FreeBSDwiki - User contributions [en]

Configuring X

2005-11-24T19:33:02Z

Phoenix:

Older versions of FreeBSD use XFree86 as their [[X11]] software, but due to licensing and update issues, XFree86 has been replaced as the default X install. FreeBSD 5.3 was the first release to include Xorg, but all versions of FreeBSD since 5.3 include support for both XFree86 and Xorg.

To install Xorg from source it is recommended that you first update your ports using cvsup.

Log in and [[su]] to root:
$ su -
and you have 2 options. You can build from ports or use the pre-built FreeBSD Packages.

Note: To build Xorg in its entirety, be sure to have at least 4 GB of free space available.

To build Xorg from ports:

# cd /usr/ports/x11/xorg && make install clean

OR

To add the BSD package:

# pkg_add -r xorg

After you have installed Xorg, you must configure it. This is a multi-step process and can get a tad complex.

As su, run the Xorg Config File creator

# X -configure

This will generate an X11 configuration skeleton file in the current directory called xorg.conf.new. For XFree86, this configuration file is called XF86Config.new. The X11 program will attempt to probe the graphics hardware on the system and write a configuration file to load the proper drivers for the detected hardware on the target system.

The next step is to test the existing configuration to verify that Xorg can work with the graphics hardware on the target system. To perform this task, type:

# X -xf86config xorg.conf.new

OR

# X -xf86config XF86Config.new

If a black and grey grid and an X mouse cursor appear, the configuration was successful. To exit the test, just press Ctrl+Alt+Backspace simultaneously.

Copy this file to /etc/X11/xorg.conf (or /etc/X11/XF86Config for XFree86) and you're done.

If all went to plan, you should have gotten Xorg working and happy. Now you are ready to go on and install your window manager ([[KDE]], [[gnome]], [[BlackBox]], [[xfce]], [[Windowmaker]], [[SawFish]], etc...)

Note: Most of this information came from the FreeBSD Handbook located http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/x-install.html

[[Category:Configuring FreeBSD]]

Pico

2005-11-24T19:28:04Z

Phoenix:

[[pico]] is the editor from the mail client PINE. It is the default text editor on most Linux distributions, although most have switched to using [[nano]] (an almost identical clone of [[pico]]).

[[Category : Ports and Packages]]
[[Category : System Commands]]

X windowing system

2005-11-24T19:26:12Z

Phoenix:

X -- you may see it refered to as [[X11]], [[X11R6]], or the X windowing system -- is what most unixes use for their graphical user interface (GUI). It works on a client-server model, meaning that you have an X server on your system, and also a client that connects to it. It can be (and usually ''is'') a real pain to setup if you haven't done it before and don't know the specifics of the system that you're configuring it on. You can install it from ports (or as a package) after you've installed your main system or right at the install stage. As a general rule, it's not installed on servers. The main reasons for this being that a) it's a network-aware app and as such can be a security risk and b) most servers don't need it, and it'll just go unused and take up disk space that can be used for other programs or data. If you're interested in controlling a server via a GUI, check out the [[webmin]] package in ports.

The X11 software has been forked and is now developed by two independent groups: The XFree86 Project, and the Xorg Project. See http://www.xfree86.org, http://www.x.org, and http://www.freedesktop.org for more information

FreeBSD includes support for both XFree86 and Xorg via a setting in /etc/make.conf. This setting automatically sets the dependencies for X apps in the ports tree to the correct version. None of the other BSDs or Linux distros do this.

That said, FreeBSD's use as a desktop OS is certainly made much friendlier by the use of the X windowing system. X window does not give you a pretty GUI all by itself, rather it gives you the ability to run other window managers and desktops (see [[gnome]], [[KDE]], [[xfce]], [[blackbox]] and [[windowmaker]] for examples of these).

