OpenBSD version / build question

[patrimith]

Hi List!

I'm upgrading a server from OpenBSD 4.1 to 4.2 and there are a number of servers that have been done already. 'uname -a' tells me that they are:

OpenBSD hostname 4.2 GENERIC#375 i386
OpenBSD hostname 4.2 GENERIC#410 i386
OpenBSD hostname 4.2 GENERIC#468 i386

375, 410, 468:
Are these build numbers?
Or do they mean something else?
Would they signify security fixes that are important?

Should I be concerned that they are not the same across our different servers if our goal is to keep a consistent setup?

Thanks,

Patrick Smith

[Greg Thomas-3]

I believe #375 is RELEASE from Aug 28 2007, that's what's in
/pub/OpenBSD/4.2/i386. Don't know where you're getting the others
from, snapshots?  It'd be nice if you mentioned your upgrade steps.

On Nov 30, 2007 10:50 AM, patrimith <paddysmith@...> wrote:

> Hi List!
>
> I'm upgrading a server from OpenBSD 4.1 to 4.2 and there are a number of
> servers that have been done already. 'uname -a' tells me that they are:
>
> OpenBSD hostname 4.2 GENERIC#375 i386
> OpenBSD hostname 4.2 GENERIC#410 i386
> OpenBSD hostname 4.2 GENERIC#468 i386
>
> 375, 410, 468:
> Are these build numbers?
> Or do they mean something else?
> Would they signify security fixes that are important?
>
> Should I be concerned that they are not the same across our different
> servers if our goal is to keep a consistent setup?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Patrick Smith
>
> --
> View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/OpenBSD-version---build-question-tf4923181.html#a14088909
> Sent from the openbsd user - misc mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>
>

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[Ingo Schwarze]

Hi Patrick,

Patrick Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 30, 2007 at 10:50:48AM -0800:

> I'm upgrading a server from OpenBSD 4.1 to 4.2 and there are a number of
> servers that have been done already. 'uname -a' tells me that they are:
>
> OpenBSD hostname 4.2 GENERIC#375 i386
> OpenBSD hostname 4.2 GENERIC#410 i386
> OpenBSD hostname 4.2 GENERIC#468 i386
>
> 375, 410, 468:
> Are these build numbers?

Yes.
But they are build numbers specific to the particular machine
on which these kernels happen to have been built.
So having two kernels with the same number doesn't tell you
these kernels are identical, and a kernel with a larger number
can be older than a kernel with a smaller number - they might
have been built on different machines.  And a kernel built
today might still be crap if the sources were too old.

> Or do they mean something else?
> Would they signify security fixes that are important?

No way to know given the information you supply.
If i knew a list of official snapshot build numbers by heart,
i could start guessing - but that would be just that, guesswork.

> Should I be concerned that they are not the same across our different
> servers if our goal is to keep a consistent setup?

Yes!

In particular, you should reconsider your procedures.
If you want to keep your servers up to date, you definitely
want to know who is responsible for installing what to which
server and under which circumstances.  And where it ought to
be written down when it has been done.

So if you go to some machine and the kernel it is running
comes as a surprise - put bluntly, it appears you do not know
what you are doing.

By the way, the following command is more useful for your purpose:

schwarze@hera $ sysctl kern.version
kern.version=OpenBSD 4.2-current (GENERIC) #69: Sun Nov 18 22:43:19 CET 2007
    root@...:/usr/src/sys/arch/i386/compile/GENERIC

Here you see whether you are running -release, -stable or -current,
and here the build number also tells you something:
Here you see who (root) built the kernel when (Nov 18),
on which host (athene.usta.de) and in which source tree.

But don't overestimate the importance of having the right kernel
installed: Unless you have documented procedures being actually
followed, finding the correct kernel doesn't tell you whether
userland and packages are also up to date.  In fact, finding out
whether userland is up to date is usually more difficult than
finding out whether the kernel is OK.  But no less important...

You now have quite a bit of work to do:
Talk to your colleagues, find out what happened,
decide whether you want -stable or -current,
decide who will do this kind of maintenance in the future,
and then upgrade *all* machines using the official upgrade process.
In case you want -stable but some already have -current (which
i suspect), those need to be reinstalled from scratch.

Good luck with your random kernels,-)
  Ingo

[patrimith]

This is what sysctl kern.version tells me:

kern.version=OpenBSD 4.2 (GENERIC) #375: Tue Aug 28 10:38:44 MDT 2007
    [e-mail]:/usr/src/sys/arch/i386/compile/GENERIC

kern.version=OpenBSD 4.2-current (GENERIC) #410: Fri Oct  5 22:31:12 MDT 2007
    [e-mail]:/usr/src/sys/arch/i386/compile/GENERIC

kern.version=OpenBSD 4.2-current (GENERIC) #468: Sun Oct 28 19:57:49 MDT 2007
    [e-mail]:/usr/src/sys/arch/i386/compile/GENERIC

> I believe #375 is RELEASE from Aug 28 2007, that's what's in
> /pub/OpenBSD/4.2/i386.

