Updating FreeBSD

Update Types

• Security patches: Fix vulnerabilities in base system
• Base system updates: Bug fixes and improvements
• Release upgrades: Major version changes (14.0 to 14.1)
• Package updates: Third-party software updates

Security Patches

# Check for updates
freebsd-update fetch

# Install patches
freebsd-update install

# One-liner
freebsd-update fetch install

Release Upgrades

# Upgrade to new release
freebsd-update -r 14.1-RELEASE upgrade

# Follow prompts to review changes
# Then install
freebsd-update install

# Reboot
shutdown -r now

# Complete upgrade (run after reboot)
freebsd-update install

# Reinstall packages (recommended)
pkg upgrade -f

Package Updates

# Update package database
pkg update

# Upgrade all packages
pkg upgrade

# Check for vulnerabilities
pkg audit -F

Checking Current Version

# FreeBSD version
freebsd-version
uname -r

# Patch level
freebsd-version -k
freebsd-version -u

# Package versions
pkg info

Automated Updates

# /etc/crontab
# Check for security updates daily
0 3 * * * root freebsd-update cron

# Or create script
# /usr/local/bin/auto-update.sh
#!/bin/sh
freebsd-update fetch install
pkg update && pkg upgrade -y

Update Best Practices

1. Read UPDATING - /usr/src/UPDATING for source builds
2. Check announcements - FreeBSD mailing lists
3. Test in staging - Before production updates
4. Create snapshots - ZFS snapshot before updates
5. Schedule downtime - For major upgrades