See also: [[Configuring_X]]

[[Category: Ports and Packages]]
[[Category:FreeBSD for Workstations]]

Gotchas, Linux

2005-11-24T19:23:05Z

Phoenix: /* Things you should know if you're coming to FreeBSD from Linux */

==Things you should know if you're coming to FreeBSD from Linux==
# The kernels are both modular, but the commands for loading/viewing/unloading kernel modules are different -- [[kldstat]], [[kldload]], [[kldunload]] instead of Linux' "lsmod", "insmod" and "rmmod".)
# You need to be a member of the wheel group in order to su to root.
# No iptables/netfilter: you have your choice of IPFW, PF, or IPFilter (not recommended for SMP systems). You can either recompile the kernel to include these, or load the kernel modules at runtime. QoS and bandwidth throttling are handled via either Dummynet (ipfw) or AltQ (pf)
# Init scripts: you're going to be doing it [[BSD]] style, not [[SysV]] style as in Linux. Translation: [[runlevels]] mean different things in BSD and [[init scripts]] are handled differently. Everything is handled via a single config file (/etc/rc.conf) with the scripts stored under /etc/rc.d.
# No /[[proc]] tree. If you're used to banging around /proc to find system info, man [[sysctl]]. If you installed linux-compatibility, see /usr/compat/linux/proc
# You don't '''have''' to compile everything from ports, it's usually better for your particular system if you ''do''. See [[pkg_add]] and the other pkg tools.
# If in doubt, read the Handbook (or ask here).
# Different filesystems: linux uses ext2/ext3/reiserfs by default (usually) and FreeBSD uses UFS. It does not do journaling, but instead uses a system called soft-updates. Have a look [[http://www.usenix.org/publications/library/proceedings/usenix2000/general/seltzer.html here]] if you would like to know what this means. It seems that [[http://www.freebsd.org/projects/summerofcode.html Google]] might be helping to change this though.
# [[Java]]'s a tough nut to install due to Sun's licensing restrictions...unless you're not on the x86 FreeBSD platform, in which case it's uninstallable anyway.
# [[sysinstall]] can be used for system configuration after installation, but should be avoided as it makes a mess of the /etc/rc.conf file. On FreeBSD 4.x systems it's /stand/sysinstall. On FreeBSD 5+ systems, it's /sbin/sysinstall.
# [[bash]] is not the default shell. [[csh]] (actually [[tcsh]]) is the default for root, sh is the default for normal users. Every other shell under the sun can be installed via the ports tree, and you can use [[chsh]] to change it for a specific user.
# Most linux distros use [[vim]], FreeBSD uses [[nvi]] by default. You can change this if it matters to you. Use /usr/ports/editors/vim-lite if you do not want to install the [[X windowing system]] else use /usr/ports/editors/vim.
# Your NIC is no longer eth0 or eth1 or whatever. FreeBSD names it's interfaces by the driver they use; you'll see rl0, ed0, hme0, etc. FreeBSD 6.x includes interface renaming, so those that like generic names can use them.
# /etc/mtab doesn't show you mounts. [[mount]] and [[df]] do.
# Your hard disks are no longer /dev/hda or /dev/sda. Now they are /dev/ad0s1a. See [[partitions]].
# [[devinfo]] and [[swapinfo]] will do a lot of [[sysctl]] magic for you.
# Software RAID? See [[vinum]] and [[RAID1, Software, How to setup]]. (Note: vinum is dead in 5.x, use gvinum, gmirror, or graid)
# Disk encryption? [[http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/disks-encrypting.html It's in the Handbook]]
# Shell scripts do not use '''seq 1 10'''. They use '''jot 10 1''' instead.
# /boot/loader.conf is where you set which kernel modules to load at boot time. /etc/rc.conf is where you set which system daemons to load at boot time. Or you can edit the startup scripts manually in /etc/rc.d (Some say this is the only way to do it, some say it doesn't matter. Your choice.) (Note: don't edit the rc scripts directly unless you *REALLY* know what you are doing, and understand how mergemaster works.)
# [[wget]] is replaced by [[fetch]]. Feel free to install wget if you don't want to learn another program, but they're very similar.
# If you install [[X11]], and switch to a shell, getting back to X is a matter of alt-F9 since FreeBSD sets you up with 8 virtual terminals instead of Linux's default of 6.

