On Mar 19,  6:33am, Don Lewis wrote:
} On Mar 18, 11:05pm, John Nemeth wrote:
} 
} } } You install a machine, you set up rc.conf for your local settings, and
} } } then when a new release (or snapshot) comes out it changes the syntax,
} } } changes the names, or simply adds a whole bunch more options.
} } 
} }      diff and patch work wonders here.  As I've said I've had to
} } change the files in /etc/init.d many times.  This means that at
} } upgrade time I lose.  Not to mention the upgrade restoring symbolic
} 
} <ftp://ftp1.dal.net/pub/dalnet/FreeBSD/mergemaster-1.17.tar.gz> has

     Thanks for the tip.

} A fairly recent change to FreeBSD moved the bulk of /etc/rc.conf to
} /etc/defaults/rc.conf which is not supposed to be edited.  The values
} in /etc/defaults/rc.conf can be overridden in /etc/rc.conf or
} /etc/rc.conf.local.  /etc/rc.conf gets written by the installation tool,
} and the sysadmin can override things by hand in /etc/rc.conf.local.
} When installing a new release, /etc/defaults/rc.conf gets updated
} directly from the release to set any new variables.  In theory this
} should make upgrading less painful.

     Hmm, interesting idea.

}-- End of excerpt from Don Lewis