# Problems with portupgrade and getting the most recent packages



## atarahas (Apr 21, 2010)

I have been having multiple problems with packages. I have 8.0. But i would like to install up to date more recent packages. It seems  i am neither getting the most recent ports from cvup. I also cannot figure out how to make portupgrade use the most recent packages. I want to upgrade several programs such as Firefox to the most recent version. I do not want to use ports, i want to only use packages. I assume and hope that FreeBSD does keep a package directory with up to date built versions of the most recent version of the software, and that it should be possible to upgrade 8.0 to this. 

I have also had problems sysinstall. Some screens of sysinstall package selector or scrambled on he console and as well. Sysinstall also fails to install packages with an error message "please see debug screen", which is completely vague. I think it is due to the fact that it will not allow me to install, two different FTP servers at the same time, which "conflict". Ive run into these messes installing two versions of mysql as well. This can create terrible messes as two programs can depend on different versions of a dependancy. It should be possible for both versions to be installed, and perhaps install one version into its own directory such as /usr/local/mysql-5.0 with the bin, etc, like the binaries would go in /usr/local/mysql-5.0/bin for it in that directory. the user can then switch the default version called at the command line by modifying the PATH or use a version expicitely by calling it with the full path name. That kind of install could be done with an install root option, and perhaps instead of this terrible vague error we get now in Sysinstall, instead prompt the user for an alternative install root directory for a package that conflicts with another package already installed. 

For libraries, one would assume libraries are named with their own version number so if needed, API incompatable versions of the library can exist side by side. Obviously in other cases where there is a API compatable library update, it is desired to have all the applications use that new version to take advantage of any security fixes for instance. So i am sure there needs to be some sort of a mechanism to mark which library packages are backwards compatable with older versions of the library and thus can completely replace the older version, rather than to have two copies installed.


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## phoenix (Apr 22, 2010)

atarahas said:
			
		

> I have been having multiple problems with packages. I have 8.0. But i would like to install up to date more recent packages. It seems  i am neither getting the most recent ports from cvup. I also cannot figure out how to make portupgrade use the most recent packages. I want to upgrade several programs such as Firefox to the most recent version. I do not want to use ports, i want to only use packages. I assume and hope that FreeBSD does keep a package directory with up to date built versions of the most recent version of the software, and that it should be possible to upgrade 8.0 to this.



Search the forums for *pkg_upgrade*, and *PACKAGESITE*.  See also the ports(7) man page.  You need to tell the system to use the freebsd-8-stable package repository instead of the default freebsd-8.0-release repo. Using pkg_upgrade instead of portupgrade will also make things simpler, as there no need for /usr/ports/* at all.



> I have also had problems sysinstall.



Don't use sysinstall after installing the OS.  PERIOD.  Just don't do it.  Ignore it.  Pretend it doesn't exist.  If we're lucky, future versions of sysinstall will do nothing but install the OS, and all that OS-configuration cruft will disappear.

After all, you don't start up the Windows OS installer to add/remove apps, right?  Nor do you fire up the Linux LiveCD installer to add/remove apps.  So don't use sysinstall either.



> For libraries, one would assume libraries are named with their own version number so if needed, API incompatable versions of the library can exist side by side. Obviously in other cases where there is a API compatable library update, it is desired to have all the applications use that new version to take advantage of any security fixes for instance. So i am sure there needs to be some sort of a mechanism to mark which library packages are backwards compatable with older versions of the library and thus can completely replace the older version, rather than to have two copies installed.



That's already handled by the ports tree.


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## atarahas (Apr 22, 2010)

Thank you. It is very important, for me to be able to upgrade the packages to the most recent versions. I want to get Firefox upgraded.  Otherwise the computer becomes a boat anchor or difficult to use. I will try the suggestions. 

Ive also mentioned the conflict


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