[[Category : Linux Equivalents]]

Gotchas, Linux

2005-11-24T19:22:27Z

Phoenix: /* Things you should know if you're coming to FreeBSD from Linux */

==Things you should know if you're coming to FreeBSD from Linux==
# The kernels are both modular, but the commands for loading/viewing/unloading kernel modules are different -- [[kldstat]], [[kldload]], [[kldunload]] instead of Linux' "lsmod", "insmod" and "rmmod".)
# You need to be a member of the wheel group in order to su to root.
# No iptables/netfilter: you have your choice of IPFW, PF, or IPFilter (not recommended for SMP systems). You can either recompile the kernel to include these, or load the kernel modules at runtime. QoS and bandwidth throttling are handled via either Dummynet (ipfw) or AltQ (pf)
# Init scripts: you're going to be doing it [[BSD]] style, not [[SysV]] style as in Linux. Translation: [[runlevels]] mean different things in BSD and [[init scripts]] are handled differently. Everything is handled via a single config file (/etc/rc.conf) with the scripts stored under /etc/rc.d.
# No /[[proc]] tree. If you're used to banging around /proc to find system info, man [[sysctl]]. If you installed linux-compatibility, see /usr/compat/linux/proc
# You don't '''have''' to compile everything from ports, it's usually better for your particular system if you ''do''. See [[pkg_add]] and the other pkg tools.
# If in doubt, read the Handbook (or ask here).
# Different filesystems: linux uses ext2/ext3/reiserfs by default (usually) and FreeBSD uses UFS. It does not do journaling, but instead uses a system called soft-updates. Have a look [[http://www.usenix.org/publications/library/proceedings/usenix2000/general/seltzer.html here]] if you would like to know what this means. It seems that [[http://www.freebsd.org/projects/summerofcode.html Google]] might be helping to change this though.
# [[Java]]'s a tough nut to install due to Sun's licensing restrictions...unless you're not on the x86 FreeBSD platform, in which case it's uninstallable anyway.
# [[sysinstall]] can be used for system configuration after installation, but should be avoided as it makes a mess of the /etc/rc.conf file. On FreeBSD 4.x systems it's /stand/sysinstall. On FreeBSD 5+ systems, it's /sbin/sysinstall.
# [[bash]] is not the default shell. [[csh]] (actually [[tcsh]]) is the default for root, sh is the default for normal users. Every other shell under the sun can be installed via the ports tree, and you can use [[chsh]] to change it for a specific user.
# Most linux distros use [[vim]], FreeBSD uses [[nvi]] by default. You can change this if it matters to you. Use /usr/ports/editors/vim-lite if you do not want to install the [[X windowing system]] else use /usr/ports/editors/vim.
# Your NIC is no longer eth0 or eth1 or whatever. FreeBSD names it's interfaces by the driver they use; you'll see rl0, ed0, hme0, etc. FreeBSD 6.x includes interface renaming, so you for those that like generic names, you can use them.
# /etc/mtab doesn't show you mounts. [[mount]] and [[df]] do.
# Your hard disks are no longer /dev/hda or /dev/sda. Now they are /dev/ad0s1a. See [[partitions]].
# [[devinfo]] and [[swapinfo]] will do a lot of [[sysctl]] magic for you.
# Software RAID? See [[vinum]] and [[RAID1, Software, How to setup]]. (Note: vinum is dead in 5.x, use gvinum, gmirror, or graid)
# Disk encryption? [[http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/disks-encrypting.html It's in the Handbook]]
# Shell scripts do not use '''seq 1 10'''. They use '''jot 10 1''' instead.
# /boot/loader.conf is where you set which kernel modules to load at boot time. /etc/rc.conf is where you set which system daemons to load at boot time. Or you can edit the startup scripts manually in /etc/rc.d (Some say this is the only way to do it, some say it doesn't matter. Your choice.) (Note: don't edit the rc scripts directly unless you *REALLY* know what you are doing, and understand how mergemaster works.)
# [[wget]] is replaced by [[fetch]]. Feel free to install wget if you don't want to learn another program, but they're very similar.
# If you install [[X11]], and switch to a shell, getting back to X is a matter of alt-F9 since FreeBSD sets you up with 8 virtual terminals instead of Linux's default of 6.

