Can I possibly migrate from GhostBSD to FreeBSD 14.3?

K

kriptomahsun

GhostBSD isn't based on 14.3 yet, so I wanna make the jump. I've done similiar stuff between Ubuntu and Debian before, theoretically it should work, but how?
 
I don't know if that transition is possible but worth giving a try. I'd check the handbook for updating from source. I'd get 14.3 branch's source tree and build from source then install world and kernel properly according to the handbook. I don't know if GhostBSD team did something that would broke desktop experience etc that is hard to fix or not.
 
If you are running root on ZFS, I believe that you can install FreeBSD 14.3 into a new Boot Environment (BE).
If you are using ZFS you should have a separate dataset for your users which helps.

On GhostBSD save the output of "pkg prime-list" to get a list of the packages installed. That will help setting up the FreeBSD install.

Or you could just wait for GhostBSD to update to 14.3; I imagine they'd have a roadmap of some kind as to "when" they get there.
 
mer said:
If you are running root on ZFS, I believe that you can install FreeBSD 14.3 into a new Boot Environment (BE).
If you are using ZFS you should have a separate dataset for your users which helps.

On GhostBSD save the output of "pkg prime-list" to get a list of the packages installed. That will help setting up the FreeBSD install.

Or you could just wait for GhostBSD to update to 14.3; I imagine they'd have a roadmap of some kind as to "when" they get there.
Click to expand...
Nice idea, that would be life-saver in case if something goes wrong.
 
nxjoseph said:
Nice idea, that would be life-saver in case if something goes wrong.
Click to expand...
Yep, it is. Everytime I do a major update (like from 13.x to 14.x) I do that and actually look at the output. Then go "hmm. when did I actually use that application?" so my new install is cleaner. It's also a good reason to separate user data (home directories) from base os stuff.

One can also take that list and actually feed it into a pkg install command to basically reinstall or clone a system.

Boot Environments are the main reason I run ZFS on pretty much everything. You have a BE for your current working system (lets say it's 14.x) you can create a new BE and install say 15.x into it and all the same packages. Boot the system and decide "do I feel like 15 or 14 today" and select the desired BE.
Biggest win is if there is a problem in your 15.x system, you can immediately roll back to your last working system. "Upgrades made really safe".

Just be careful about zpool upgrade and updating boot code. Basically don't do zpool upgrade without updating bootcode.
 
Frankly I wouldn't tinker much to upgrade GhostBSD to FreeBSD 14.3 by myself.
If I was unsatisfied with GhostBSD - for whatever reason - I would completely switch to FreeBSD.
My advice was - after you did a full backup of your current system first, of course (never ever do such a stunt before a backup was done; there is no need to tell this to some one who already did similar things between Linux distros, but there may be other readers :cool: ) - you may replace the drive with a blank one, or start over on a new machine:
- install FreeBSD (HB)
- install your favorite texteditor (CLI version, GUI comes next) if it's neither vi nor ee to become able to do some editing stuff without getting annoyed too much (e.g. pkg install vim)
- ensure your /etc/rc.conf is set correctly to your local keyboard for doing some stuff in the shell without getting annoyed too much.
- get a basic X server running (HB; maybe forum if there is an issue [search for drm-kmod])
- install all packages you had on your former machine; pkg leaf > myinstalled_packages.txt may also work on GhostBSD. Copy that file to your fresh FreeBSD machine and let pkg install all those packages from that file (this will include MATE) (some things like the VirtualBox kmod maybe, you need to install by ports; but not now; first get the machine up and runnning into an usable, familar state.)
- copy (better rsync [needs to be installed too, if it's not in your list]) your /home/ from you GhostBSD to your FreeBSD machine (maybe that as an additional extra backup to an USB-flash drive; like other things /etc/ and maybe data)
- feasibly mount additional drives containing your data.

Check some details like drive layout (/etc/fstab), /etc/rc.conf, /boot/loader.conf, and ~/.login Your new FreeBSD system may not start directly into a GUI with a display manager's login screen. Simply add startx to your ~/.login to start directly from your terminal login. You may tinker a bit later if you want/need the display manager again.
Besides from that your new machine shall almost look and feel like the former one.
There may some additional configs you need to do, like ssh, nfs, samba, pf, whathaveyou, but the copies of your config files from your former GhostBSD may help you on this not to start completely all over from total scratch.

