Overview
- New tool: Vermaden introduces
pkgbase-update(8), a BSD-licensed utility designed to simplify FreeBSD base-system upgrades using PKGBASE. - Motivation: FreeBSD 15.x is the final major version supporting the traditional
freebsd-update(8)mechanism. - FreeBSD 16.0: PKGBASE is intended to become the exclusive method for installing and updating the FreeBSD base system.
- Main objective: Provide a familiar, straightforward interface resembling
freebsd-update, avoiding complicated manual package-management procedures. 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚗
Why the Tool Was Created
The official FreeBSD 15.2-BETA1 upgrade instructions require multiple manual operations:
- Updating the
pkgpackage manager. - Creating temporary repository configurations.
- Upgrading FreeBSD base-system packages and kernel modules.
- Updating the EFI bootloader manually.
- Checking
.pkgnewconfiguration files. - Cleaning temporary files and rebooting.
Vermaden considered this process unnecessarily complicated and developed pkgbase-update in approximately 2–3 hours.
Available Commands
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
pkgbase-update upgrade -r VERSION | Upgrade to a specified FreeBSD release |
pkgbase-update install | Install the selected upgrade |
pkgbase-update loader | Handle bootloader updates |
pkgbase-update pkgnew | Check newly installed configuration files |
pkgbase-update modules | Handle kernel-module-related checks |
The tool provides a simplified interface around the existing PKGBASE infrastructure.
Demonstrated Upgrade
Vermaden demonstrates upgrading FreeBSD 15.1-RELEASE → 15.2-BETA1 using:
pkgbase-update upgrade -r 15.2-BETA1
Key observations:
- The package manager upgrades from
pkg 2.6.2_1to2.8.4. - The upgrade processes 213 FreeBSD base-system packages.
- The tool handles the base-system upgrade and checks the kernel-module repository.
- It checks for
.pkgnewconfiguration files requiring manual review. - An interactive confirmation remains for package upgrades rather than automatically accepting every action.
After rebooting, freebsd-version -kur reports:
15.2-BETA115.2-BETA115.2-BETA1
This confirms that the installed userland and running kernel match the intended release. 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚗
Availability and Limitations
- Open source: Available on GitHub — vermaden/pkgbase-update.
- License: BSD.
- Development stage: First public release.
- Automation: Most upgrade operations are simplified, but some user confirmation and configuration review remain necessary.
- Validation: The article demonstrates one successful upgrade scenario, not comprehensive testing across different hardware and configurations.
https://github.com/vermaden/pkgbase-update