[[Category : Linux Equivalents]]

Ksh

2005-11-24T19:20:27Z

Phoenix:

The [[Ksh | Korn Shell]], written by David G. Korn at AT&T Bell Labs, the birthplace of [[Unix]]. Find it at /usr/local/bin/ksh, but only after you install it via [[Ports and Packages | ports]] or [[Ports and Packages | packages]], because it's not part of the base system.

see also: [[http://www.kornshell.com/ David Korn's website]]

Other shells that you can install and customize for ease of use are the [[bash]], [[csh]], [[tcsh]], [[psh]], [[ksh]], [[zsh]].

[[Category: Shells]]
[[Category: Ports and Packages]]

Chsh

2005-11-24T19:20:02Z

Phoenix:

[[chsh]] will allow you to change your shell to a different one than the one chosen when your account was created. Your user info will open up in your editor of choice and you'll have to change the '''shell''' line to point to the shell you want -- make sure you point to a valid shell!

You can use the -s flag to set it without actually going into an editor:
dave@samizdata:[~]% chsh -s /usr/local/bin/zsh

Note that if you change a user's shell to something that isn't actually a shell, you can break their login -- intentionally, if you want to block the user from logging in and you switch the shell to [[ /sbin/nologin]] or another [[invalid_shell|invalid shell]], for example, or unintenionally, if you give them a misspelled shell or point to a shell that isn't on a mounted volume (e.g., the shell is in /usr/local/bin/bash and /usr/local/ isn't mounted).

Also note that some programs (several ftp daemons, for example) won't allow the user to log in if they don't have a valid shell.

See also: [[:Category:Shells]] - [[bash]] - [[sh]] - [[csh]] - [[tcsh]] - [[ksh]] - [[psh]] - [[zsh]]

[[Category:System Commands]]

Tcsh

2005-11-24T19:18:59Z

Phoenix:

A fully C-shell compatible update to the [[C shell | csh]].

This is the variant of the [[csh]] that is included with FreeBSD.

see [[http://www.tcsh.org/Home the tcsh Wiki]]

Other shells that you can install and customize for ease of use are the [[bash]], [[psh]], [[ksh]], [[zsh]].

[[Category: Shells]]

C shell

2005-11-24T19:18:12Z

Phoenix:

/bin/csh is where you'll find the binary of the C shell, so called because its syntax is very like the C programming language. It was written by Bill Joy of Sun Microsystems and is the only other shell besides the spartan [[Bourne shell]] (/bin/sh) that comes installed by default on a freshly-installed FreeBSD system.

FreeBSD actually uses the tcsh variant of the csh. If you run '''ls -i /bin/*csh''' you'll see that /bin/csh is a hardlink to /bin/tcsh (meaning they are actually the same file).

Other shells that you can install and customize for ease of use include the [[bash]], [[psh]], [[ksh]], and [[zsh]] shells.

