# OpenSSH upgrades



## kavitakr (Jun 10, 2020)

Hi

OpenSSH Versions are released frequently
OpenSSH 8.2. FEATURE: Add FIDO/U2F Support.
OpenSSH 8.1, released in October 2019. ...
OpenSSH 8.0, released in April 2019. ...
OpenSSH 7.9, released in October 2018. ...
OpenSSH 7.8, released in August 2018. ...
OpenSSH 7.7, released in February 2018. ...
OpenSSH 7.6, released in October 2017. ...
OpenSSH 7.5, released in March 2017.

I understand OpenSSH is tied to base FreeBSD , OpenSSH versions are lagging behind.
FreeBSD OpenSSH
12.1.         7.8p1
11.2.         7.5p1
10.4.         7.3p1
I see  /usr/ports/security/openssh-portable also has bit older versions.
Since OpenSSH depends on Zlib,OpenSSL and PAM . Can we upgrade the OpenSSH and re-compile to make sure API/ABI compatibilty.
Is anyone upgraded and running OpenSSH on FreeBSD?What challenges did you face?


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## SirDice (Jun 10, 2020)

Strictly speaking you don't "upgrade" the base OpenSSH. The port will get installed _next_ to the base version. The only way to upgrade the base OpenSSH is to update/upgrade the OS. 

That said, you can simply install the security/openssh-portable port/package, set `sshd_program` correctly in rc.conf and from that point on you will be running the port version. To switch back to the base OS version, simply remove the `sshd_program` from rc.conf.


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