2025-09-27 –, D2
In my talk, I will demonstrate how to utilize PKGBase to perform FreeBSD OS updates.
By building PKGBase packages locally, it is easy to upgrade large numbers of hosts.
I will begin by explaining what PKGBase is and how to get started using it, using the FreeBSD Foundation's PKGBasify Script to convert existing hosts to be PKGBase-ready, and then using PKGBase to perform future upgrades.
The goal is to show the audience how to set up a build server to construct PKGBase packages and publish them to the network via NGINX, as well as use that server to consume PKGBase packages.
I will walk through how to configure a client to upgrade from FreeBSD 13.3 to 13.4, as well as how to perform major version upgrades, such as from 13.3 to 14.2. The same process can also be used to apply quick patch-level updates if the host is already set up with PKGBase.
Lastly, I will highlight some common pitfalls to watch out for during the upgrade process, as well as when using PKGBase for the first time.
I use this approach on a day-to-day basis in a production environment that is not directly connected to the Internet; therefore, freebsd-update is not an option. On this behalf, PKGBase is a valid option to perform OS upgrades.
I'm a 28-year-old system administrator from Germany, near Mainz. I started my training as an IT specialist for system integration in 2017 and have been working as a system administrator since 2020.
Since late 2023, I’ve been working with FreeBSD and am continuously learning more about it. My main focus is on automation using Ansible. In production environments, I primarily use FreeBSD for database servers and other core infrastructure components where stability is essential.