Upgrading FreeBSD box with a custom kernel

PATCHING THE BASE SYSTEM
 
From FreeBSD handbook, chapter 23:

Only the GENERIC kernel can be automatically updated by freebsd-update. If a custom kernel is installed, it will have to be rebuilt and reinstalled after freebsd-update finishes installing the updates.

In this post I am going to show how I usually update my FreeBSD home box running a custom kernel inherited from the GENERIC kernel.

First of all, I update the GENERIC kernel. It is very possible.
From the chapter of handbook mentioned above:

freebsd-update will detect and update the GENERIC kernel if /boot/GENERIC exists, even if it is not the current running kernel of the system.

This option suits my requirements, because my kernel based on the GENERIC.

$ sudo freebsd-update fetch
$ sudo freebsd-update install
$ reboot

After the system come back, I upgrade the custom kernel (in my case called FBSD_GF4-1-NOSND).

$ sudo -i
# cd /usr/src
# make buildkernel KERNCONF=FBSD_GF4-1-NOSND

Building a kernel may take a while. After the kernel is built, I install it.

# make installkernel KERNCONF=FBSD_GF4-1-NOSND
# reboot

UPGRADING SOFTWARE PACKAGES

Starting the Autumn, 2017 I dislike packages again. Ports are the strength of FreeBSD! But I am going to describe the process of updating software packages. For the memories.

$ sudo portsnap fetch update
$ sudo pkg update
$ pkg updating | $PAGER

After reading UPDATING info carefully, I upgraded the software next way.

$ sudo pkg upgrade
$ sudo pkg clean
$ sudo pkg autoremove

Then reboot and try to count regressions =)

$ reboot