruder.bmah.org>
In-Reply-To: <20020418112733.A9174@freno.cs.tu-berlin.de> 
References:  <Pine.GSO.4.44.0204172116300.12210-100000@mbox.ki.se> <20020418112733.A9174@freno.cs.tu-berlin.de>

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If memory serves me right, Wolfram Schneider wrote:

> > 1. Has the site been down?

It's undergoing a hardware upgrade, last I heard.

> > 5. If there are no mirrors, would it be possible to recruit one?

Another part of the FreeBSD Project also generates -STABLE snapshots:

http://snapshots.jp.freebsd.org/

> The
> > situation is particularly accute right now, since
> > 
> > "......A bug has been fixed in soft updates that can cause occasional
> > filesystem corruption if the system is shut down immediately after
> > performing heavy filesystem activities, such as installing a new kernel or
> > other software. The system shutdown was unable to flush all buffers on
> > shutdown and would report this fact. The problem can be worked around by
> > running sync(8) a few times before rebooting, or solved by updating to a
> > recent FreeBSD 4.5-STABLE snapshot........"
> > (2002/03/19 posted to www.freebsd.org/releases/4.5R/errata.html)
> > 
> > In my reading, the above quote recommends that 4.5 RELEASE users upgrade
> > to STABLE instead of waiting for the next RELEASE to come out.  It would
> > be most unfortunate if releng4.freebsd.org is down, and there are no
> > mirrors, just now when we need it the most!

I think the situation is not as dire as you believe it is.  If you read
the errata carefully, it also lists a workaround that does not require
an update to 4-STABLE.  The text above was originally written by Matt
Dillon and edited by myself; I'm pretty sure that Matt didn't intend
this as a recommendation for everyone to run 4-STABLE.  I sure don't
interpret this as such.

> > A mirror site would also be an investment not only in the present but in
> > the future. It may happen again that a serious bug is found in a FreeBSD
> > RELEASE. If so, it would be a clear advantage if there is more than one
> > site in the world hosting recent shopshots of FreeBSD STABLE.
> >
> > I would greatly appreciate a reply ASAP. I am anxious to install FreeBSD.
> > But, in view of the above quote, I'm waiting to get my hands on FreeBSD
> > STABLE.

Hmmm.  Despite its name, 4-STABLE is still a branch in development.  I 
personally don't recommend running it unless you're willing to track 
its development by reading the freebsd-stable@ mailing list, and you 
have a little experience with running and administering FreeBSD 
machines already.

If you're a new FreeBSD user, I'd advise you to run 4.5-RELEASE (being
careful to read the errata document, which you have already done, to see
what outstanding issues may affect you).  Once you've got a little 
experience with FreeBSD, you can make an informed decision as to 
whether or not running 4-STABLE is right for you at any given point in 
time.

Good luck!

Bruce.




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