Upgrading OpenBSD — so darn easy!

Tonight I finally got around to upgrading my OpenBSD machine, Vectra functions as my file server among other things hehe. The 4.2 upgrade screwed around with the expat library making it depend on xbase42.tgz which is the X Windows System, normally not needed unless one is running a graphical desktop environment.

The system runs headless with no monitor, keyboard, or mouse and functions as a file server. So I have no need what so ever to run a GUI, using a command prompt over SSH is actually my preferred way of working on the box any way. because it means I don’t need a monitor, keyboard, or mouse to work on Vectra and because SSH is not as heavy on the network as using VNC/X Forwarding and crap. Now that 4.3 was released May 1st and fixed the libexpat thing I can update

I took the machine from OpenBSD 4.1 to 4.2 to 4.3. I could probably have saved time by not dealing with any of the *42.tgz files besides etc42.tgz but I did it any way. I’ve also learned the hardway to back up /root first hehe (see end of post notes). OpenBSD is one of the most easy to install, upgrade, use, and maintain operating systems I have ever used.

Here is my general log of things, and yes I do use the shells command grouping and flow-control constructs when I feel like it :-P. Most of the configuration file changes in 4.2/4.3 were never modified by me so I could install most of them over the old ones

EDIT:, be sure to remove BOTH etc*.tgz before using any the for loops to install files!!! or end up in my sleepy boat. Updating the files in /dev before rebooting is also not a bad idea.

su – root
Password:
cd /usr/obj
mkdir {4.2,4.3} && cd 4.2
cat ~/.profile          # look up my mirrors address
ftp ftp.usa.openbsd.org
        …             # login as anonymous
ftp> cd /pub/OpenBSD/4.2/i386
        …             # fetch files for OpenBSD 4.2
ftp> get base42.tgz
        …
ftp> get etc42.tgz
        …
ftp> get comp42.tgz
        …
ftp> get misc42.tgz
        …
ftp> get man42.tgz
        …
ftp> get games42.tgz
        …
ftp> lcd ../4.3
        …     # change directories
ftp> cd /pub/OpenBSD/4.3/i386
        …             # fetch files for OpenBSD 4.3
ftp> get bsd
        …
ftp> get bsd.rd
        …
ftp> get base43.tgz
        …
ftp> get etc43.tgz
        …
ftp> get comp43.tgz
        …
ftp> get misc43.tgz
        …
ftp> get man43.tgz
        …
ftp> get games43.tgz
        …
ftp> close
221 Goodbye.
ftp> bye        # return to my shell, pwd := /usr/obj/4.2
ftp>  http://openbsd.org/faq/upgrade42.patch      # fetch patch file for /etc
tar -xzphf etc42.tgz
cd etc          # pwd := /usr/obj/4.2/etc
# install the etc42 files as directed by the upgrade notes
cp magic man.conf netstart rc rc.conf rpc services /etc
cp mtree/* /etc/mtree/
cp mail/helpfile mail/localhost.cf mail/submit.cf /etc/mail
cp mail/sendmail.cf /etc/mail
cp etc/bgpd.conf /etc/                                                      
cp etc/mail/spamd.conf /etc/mail/                                            
cp etc/ospfd.conf /etc/                                                      
# test the patch
cd ..           # pwd:= /usr/obj/4.2 again
(cd /; patch -C -p0) < ./upgrade42.patch        # test patch
(cd /; patch -p0) < ./upgrade42.patch           # apply patch
        …    
# my /etc/ntpd.conf is customized and fails to patch clean
# remove the left over notes, _AFTER_ reviewing them !
(cd /etc; for i in `ls /etc/|grep rej`; do rm $i; done)
vimdiff etc/ssh/sshd_config /etc/ssh/sshd_config
        …    
# manually merge the new sshd_config with mine
                # this puts both files in a verticle split, new on the left,
                # old on the right. Merge changes in with the :diffput command
cd ../4.3              
# pwd := /usr/obj/4.3
ftp>  http://openbsd.org/faq/upgrade43.patch      # fetch patch file for /etc
# install the etc43 files as directed by the upgrade notes
tar -xzphf etc43.tgz
cp moduli netstart ospf6d.conf rc rc.conf relayd.conf security snmpd.conf /etc
cp mtree/* /etc/mtree/
cp mail/README /etc/mail
cp ../var/named/etc/root.hint /var/named/etc
cp etc/ttys /etc/ttys                                                        
(cd /; patch -C -p0) < ./upgrade43.patch        # test patch
(cd /; patch -p0) < ./upgrade43.patch           # apply patch
        …
# remove the left over notes, _AFTER_ reviewing them !
(cd /etc; for i in `ls /etc/|grep rej`; do rm $i; done)
# remove uneeded files, as directed in 4.3 upgrade
notes

rm /etc/hoststated.conf /var/named/standard/root.hint
# add the new users and groups in 4.3:
useradd -u90 -g=uid -c"OSPF6 Daemon" -d/var/empty -s/sbin/nologin _ospf6d
useradd -u91 -g=uid -c"SNMP Daemon" -d/var/empty -s/sbin/nologin _snmpd
newaliases      
        …    
# update mail aliases
mtree -qdef /etc/mtree/4.4BSD.dist -p / -u                                  
        …    
# create new directories as needed
# change permissions as instructed by the 4.3 upgrade notes
chown root:operator /etc/chio.conf                                          
chmod 644 /etc/chio.conf                                                    
# install the new kernel as directed, pwd := /usr/obj/4.3
ln /bsd /bsd.41                                                              
cp bsd /bsd.41
mv /bsd.41 /bsd                                                              
shutdown -r now         # reboot into the new kernel so we can begin
extracting

