# freebsd-update Catch 22



## pphalen (Sep 26, 2011)

I have several servers running 6.1 (with internet connectivity) which I would like to upgrade to 8.2.

freebsd-update didn't become part of the ports distribution until 6.2 and now, apparently, freebsd-update requires minimal 6.3 to cover security updates.

Do I need to manually upgrade each server from 6.1 to 6.3 in order to then allow freebsd-update to upgrade to 8.2? If so, how would I do so?

What is the most efficient way to upgrade from 6.1 to 8.2?

Thank you.


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## anomie (Sep 26, 2011)

Sorry to say something like this (because I do like freebsd-update(8) for systems with GENERIC kernels), but I'd perform the standard source upgrade. First from 6.x -> the latest 7.x -RELEASE. Then from 7.x -> the latest 8.x -RELEASE. 

Back up your systems before you get started. Not optional. If you need help with that, there's lots of threads on the topic. (My preference is dump(8).)


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## pphalen (Sep 27, 2011)

Thank you!


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## om (Sep 27, 2011)

If you're doing a major upgrade, maybe you should wait for 9.0 to be released.


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