Such things look always pretty easy when you did them a couple of times yourself, but the catch is always in the detail, which depends on your knowledge and experience, which I don't know. So I cannot give foolproof step-by-step instructions but a rough guide, only. Anyway you already figured it out by yourself by principle it's doable.
However, it may not all run perfectly at the very first try. Then always remember:
Don't panic!
You're running FreeBSD. There always is a way.
Worst case was you fall back on your backup and continue running your current GhostBSD until details can be cleared.
 
weberjn said:
Is there a tutorial | todo list | script for adding the Ghost goodies to standard FreeBSD ?
Click to expand...
Yes. It's called GhostBSD. Sorry, couldn't resist it. But seriously:
I don't know, but frankly it would not make much sense to me.
Why want anyone transform FreeBSD into GhostBSD when it's way less complicated and easier to use GhostBSD in the first place?
From a higher abstraction level looked at the difference is GhostBSD comes as a turnkey OS autoinstalling some preselected apps like GUI and does some automated configuration on top of a basic FreeBSD system. If you are a bit into FreeBSD (almost) all you need to do is what I described in my first post, which ain't pretty much more as to install a FreeBSD system and add the apps you find on GhostBSD. Any slightly advanced newcomer to FreeBSD sees my post reads more complicated as it really is:"it's just pkg install [list of packages], duh!"
For some details you may not simply copy the according config files you need to engage the according topics anyway - which is also no rocket sciences. But if you want to avoid this then not staying at GhostBSD and switch to FreeBSD makes no sense to me whatsoever.
Just as an experiment [backup first!] I would try what cracauer@ suggested, but vice versa: untar your GhostBSD into a FreeBSD / and see what happens. But besides experimenting I personally prefer a cleanly installed system.
 
kriptomahsun said:
GhostBSD isn't based on 14.3 yet, so I wanna make the jump. I've done similiar stuff between Ubuntu and Debian before, theoretically it should work, but how?
Click to expand...

GhostBSD supports ZFS Boot Environments - so just create new BE called freebsd-14-3 and create new FreeBSD installation there - while not killing your current GhostBSD installation:
- https://vermaden.wordpress.com/2021/10/19/other-freebsd-version-in-zfs-boot-environment/

... and when GhostBSD will release 14.3-RELEASE based upgrade - you can always reboot into GhostBSD 'BE' and upgrade GhostBSD to 14.3.

Win-Win.
 
Maturin said:
Yes. It's called GhostBSD. Sorry, couldn't resist it. But seriously:
I don't know, but frankly it would not make much sense to me.
Why want anyone transform FreeBSD into GhostBSD when it's way less complicated and easier to use GhostBSD in the first place?
Click to expand...
Because I'd like to have an updateable standard FreeBSD with a nice Gui and WifiManager and Bluetooth.

Ideally with pkg install ghost-meta-port
 
Maturin said:
Why want anyone transform FreeBSD into GhostBSD when it's way less complicated and easier to use GhostBSD in the first place?
Click to expand...
GhostBSD and TrueOS both had some very useful tools that make installation to a GUI pretty straightforward. A lot of it related to detection of video device and selection of the best driver and setting up any X related config.
There were also a couple of other tools/utilities that helped ease of use for newbies.

I think ports for the utilities would be more reasonable than a ghost meta port.
If GhostBSD has a public git repo, perhaps taking a look there would help someone interested in doing this.
 
I'd recommend just doing a fresh install. That's less error prone than trying to migrate/upgrade.

Sometimes people do try to migrate/upgrade, only to discover that it's too time-consuming to clean up the errors that the robots behind the process make. And that's BEFORE asking ChatGPT to do the migration/upgrade! ;) 😏 That collapse can come so quickly, there's have no time to say uncle, much less complain on the Forums. And by the time one formulates their complaint into something coherent, one either sees the solution themselves, or they decide that it's easier to just do a clean reinstall. This is how the decision to post about the problems with automation dies at the stage of being just an idea.
 
mer said:
GhostBSD and TrueOS both had some very useful tools that make installation to a GUI pretty straightforward. A lot of it related to detection of video device and selection of the best driver and setting up any X related config.
There were also a couple of other tools/utilities that helped ease of use for newbies.
Click to expand...
Duh, yeah!
But what's this all about? "I wanna have a newbies foolproof autoinstalling turnkey OS, but I don't." - ?