[[Category: Shells]]

Gotchas, Linux

2005-11-24T19:13:37Z

Phoenix: /* Things you should know if you're coming to FreeBSD from Linux */

==Things you should know if you're coming to FreeBSD from Linux==
# The kernels are both modular, but the commands for loading/viewing/unloading kernel modules are different -- [[kldstat]], [[kldload]], [[kldunload]] instead of Linux' "lsmod", "insmod" and "rmmod".)
# You need to be a member of the wheel group in order to su to root.
# No iptables/netfilter: you have your choice of IPFW, PF, or IPFilter (not recommended for SMP systems). You can either recompile the kernel to include these, or load the kernel modules at runtime. QoS and bandwidth throttling are handled via either Dummynet (ipfw) or AltQ (pf)
# Init scripts: you're going to be doing it [[BSD]] style, not [[SysV]] style as in Linux. Translation: [[runlevels]] mean different things in BSD and [[init scripts]] are handled differently. Everything is handled via a single config file (/etc/rc.conf) with the scripts stored under /etc/rc.d.
# No /[[proc]] tree. If you're used to banging around /proc to find system info, man [[sysctl]]. If you installed linux-compatibility, see /usr/compat/linux/proc
# You don't '''have''' to compile everything from ports, it's usually better for your particular system if you ''do''. See [[pkg_add]] and the other pkg tools.
# If in doubt, read the Handbook (or ask here).
# Different filesystems: linux uses ext2/ext3/reiserfs by default (usually) and FreeBSD uses UFS. It does not do journaling, but instead uses a system called soft-updates. Have a look [[http://www.usenix.org/publications/library/proceedings/usenix2000/general/seltzer.html here]] if you would like to know what this means. It seems that [[http://www.freebsd.org/projects/summerofcode.html Google]] might be helping to change this though.
# [[Java]]'s a tough nut to install due to Sun's licensing restrictions...unless you're not on the x86 FreeBSD platform, in which case it's uninstallable anyway.
# [[sysinstall]] can be used for system configuration after installation, but should be avoided as it makes a mess of the /etc/rc.conf file. On FreeBSD 4.x systems it's /stand/sysinstall. On FreeBSD 5+ systems, it's /sbin/sysinstall.
# [[bash]] is not the default shell. [[csh]] (actually [[tcsh]]) is the default for root, sh is the default for normal users. Every other shell under the sun can be installed via the ports tree, and you can use [[chsh]] to change it for a specific user.
# Most linux distros use [[vim]], FreeBSD uses [[nvi]] by default. You can change this if it matters to you. Use /usr/ports/editors/vim-lite if you do not want to install the [[X windowing system]] else use /usr/ports/editors/vim.
# Your NIC is no longer eth0 or eth1 or whatever. FreeBSD names it's interfaces by the driver they use; you'll see rl0, ed0, hme0, etc.
# /etc/mtab doesn't show you mounts. [[mount]] and [[df]] do.
# Your hard disks are no longer /dev/hda or /dev/sda. Now they are /dev/ad0s1a. See [[partitions]].
# [[devinfo]] and [[swapinfo]] will do a lot of [[sysctl]] magic for you.
# Software RAID? See [[vinum]] and [[RAID1, Software, How to setup]]. (Note: vinum is dead in 5.x, use gvinum, gmirror, or graid)
# Disk encryption? [[http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/disks-encrypting.html It's in the Handbook]]
# Shell scripts do not use '''seq 1 10'''. They use '''jot 10 1''' instead.
# /boot/loader.conf is where you set which kernel modules to load at boot time. /etc/rc.conf is where you set which system daemons to load at boot time. Or you can edit the startup scripts manually in /etc/rc.d (Some say this is the only way to do it, some say it doesn't matter. Your choice.) (Note: don't edit the rc scripts directly unless you *REALLY* know what you are doing, and understand how mergemaster works.)
# [[wget]] is replaced by [[fetch]]. Feel free to install wget if you don't want to learn another program, but they're very similar.
# If you install [[X11]], and switch to a shell, getting back to X is a matter of alt-F9 since FreeBSD sets you up with 8 virtual terminals instead of Linux's default of 6.

