Skip to content

Instantly share code, notes, and snippets.

View grahamperrin's full-sized avatar

Graham Perrin grahamperrin

View GitHub Profile
@grahamperrin
grahamperrin / freebsd-15.0-beta5-desktop-online.txt
Created November 9, 2025 04:00
FreeBSD 15-BETA5: using the Foundation-funded desktop script for online installation of KDE Plasma and applications, SDDM, X.Org, and Oracle® VirtualBox Guest Additions
Script started on Sat Nov 8 22:52:14 2025
root@fifteen-beta5:~ # /bin/tcsh
/bin/sh: /bin/tcsh: not found
root@fifteen-beta5:~ # which ee
root@fifteen-beta5:~ # pkg install -qy FreeBSD-csh FreeBSD-ee FreeBSD-bsdconfig
Generating apropos(1) database for /usr/share/man...
Generating apropos(1) database for /usr/share/openssl/man...
root@fifteen-beta5:~ # /bin/tcsh
root@fifteen-beta5:~ # fetch https://tinyurl.com/desktop-alfix
@grahamperrin
grahamperrin / freebsd-15.0-beta5-dvd-offline.txt
Created November 9, 2025 01:39
FreeBSD 15: offline installation of GNOME (in the absence of KDE Plasma and applications) using FreeBSD-15.0-BETA5-amd64-dvd1.iso
Script started on Sun Nov 9 00:32:47 2025
root@fifteen-beta5:~ # /bin/tcsh
/bin/sh: /bin/tcsh: not found
root@fifteen-beta5:~ # which ee
root@fifteen-beta5:~ # mkdir -p /dist
root@fifteen-beta5:~ # mount_cd9660 /dev/cd0 /dist
root@fifteen-beta5:~ # cd /dist/usr/freebsd-packages/offline
root@fifteen-beta5:/dist/usr/freebsd-packages/offline # ls -hln FreeBSD-bsdconfig-15* FreeBSD-csh-15* FreeBSD-ee-15*
-rw-r--r-- 1 0 0 184K Nov 7 12:44 FreeBSD-bsdconfig-15.0.b5.20251107103050.pkg
-rw-r--r-- 1 0 0 373K Nov 7 12:44 FreeBSD-csh-15.0.b5.20251107103050.pkg
@grahamperrin
grahamperrin / mate-freebsd-15.0-beta4.txt
Last active November 2, 2025 00:00
Installing MATE whilst booted from FreeBSD-15.0-BETA4-amd64-dvd1.iso
Script started on Sat Nov 1 15:59:36 2025
# mount | grep cd
/dev/iso9660/15_0_BETA4_AMD64_DVD on / (cd9660, local, read-only)
# which csh
# ee
/bin/sh: ee: not found
# nano
/bin/sh: nano: not found
# pkg install -qy FreeBSD-ee FreeBSD-csh FreeBSD-bsdconfig nano
pkg: Repository FreeBSD-base has a wrong packagesite, need to re-create database
@grahamperrin
grahamperrin / 2025-10-28-pkg-delete-base-disabled.txt
Created October 28, 2025 21:52
pkg-delete(8) with FreeBSD-base disabled
Script started on Tue Oct 28 21:44:47 2025
root@beta-3:~ # echo $SHELL
/bin/tcsh
root@beta-3:~ # freebsd-version -kru ; uname -mvKU
15.0-BETA3
15.0-BETA3
15.0-BETA3
FreeBSD 15.0-BETA3 releng/15.0-n280772-74a6de9f9625 GENERIC amd64 1500068 1500068
@grahamperrin
grahamperrin / 2025-10-27-pkg.txt
Created October 27, 2025 05:29
2025-10-27 pkg oddities with (end of life) 14.2-RELEASE
Script started on Mon Oct 27 05:11:46 2025
root@fourteen-two:~ # echo $SHELL
/bin/tcsh
root@fourteen-two:~ # pkg repos -e | grep url | sort
url : "pkg+https://pkg.FreeBSD.org/FreeBSD:14:amd64/quarterly",
root@fourteen-two:~ # freebsd-version -kru ; uname -mvKU
14.2-RELEASE
@grahamperrin
grahamperrin / freebsd-installer-offline-packages.md
Last active October 9, 2025 23:32
FreeBSD Installer: using the installer's offline packages

FreeBSD Installer: using the installer's offline packages

The rough guide below is for:

  • FreeBSD-15.0-ALPHA5-amd64-20251004-1c0898edf28f-280541-dvd1.iso

After a minimimal installation of FreeBSD

Before first boot:

@grahamperrin
grahamperrin / 2025-09-25 06-55 typescript.txt
Last active September 25, 2025 06:47
FreeBSD major upgrade from RELEASE to CURRENT, before and after pkg issue 2522
Script started on Thu Sep 25 06:55:15 2025
root@freebsd-conf:~ # echo $SHELL
/bin/csh
root@freebsd-conf:~ # freebsd-version -kru ; uname -mvKU
14.3-RELEASE-p3
14.3-RELEASE-p3
14.3-RELEASE-p3
FreeBSD 14.3-RELEASE-p3 releng/14.3-n271443-ed55d0f2bc69 GENERIC amd64 1403000 1403000
@grahamperrin
grahamperrin / pkgbase-major-upgrade.md
Last active November 1, 2025 11:38
FreeBSD: pkgbase: major upgrades

FreeBSD: pkgbase: major upgrades

A rough guide, for alpha testing on AMD64:

  • tested with FreeBSD 15.0-ALPHA2 and ALPHA3
  • things might be less rough with ALPHA4, with or without the next release of ports-mgmt/pkg.

Not intended to be comprehensive.

Preamble

@grahamperrin
grahamperrin / freebsd-packages-shortlist.md
Last active September 18, 2025 19:10
A shortlist of FreeBSD packages

A shortlist of FreeBSD packages

Packages that I often install on test systems.

pkg install --quiet --yes drm-kmod firefox gdisk gitup htop hw-probe kde lsblk lynx nano pciutils plasma6-sddm-kcm roxterm sddm stressdisk uclcmd usbutils virtualbox-ose-additions xfce xorg

I normally omit:

  • drm-kmod when installing in a VirtualBox guest
  • kde and plasma6-sddm-kcm when I want Xfce alone
@grahamperrin
grahamperrin / freebsd-installer-pkgbasify.md
Last active October 5, 2025 10:55
Using pkgbasify to repair a broken installation of FreeBSD 14.3-RELEASE

Using pkgbasify to repair a broken installation of FreeBSD 14.3-RELEASE

Condensed steps

  1. Use a memstick.img file to write a FreeBSD installer to a memory stick
  2. boot from the stick in single user mode
  3. /bin/csh
  4. use gpart(8) to resize things
  5. growfs /
  6. mount -uw /