• From: Amsterdam
  • Registered: 2008-03-22
  • Posts: 7

Topic: two questions about ports

Hi all,

I've been running FreeBSD a little over a year, and I am still coming to grips with some of the nuances of working with ports.

First, I need to recompile postfix with certain options. However, when I run "install make clean" it appears to use a previous configuration, rather than displaying the curses dialog where I can modify the compile options. I have poked around the postfix port dir, but it is not immediately obvious what is causing this behaviour.

Second, one of the ports is not up to date. On another forum, one of the program's devs told me he would send a note to the maintainer asking him to update it. What is the easiest way to find out if a port has been updated? Should I run cvsup (nightly) or is there another way? I am running portaudit, so I get notified of security updates, but I am curious how others manage non-security-related updates.

Thanks.

  • From: Pittsburgh, Pa
  • Registered: 2005-07-27
  • Posts: 648

Re: two questions about ports

1) make config

2) I don't use portaudit, but with using 

port snap update

it fetches all the update ports.

you can then run

portversion -v -l "<"

to see what ports on your system are out of date with the newest ports.

"An educator never says what he himself thinks, but only that which he thinks it is good for those whom he is educating to hear."
-Nietzsche

RoddieRod's Website

  • From: Amsterdam
  • Registered: 2008-03-22
  • Posts: 7

Re: two questions about ports

1. Thanks

2. OK, I've updated the portsdb database, but what is the next step? How do I query it and compare my installed  versions? When I run that second command it doesn't tell me anything particulary useful:

$ portversion -v -l "<"
[Updating the portsdb <format:bdb_btree> in /var/tmp ... - 18137 port entries found .........1000.........2000.........3000.........4000.........5000.........6000.........7000.........8000.........9000.........10000.........11000.........12000.........13000.........14000.........15000.........16000.........17000.........18000. ..... done]

Last edited by cbrace (2008-03-24 17:17:05)

  • From: Pittsburgh, Pa
  • Registered: 2005-07-27
  • Posts: 648

Re: two questions about ports

well if nothing comes back and there were no errors then everything you have installed is up today with what is in ports.

Had you used portsnap before to update your ports? If not the first time you run portsnap you you have to do it like this:

portsnap fetch
portsnap extract

you could do it as portsnap fetch extract, but I prefer to do it as two commands.

"An educator never says what he himself thinks, but only that which he thinks it is good for those whom he is educating to hear."
-Nietzsche

RoddieRod's Website

  • Registered: 2007-02-03
  • Posts: 12

Re: two questions about ports

There is a subversion method I used (as csup/cvsup is planned to be obsolete next year).  The method was put forth in a message to the freebsd-ports list, this month (unless the latter half of last month).  The first machine I tried it on exactly as written it worked, and works, well, but takes up a little more space, maybe not suitable for machines without an extra GB on /usr...

  • Registered: 2007-02-03
  • Posts: 12

Re: two questions about ports

Cvsup/csup is deprecated NOW for ports (probably source also.)  The new svn methods are in a few threads at the freebsd forums... One may want to be aware that for svn (subversion) at least, the ports tree (likewise, the /usr/src )  should be empty ( mv ports ports.old or more thoroughly...) before running the CLI.