                        # upgrade files safely.
# wait for the machine to come back up, and ssh back to it
ping vectra
ssh2v                   # an alias that expands to ssh’ing me into vectra
        …
su – root
Password:
# install all of the 4.2 upgrade files
(cd /usr/obj/4.2/; for ark in `ls | grep .tgz`; do tar -C / -xzphf $ark; done
# install all of the 4.3 upgrade files
(cd /usr/obj/4.3/; for ark in `ls | grep .tgz`; do tar -C / -xzphf $ark; done

Since there are a lot of printing related packages from back when I screwed with setting up a Lexmark WinJet with cups awhile back and the Samba system which is no longer used… Since oddly integrating Windows and BSD clients forced me into NFS shares : I’ve opted to delete all of the packages installed on the server and reinstall the only ones I actually give a flying rats rear end about

pkg_delete -cxi -F dependencies /var/db/pkg/*
pkg_add -vi bzip2 lzma

Sadly it seems that /root/profile for some odd reason was overwritten by one of the upgrade files, which really sucks… Because I didn’t stop to think — the tarballs for upgrade are the same as a fresh install which has to create roots default home directory!!!

I had set up roots ~/.profile to set PKG_PATH dynamically based on the current architecture and release level. So I redirected the output of ‘set’ to a file to retain the values and rewrote my file by hand and changed ~/.profile to source a separate ~/.kshrc before rebooting the system

set > /tmp/root.profile
vim -o ~/.profile -o ~/.kshrc
shutdown -r now

GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!

It seems, any time I even think about trying to get some thing done…

These @%@!%!’ers find someway of dropping a hydrogen bomb on it :

What the hell do I have to do in order to get work done when I’m home from work? Hog tie people to a chair and ducktape there mouths lol.

<joke>Hey… That’s not a bad idea</joke>

Another pointless day almost done…

We started work today at our new clients, just as I expected it’s more stressful then it is hard work… Gotta love being driving batty but at least the clients are not the ones causing it >_>

Spent some time in PG#1 and in TG#3 and cruised the usual forums, sent over a dozen spam-reports on forums.pcbsd.org :

Knee deep in flood, shells, and bullets.

Managed to fight through the flood running gun battle levels all the way to Cortana popping up to save the universe >_>

Perhaps it’s just me but I think it was actually harder playing it the first time way back when, rather then playing through on Heroic of late :

Or maybe it’s because I concentrated more on wiping out the flood then just keeping in Master Chief in one piece lol.

If my ISP could keep the (snip) connection working things would be much easier… Made it to 455MB on the last ISO Kriss Moore posted for PC-BSD 7Alpha before it the aDSL finally died.

Why pay for service that works like crap?

I want to get it setup for some testing, the PC-BSD install on my test machine uses a partition that I’ve reserved largely for testing Linux/BSD alpha/beta/release candidates any way so it’s no loss. Later on I also would like to ‘play’ with an idea that needs a fresh FreeBSD-7 install… 😉

*sigh* another unfulfilling day almost gone.

I’d rather like to hit some code… But I’m to fscking tired tonight. Looks like I’ll have to make do with a few rounds of kpat (KPatience) instead :

Killin’ headaches, uhhh aliens…

A little Halo to curve the days annoyances…

Continued off from “If I had a super weapon” on Heroic mode but still found the mission a bit sticky. Almost beat it, using my pistol with a mag & a half to clear the front way and plasma pistol shots to take down the Banshees. Making it to the end of the bridge only to meet a pair of Hunters that gave me a Fuel-Rod kiss off lol.

So… enough of that crud, I dogged it back past the checkpoint into the area I had cleared last time — lots of dead Covenant and a pair of hunters guarding supplies. Ran in there between the hunters, grabbing more grenades, a full stash of pistol magazines, and a health pack ;-).

Ran back out of there dodging between Hunters trying to pancake me but got out without a scratch. That was fun, to bad I didn’t get to slap one on the way out >_>

With the piutol fully loaded, sniped out the Elites on the bridge and kept them from getting into the Banshees. Triggering the hunters to emerge, I dashed back and climbed in, oh man… Dive bombing Hunters and Grunts with a Banshees plasma guns xD

Finished them off and made it to the objective, unlocked the door and gave the Golden sword wielding Elite a plasma missile on the way through 😉

Fighting towards the flood, I actually found a nice trick. The looks quid like floods are dangerous in groups, perfect time for the assault rifle but… The pistol and the shotgun is a bit more useful against the larger floods then shotgun and assault rifle. So what I started to do to conserve pistol ammo, was dancing between flood and when the little critters jump to try infecting the Master Chief, pistol whip’em in mid air. It has to be timed right or they will hit the shields or miss, but it’s fun to time it right and whack’em with the pistol instead of shooting them all.