[[Category : Linux Equivalents]]

Portupgrade

2005-11-24T19:10:36Z

Phoenix: /* Using portupgrade and portversion */

'''portupgrade and you'''

portupgrade is a small collection of tools that goes hand in hand with [[cvsup]]. Portupgrade does what it says - upgrades your ports - but it actually means your ''installed'' ports, even packages that were installed as part of the base system. Portupgrade includes two important programs - ''portupgrade'', and [[portversion]]. Between them and cvsup, you'll have the ability to keep all installed software on your system up to date, so long as it exists in the ports tree.

See also - [[cvsup]] - [[Updating the ports tree]] - [[portversion]] - [[Searching ports]]

== Installing the Portupgrade suite ==

Installation is very simple:

oyabun# '''cd /usr/ports/sysutils/portupgrade'''
oyabun# '''make install clean'''

Once it's done, you'll have to [[rehash]] or start a new session as [[root]] to use it without typing full pathnames.

== Checklist before you run portupgrade... ==

Reading /usr/ports/UPDATING first to know of important upgrades that portupgrade doesn't handle well and exactly what to do about it. A few of these fixes work much better if done _before_ you run portupgrade so it's important not to skip this step!

If you haven't done a portupgrade in a long while (i.e. a year) you're almost certain to run into situations where two or more actions have to be taken to get a port to work (doing perl5.6* -> perl5.8.1 -> 5.8.4 -> 5.8.5 being an example). You can't just assume you can do steps in any order you like; you might even have to fix some Makefiles... so read all of UPDATING before you do anything.

When done with that, you need to use [[pkgdb]] with the -F option to fix any stale dependency first.

== Using portupgrade and portversion ==

Now that that's done, you need to update your ports database.

oyabun# '''portsdb -Uu'''

This will likely take a while.

Now you can use [[portversion]] to see a list of installed programs that are out of date like so:

oyabun# '''portversion -l '<' '''
expat <
ezm3 <
fontconfig <
freetype2 <
imake <
libnet-devel <
libtool <
oyabun#

This is a possible example of the output you'd recieve from portversion. Issuing a portversion command without the ''-l '<''' would produce a list of ALL installed packages on your machine, with '''<''' for "out of date", '''=''' for "current", and '''>''' for "newer". You can also use '''-v''' to get a listing with full version numbers for the installed port and port available in the tree.

How can you get "newer" than what's in the ports tree? This happens if you haven't issued a '''portsdb -u''' command to update your ports database. The database contains entries pointing to older versions, while the ports tree itself contains newer versions, leading to situations where portversion reports ">".

Now, to upgrade one of these packages, do this:

oyabun# '''portupgrade imake'''

Portupgrade will upgrade the port with the newer version available in the ports tree, and also take care of any dependencies the new version may have - if it needed ANOTHER installed port upgraded to a newer version, for example. If you want to be safe, add '''-b''' to the portupgrade command. This will create a binary package of the old application, that you can then use with pkg_add if you need to revert back to the old app.

That's it. You'll have to repeat these steps (portversion, then portupgrade on one of the results) a few times to complete update your software, but all in all it's fairly simple and straightforward.

Another alternative to running portupgrade manually on all of your packages would be to run the following command:
# '''portupgrade -arR'''
The -R will check the build dependencies and the -r will check the applications that depend upon the port being upgraded and the -a will upgrade all out of date ports.

Note: Don't use -a unless you have read /usr/ports/UPDATING, know exactly which ports will be updated, and know how to recover from a broken system. This is *NOT* recommended by any knowledgable FreeBSD user.

Note: you may sometimes be prompted to run '''pkgdb -F''' to fix inconsistencies with listed dependencies within programs when you issue portversion commands, after upgrading ports. Just do it ('''pkgdb -F''', that is) and it will take care of the problem, allowing you to issue the portversion command.

Once done, go back to /usr/ports/UPDATING and do leftover steps to everything things to work.

