Re: can't run as root with netbsd-5

[jnemeth%victoria.tc.ca@localhost (John Nemeth)]

On Jun 20,  3:41am, Hisashi T Fujinaka wrote:
} On Wed, 4 Mar 2009, John Nemeth wrote:
} > On Jul 25,  5:51am, Thor Lancelot Simon wrote:
} > } On Wed, Mar 04, 2009 at 08:44:53AM -0600, Eric Haszlakiewicz wrote:
} > } > On Wed, Mar 04, 2009 at 05:31:39PM +1100, 
bsd-xen%roguewrt.org@localhost wrote:
} > } > > A major upgrade without physical access ... you're game!
} > } > >
} > } > > And not syncing your userland and kernel while you have physical
} > } > > root access, life on the edge! hehe
} > } >
} > } >  I thought I had shorn up that edge pretty well by doing a test upgrade
} > } > on a copy of the machine, but I guess I missed something.
} > }
} > } Why not upgrade the kernel first?  In my experience that is always the
} > } safest way to go (and is usually safe for remote upgrades too).
} >
} >     Yep.  I've taken systems from 1.6 to 4.0.1 this way without a
} > hitch.  Basically, install new kernel (possibly custom built) and
} > /boot, reboot, upgrade userland (unpack all sets except *etc.tgz), use
} > postinstall/etcupgrade to handle /etc, make any other changes to /etc
} > that are needed, reboot, rebuild packages at your leisure.  The only
} > failure I've had is with a botched installboot.  On many platforms, you
} > can simply cp .../usr/mdec/boot /boot.  Check installboot(8) to find
} > out.
} 
} Somewhere in 4 -> current, the modules were introduced and I had to

     Obviously if you're moving to a modular kernel, you have to
install the modules along with the kernel.

} actually lay my hands on the system to get it working again. I'm fairly
} certain you may have to go from 4 to a monolithic 5, and 5 monolithic to
} 5 modular. But I'm not sure.

     There is no need.  Just install the modules at the same time you
install the kernel.  Note that you will also need a new copy of /boot.
This is explained in src/UPDATING in the 20081122 entry.

} The big trick was to fix my SPARCstation that had no way to get a new
} kernel installed. That involved netbooting fun. Hooray for upgrades.

     Either follow along on current-users@ or read src/UPDATING.

}-- End of excerpt from Hisashi T Fujinaka