Left off on The Library, the best part of the game but the start off is a bit rough. Swarms of flood all over and my shotgun traded out for a pistol grr… But I generally find once you manage to get decent weapons. The levels like the most stress-reliving one in the game.

Running, jumping, shooting, and fending off swarm after swarm of zombie like and well armed enemies during one of the most prolonged running gun battles in video-gaming lol.

Just slide into it and relax, good way to clear the brains thoughts for a little while hehe.

More then meets the eye

I finally gotten a chance to watch Transformers and it was freaking awesome !

When I had first heard that they were making a life action movie of it, I thought the amount of CGI they would need would ruin it totally. But I was quite pleased to see the awesome job that showed through the trailers. And interestingly, Michael Bay was one of those involved. With the exception of Perl Harbor which bored the ever loving crap out of me, I’ve enjoyed most of the films that hes directed.

Transformers is arguably one of the best movies I’ve seen in a _long_ time. It’s gotta be like the best movie since T2. And people that know me well, would know that is indeed high praise from me!

Because for me, T2 is just that kind of definitive movie… The kind that, if I had to select one movie to describe my generation. I would probably reach for Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Transformers really was done well, not purely authentic to the originals but close enough hehe. I remember talking with a friend, and were some what amazed that between me and her, that we could still remember most of the crud we watched when we were knee high lol.

*sigh*

work’ward bound again but at least I finished my Perl script…

sad news

Some sad news this morning 🙁

We just heard from one of our old clients that one of her dogs passed away. He was a lovable little duffel-bag of a Chihuahua, if he knew you he loved otherwise run for cover!!!

I remember the first day that we worked over there, he barked for three hours and then slept through the rest of the time we were there lol. After having worked over a year there… Before we left, Ma would give the little guy a kiss on the cheek and he always wanted us to pet him when we worked down stairs. And this is a dog, that once took a bite out of an A/C Repair Mans trousers and kept hanging on till he left!!!

R.I.P. Booger, it was a joy.

Thoughts as Night Falls

I am starving… Even on a full stomach, it is as if I have eaten nothing.
There is no place for me here, the thought repeats in my mind continuously.
This place is so far from everything I seek…

I am mocked for doing nothing, yet I did nothing because to do anything
would have betrayed me into their hands, a mere target under those guns.

So I fortify these castle walls with Titanium and Cortosis.
Hiding myself deep within, appearing emotionless to the storms that rage outside.
Because I can’t afford to show the effects from the stabs ‘n jabs at my core…
So I build the walls stronger, so that nothing may show through them.
Less the beasts sense a sign of weakness and strike deeper.

Forced to look as if carved from stone, despite the churning underneath…
I’m made of flesh and bone not of iron and concrete.
My heart dies, bit by bit, day by day but surely it wastes away in this place.

Why must I hide myself from those who I love?
Because of creatures that strike so hard, in search of blood…
And upon that sign, would redouble their efforts tenfold,
If I appear phased in the slightest by their efforts.

This is not who I am… But it is apart of survival, in this hellish place.
I yearn to be safe, where my soul has no tolls set upon its freedom.
There is no place for me here, it burns my mind into cinders.
The road behind me is ever so clearer then the path before my feet.
I know the soul can endure long after the heart has since stopped to function.

As my mind drifts to another frame of thought… Another time, another creature.
My memories are both strong and vivid, like an image
irreparably seared into the minds eye.
I cannot forget, the things I once felt.

That specter of the past, that light that shined before the darkness fell again.
Illusion or reality, love or hate, water or fire, it was something strong.
I recall those times with a bitter-sweet taste, because for a brief moment,
Where perhaps I was the most alive, even if only for a few moments.

Before the storms came, and the end came, my heart going with it.
Nothing was left, nothing survived those rending waves…
Washed up along the shores: to begin again.

I wonder, will I ever find the things I seek?
Will I ever be free of this place, and the chains that it forges before me…
To bind me forever in the path of its gnashing teeth.
Far from my passionate goals, from my very self..

And what of the future to be?
I’m ever so damn far from reaching that peaceful place I need to reach.
Man was not made for this form of existence, this empty place.
To sit in darkness, forced from the light.
Like a caged animal, rent before the wolfs.

Let the past be past, ends to be ended.
My soul must become free of this madness, my heart cured of it’s poisons.
Those memories of what once was, left behind and forgotten.
Because this place, and those recollections combined are much to strong to bear.

What will there be left of me when I am free?

Tonight, I think if I was to be placed in th’ight situation,
I think I’d say fuck it and hit the vodka.
And not look upward again for a fortnight…

But as always… I am ever the sober one, sober as a codfish in water.

Mon May 12 04:43:53 UTC 2008