== portupgrade countdown ==

On slow computers or for long-delayed updates, you might want to try '''ps | grep portupgrade''' on another screen to see how portupgrade is doing. It will get you something like this:

ruby18: portupgrade: [338/352] _name of current port_ (ruby18)

Where [338/352] means there are 352 packages being looked at and portupgrade is currently doing #338. While not every port needs an update, this command is the closest to a progress indicator you'll get for portupgrade.

The version number under _name of current port_ is the OLD version number.

== portupgrade warning ==

Interrupting portupgrade may lead to various system catastrophes such as a broken package database and inability to reach the internet to get what you need to fix it. The portupgrade command should never be interrupted. See [[Errors To Avoid]].

[[Category:System Commands]] [[Category:Ports and Packages]]

Pkg info

2005-11-24T19:02:18Z

Phoenix: /* Common Arguments */

Shows the package information. See also [[pkg_add]] and [[pkg_delete]]

==Common Arguments==
-a Show all installed packages
-c Show the (one line) comment field for each package.
-d Show the long description field for each package.
-D Show the install-message file for each package.
-r Show dependencies of the installed package.
-R Show which other packages depend on this one.

[[Category:FreeBSD Terminology]]
[[Category : System Commands]]

Package

2005-11-24T19:00:03Z

Phoenix:

A package is a port that has been pre-compiled for maximum compability and speed of install. As a result you can't change the compile options and they usually don't run as fast as ports.

Sometimes a package is a good alternative to a port when the port or one of its dependencies is broken; or when you just need something installed very quick.

Packages are added with the command [[pkg_add]], removed with [[pkg_delete]] and you can identify which packages have been installed on your system via the [[pkg_info]] command.

[[Category:FreeBSD Terminology]]

Proc

2005-11-24T18:58:14Z

Phoenix:

In Linux, you can use /proc to see various bits of kernel and system info. In FreeBSD, the equivalent is [[sysctl]]. Linux also has sysctl, but it's usefulness is nowhere near that of FreeBSD's sysctl.

FreeBSD versions prior to 5.0 had a working /proc implementation. However, several serious security issues were discovered and it was decided to move away from /proc. The replacement is [[sysctl]].

FreeBSD 5.x still has a mountable /proc system, and it is still used for certain debugging programs, including truss.

FreeBSD 6.x has moved away from /proc completely, and you need to jump through several hoops in order to get it mounted. No tools included with FreeBSD actually use it for anything, though.

FreeBSD 7.x will probably be the first release without any trace of /proc.

[[Category : Linux Equivalents]]

Proc

2005-11-24T18:56:25Z

Phoenix:

FreeBSD versions prior to 5.0 had a /proc implementation. However, several serious security issues were discovered and it was decided to move away from /proc. The replacement is [[sysctl]]. FreeBSD 5.x still has a mountable /proc system, and is sitll used for certain debugging programs, including truss. FreeBSD 6.x has moved away from /proc completely, and you need to jump through hoops in order to get it mounted. FreeBSD 7.x will probably be the first release without any trace of /proc.

In Linux, you can use /proc to see various bits of kernel and system info. In FreeBSD, the equivalent is [[sysctl]]. Linux also has sysctl, but it's usefull is nowhere near that of FreeBSD's sysctl.

[[Category : Linux Equivalents]]

Kldstat

2005-11-24T18:49:29Z

Phoenix:

[[kldstat]] is used to list all the modules loaded into the kernel, for example :
shell> '''kldstat'''
Id Refs Address Size Name
1 10 0xc0400000 3e6638 kernel
2 15 0xc07e7000 5d2f0 acpi.ko

Modules are stored on disk in ''/boot/kernel/''. They can be loaded using [[kldload]] and unloaded using [[kldunload]].