While the OP's first post
kriptomahsun said:
so I wanna make the jump
Click to expand...
also can be seen as "I wanna switch from GhostBSD to FreeBSD" there have been some posts explaining how he/she may have a quick solution on FreeBSD look and feel as close to his current GhostBSD system as possible, including one (more or less useful) by myself, or trying to "push current FreeBSD into GhostBSD."
But one may ask: In the end: Is it about to use FreeBSD, or not?

weberjn said:
Because I'd like to have an updateable standard FreeBSD with a nice Gui and WifiManager and Bluetooth.
Click to expand...
I have that. (Well, I don't know what a WifiManager is. I have WLAN.) And many others, too.
Just do it. Where is the problem?

In my eyes there are three, and exactly three (3) options, only:

1. Use GhostBSD (or any other turnkey OS you like) - there is no shame in that, and life with it as it is. Because that's exactly what a turn key OS is all about: Be satisfied with what you get is the price for you don't need to care.

2. Roll your own "distro". That's exactly what FreeBSD is for. But learning, effort, and doing your own homework are the price for getting your individually tailored system.

3. Pay somebody to produce, and maintain an OS for you as you like it without doing it yourself.

Sorry, if that may sound harsh, but you simply cannot have both:
A turnkey OS you don't need to care about, or an individual tailored system fitting you personal wishes exactly.
Anything else is the whining of the lazy immature, not willing to accept laws of nature:
"But I wanna have it anyway! Make it happen!!"
We see it here every couple of months in one form or the other:
The wish for there shall come a turnkey OS (produced by others, of course), that fits individual needs and wishes exactly, and perfectly. Anybody more mature than 12 gave that a thought of at least 5 minutes knows, that's only possible if there is an infinite number of turnkey OSs produced until eventually the right one drops out by chance - so unrealistic BS.
That brings us to the fundamental, original, core idea of FreeBSD:
Deliver a minimal, but already use- and powerful base system plus the possibility to build whatever whoever wants upon, and with it.
Downside: You need to build upon, and with it what you want. Plus you need to know what you want. That's another benefit of a turnkey OS: You don't need to think of that neither.
If you don't want that, chose a turnkey OS that comes closest, compromise and live with it.
If one doesn't want to live with neither way, I see no realistic solution whatsoever.
That's exactly the both possibilities there are. There are no more.
Whining about this "unfair world with its evil laws of nature" may only help a kid hoping for mommy and daddy solve its problems instead. You cannot change laws of nature. Only know and learn to live with them.
I also want a sailboat that I can sail without doing a navigation class, that's also capable to drive 350 km/h on the motorway, and can fly, too, and it's permanently connected to optical fibre...and nobody else may have such, but only me, and it has to be given to me for free... But I'm realistic enough to see that's impossible nonsense. So I learned to live with reality. See what real possibilities there are, what compromises suit me best, and pick those which satisfy me best. That's called life in the real world.

If any one says now:
"Yeah, but all I wanted was the 'good stuff' from GhostBSD into FreeBSD."
It's all open source, BSD or MIT, and if not Apache, or GPL licensed, right?
Who's stopping you?

But I cannot help much there. Because I don't want my FreeBSD to become GhostBSD nor a copy of any other turnkey OS - then I would use that one in the first place, as I already said - but I want my FreeBSD be my FreeBSD, my personal, individual "distro" - and that's exactly what it is: with WLAN, GUI, and anything I want and need exactly.
Makes me more happy than any turnkey OS, because I want to know my system, and want to live with as few compromises as possible - but that's my own personal taste only, of course.

All I can do is make people see FreeBSD is perfect to "roll your own, personal 'distro'", encourage them to give it a shot, may ask if they really need to copy something already known, encourage them to create their own, individual way, and be realistic about what needs to be done to get there.

peace out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top