I’ve got the PC-BSD 1.4.x->1.5 patch pbi downloading, from the best (for me) US Mirror available at a snails pace (20-30kb/sec), so that means it is either time to power cycle ye’ol modem+router or things must be pretty busy. A nice power-cycle and spit upon the hardware and we’re back up to a more acceptable 75-150+ kb/sec according to kget but it still blows. I’ve noticed whenever it rains the internet connection gets even less stable here :
I’m not sure what state the update will leave my laptop in but I know that the *IMPORTANT* stuff is backed up. I trust FreeBSD and OpenBSDs update procedures waaayyy more then PC-BSDs… Today I give them one on trust.
Normally my test machine is patched first and examined for errors, this time I will skip that phase and we will see the results. I have stuff backed up to $VECTRA:/srv/smb/Backups/ which I use as a sort of cache, stuff goes here and gets gradually removed but it stays on one of SAL1600s cold storage partitions much longer.
Dixie-backup-2008-02-28.tar.gz code-stuff.tar
Lexmark-Z12-lxm3200-tweaked.ppd docs-stuff.tar
MaxSec4E.tar.bz2 etc.tar
boot.tar
the *stuff.tar files hold the only things I’ve changed (and care if are lost) since my last backup, the boot and etc tarballs hold the only critical system files that may be changed since my last backup as well. So honestly the only casualties will be few if the upgrade goes badly — having to reinstall crap.
If the PC-BSD upgrade goes badly, there is a three disk set of FreeBSD 7.0-Release sitting on my desk and a list of programs I have been keeping which will soon be scp’d to my VECTRA for safe keeping hehe. The only things missing from the list are language bindings, namely that I need Python bindings for Qt3 for work on NPM.
# languages
gcc-4.3
# manual install needed for JDK/JRE
perl
python
ruby && rubygem-rtags && rubygem-rake
guile
scheme48
# libraries
qt4
gtk-2
# development tools
gmake
ctags
cscope && kscope
webcpp
subversion
# games
kdegames
xgalaga
prboom
doom-data
wesnoth
# graphics software
gimp
inkscape
xv
kdegraphics
# browsers
linux-flock
lynx
# e-mail and news
thunderbird && thunderbird-i18n
mutt
# kontact and related
kdepim
# chat
konversation
pidgin && pidgin-hotkeys
pidgin-guifications || pidgin-libnotify
pidgin-otr && pidgin-encryption
teamspeak_client
xemacs || emacs
mg
terminus-font
# multimedia
libdvdread
libdvdplay
libdvdnav
libdvdcss
cdrtools
mplayer # install codecs manually, more reliable
linux-mplayerplug-in
smplayer-qt4 && smplayer-themes
mencoder # not sure if there is a pkg
xmms
k3b
# documents
latex
gnumeric || koffice
# personal
zsh
windowmaker
docker
wmclock
rxvt-unicode || aterm
Vim is not on the list, because ever since one day I was setting up a FreeBSD install and the port was broken. I learned to install it from the sources on vim.org, so I continue to do so even now.
If all goes FUBAR with the 1.5 patch, well FreeBSD 7 here I come. It should only take a few hours to get the necessary software installed, a package add on xorg-7.3 alone should take awhile <_<. And a couple minutes to decide if I want XDM, KDM, or GDM (Xs, KDEs, or Gnomes) login manager while I’m waiting. I can also use the 7.0-Release kernel from my test machine hehe.
I expect as long as the 1.4 -> 1.5 update leaves my laptop in a bootable state that I shouldn’t have any problems. There is a limit to how much I’ll be willing to stand fixing myself of course. The last time I let it do any major upgrades it was so kind as to delete all files in /usr/local/* so I’m prepared to reinstall my software if necessary but not PC-BSD 😉
Let’s see the outcome.