[[Category:System Commands]]

Gotchas, Linux

2005-11-24T18:38:08Z

Phoenix: /* Things you should know if you're coming to FreeBSD from Linux */

==Things you should know if you're coming to FreeBSD from Linux==
# The kernels are both modular, but the commands for loading/viewing/unloading kernel modules are different -- [[kldstat]], [[kldload]], [[kldunload]] instead of Linux' "lsmod", "insmod" and "rmmod".)
# You need to be a member of the wheel group in order to su to root.
# No iptables/netfilter: you have your choice of IPFW, PF, or IPFilter (not recommended for SMP systems). You can either recompile the kernel to include these, or load the kernel modules at runtime. QoS and bandwidth throttling are handled via either Dummynet (ipfw) or AltQ (pf)
# Init scripts: you're going to be doing it [[BSD]] style, not [[SysV]] style as in Linux. Translation: [[runlevels]] mean different things in BSD and [[init scripts]] are handled differently. Everything is handled via a single config file (/etc/rc.conf) with the scripts stored under /etc/rc.d.
# No /[[proc]] tree. If you're used to banging around /proc to find system info, man [[sysctl]]. If you installed linux-compatibility, see /usr/compat/linux/proc
# You don't '''have''' to compile everything from ports, it's usually better for your particular system if you ''do''. See [[pkg_add]] and the other pkg tools.
# If in doubt, read the Handbook (or ask here).
# Different filesystems: linux uses ext2/ext3/reiserfs by default (usually) and FreeBSD uses UFS. It does not do journaling, but instead uses a system called soft-updates. Have a look [[http://www.usenix.org/publications/library/proceedings/usenix2000/general/seltzer.html here]] if you would like to know what this means. It seems that [[http://www.freebsd.org/projects/summerofcode.html Google]] might be helping to change this though.
# [[Java]]'s a tough nut to install due to Sun's licensing restrictions...unless you're not on the x86 FreeBSD platform, in which case it's uninstallable anyway.
# /stand/[[sysinstall]] can be used for system configuration after installation, but should be avoided as it makes a mess of the /etc/rc.conf file.
# [[bash]] is not the default shell. [[csh]] (actually [[tcsh]]) is the default for root, sh is the default for normal users. Every other shell under the sun can be installed via the ports tree, and you can use [[chsh]] to change it for a specific user.
# Most linux distros use [[vim]], FreeBSD uses [[nvi]] by default. You can change this if it matters to you. Use /usr/ports/editors/vim-lite if you do not want to install the [[X windowing system]] else use /usr/ports/editors/vim.
# Your NIC is no longer eth0 or eth1 or whatever. FreeBSD names it's interfaces by the driver they use; you'll see rl0, ed0, hme0, etc.
# /etc/mtab doesn't show you mounts. [[mount]] and [[df]] do.
# Your hard disks are no longer /dev/hda or /dev/sda. Now they are /dev/ad0s1a. See [[partitions]].
# [[devinfo]] and [[swapinfo]] will do a lot of [[sysctl]] magic for you.
# Software RAID? See [[vinum]] and [[RAID1, Software, How to setup]]. (Note: vinum is dead in 5.x, use gvinum, gmirror, or graid)
# Disk encryption? [[http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/disks-encrypting.html It's in the Handbook]]
# Shell scripts do not use '''seq 1 10'''. They use '''jot 10 1''' instead.
# /boot/loader.conf is where you set which kernel modules to load at boot time. /etc/rc.conf is where you set which system daemons to load at boot time. Or you can edit the startup scripts manually in /etc/rc.d (Some say this is the only way to do it, some say it doesn't matter. Your choice.) (Note: don't edit the rc scripts directly unless you *REALLY* know what you are doing, and understand how mergemaster works.)
# [[wget]] is replaced by [[fetch]]. Feel free to install wget if you don't want to learn another program, but they're very similar.
# If you install [[X11]], and switch to a shell, getting back to X is a matter of alt-F9 since FreeBSD sets you up with 8 virtual terminals instead of Linux's default of 6.

[[Category : Linux Equivalents]]