Re: src update without console access

From: Per Engelbrecht (per_at_xterm.dk)
Date: 09/14/04

  • Next message: Petr Holub: "problem with Apache 1.3.31 + mod_frontpage"
    Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2004 12:18:39 +0200 (CEST)
    To: <freebsd-isp@freebsd.org>
    
    

    Hi Bill

    >> When running 'installworld', 'mergemaster -p' and 'mergemaster'
    >> the server needs to be in single-user mode.
    >
    > Recommended but not needed.

    sysctl kern.securelevel value >0 should determin that. That I was told
    in a previous mail and fbsd documentation back's it up.
    -1, 0 = ok with multi-user
    1, 2= single-user only

    > I only manage a handful of servers and I've not had to go to the
    > colo for any work. I do make sure someone is there >IF< things go
    > wrong.
    >
    > The only time there was a problem was one older mobo that always
    > had the control keyboard connected and someone decided to stick
    > that on aother machine.
    >
    >> That is not possible for out customers! They often sit on the
    >> other side of the world on a ssh connection and in single-user
    >> mode you don't have ssh.That's the problem!
    >
    > I run the buildworld and buildkernel under nohup so I have a
    > complete lot. I start them up, and then log out, and check later
    > for any errors.

    nohup ? (sounds like a make.conf thing)

    > I then install the kernel and hope it comes up. That part has
    > never failed for me.

    > The problem is that you have no control over what your customers do
    > and they could easily modify things and wind up with a non-booting
    > kernel.
    >
    > Perhaps it would be good to set a policy so that customers notify
    > you when they are going to reinstall and have them do that only
    > when data center operators are there to copy the old kernel back
    > to a running one so the customer can sort things out.

    Our admin./install-setup (PXE / Java) is quite impressive. Customers can
    make cold/warm reboot's, power off/on(!), make reinstalls of same or
    other OS's, make backups and can get all kind of informations on their
    system(if they don't disable it from their default install). Customers
    get a mail on reinstall and reboot events. We have a log (from the PXE
    part) where we can see reinstalls and OS version on each node.

    All in all our customers are give a lot of options/features that make
    their lifes easier and documentation on top of that. My major concern
    was the src upgrade part. It's "fix'ed" now.

    > When I do the remote updated [almost always after 1AM] I'm down for
    > about 2 minutes rebooting the new kernel. Then I perform
    > the installworld, then run mergemaster, then a second reboot.
    >
    > So down time is about two periods of 2 minutes separated by
    > a 1/2 hour time frame. I can get to the facility in about
    > 20 minutes after 1AM so maybe that's why I never have a problem.
    > The machines must know that I can get there to fix them so they
    > don't bother breaking :-)

    :)

    Thank you for your input Bill and thank you to all you guys that replied
    on this thread.

    respectfully
    /per
    per@xterm.dk

    >
    > Bill
    >
    >
    > --
    > Bill Vermillion - bv @ wjv . com

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  • Next message: Petr Holub: "problem with Apache 1.3.31 + mod_frontpage"

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