Can you confirm that means it is the official 4.2 release? (I'm hoping this is the case...)

> Don't know where you're getting the others from, snapshots?

Yeah - I think this is where a few of them were gathered up from.

> It'd be nice if you mentioned your upgrade steps.

I was following: http://www.openbsd.org/faq/upgrade42.html#upgrade under "Upgrading without install kernel" I don't have physical access to the server, so "Upgrading by install kernel" is not an option.

Thanks for your help!
Patrick

[patrimith]

Ingo Schwarze wrote:

By the way, the following command is more useful for your purpose:

schwarze@hera $ sysctl kern.version
kern.version=OpenBSD 4.2-current (GENERIC) #69: Sun Nov 18 22:43:19 CET 2007
    [e-mail]:/usr/src/sys/arch/i386/compile/GENERIC

Here you see whether you are running -release, -stable or -current,
and here the build number also tells you something:
Here you see who (root) built the kernel when (Nov 18),
on which host (athene.usta.de) and in which source tree.

kern.version=OpenBSD 4.2 (GENERIC) #375: Tue Aug 28 10:38:44 MDT 2007
    [e-mail]:/usr/src/sys/arch/i386/compile/GENERIC

This is the one that I just installed. It does not report being one of -release, -stable or -current, but as per another posting, I am hoping that it is that official 4.2 release.

Thank you very much for your comments.
Patrick

[Ingo Schwarze]

Hi Patrick,

patrimith wrote on Mon, Dec 03, 2007 at 12:02:18PM -0800:

> kern.version=OpenBSD 4.2 (GENERIC) #375: Tue Aug 28 10:38:44 MDT 2007
>     deraadt@...:/usr/src/sys/arch/i386/compile/GENERIC
>
> This is the one that I just installed. It does not report being one of
> -release, -stable or -current,

It does:  "4.2 (" is release.  See line 70 of
http://www.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb/src/sys/conf/newvers.sh?annotate=1.85

> but as per another posting, I am hoping that
> it is that official 4.2 release.

Unless somebody did forgery on it, it is, see e.g.
ftp://ftp-stud.fht-esslingen.de/pub/OpenBSD/4.2/i386/bsd
or your favourite mirror.  Use checksumming if in doubt.

But again, having the correct kernel does not tell
you the rest of your operating system is not borked.

Yours,
  Ingo

[Greg Thomas-3]

On Dec 3, 2007 12:02 PM, patrimith <paddysmith@...> wrote:

> Ingo Schwarze wrote:
> >
> > By the way, the following command is more useful for your purpose:
> >
> > schwarze@hera $ sysctl kern.version
> > kern.version=OpenBSD 4.2-current (GENERIC) #69: Sun Nov 18 22:43:19 CET
> > 2007
> >     root@...:/usr/src/sys/arch/i386/compile/GENERIC
> >
> > Here you see whether you are running -release, -stable or -current,
> > and here the build number also tells you something:
> > Here you see who (root) built the kernel when (Nov 18),
> > on which host (athene.usta.de) and in which source tree.
> >
>
> kern.version=OpenBSD 4.2 (GENERIC) #375: Tue Aug 28 10:38:44 MDT 2007
>     deraadt@...:/usr/src/sys/arch/i386/compile/GENERIC
>
> This is the one that I just installed. It does not report being one of
> -release, -stable or -current, but as per another posting, I am hoping that
> it is that official 4.2 release.
>

Yes.  Given the info above that is 4.2 release.

Greg

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[new_guy]

> 375, 410, 468:
> Are these build numbers?

Yes.

So, the current stable kernel is 0?

OpenBSD amdthunder.home.local 4.2 GENERIC#0 i386
OpenBSD black.cirt.vt.edu 4.2 GENERIC#0 i386

[Greg Thomas-3]

On Dec 4, 2007 5:41 PM, new_guy <byte8bits@...> wrote:
> > 375, 410, 468:
> > Are these build numbers?
>
> Yes.
>
> So, the current stable kernel is 0?

Just on your system.  The -release kernel as compiled by
deraadt@... is his build #375.

Once you start compiling your own kernels you may build them more
often than others.

>
> OpenBSD amdthunder.home.local 4.2 GENERIC#0 i386
> OpenBSD black.cirt.vt.edu 4.2 GENERIC#0 i386

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Ticketmaster and Ticketweb suck, but everyone knows that:
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http://lodesertprotosites.org
Dethink to survive - Mclusky

[Hugo Villeneuve-2]

On Tue, Dec 04, 2007 at 05:41:28PM -0800, new_guy wrote:
> > 375, 410, 468:
> > Are these build numbers?
>
> Yes.
>
> So, the current stable kernel is 0?
>
> OpenBSD amdthunder.home.local 4.2 GENERIC#0 i386
> OpenBSD black.cirt.vt.edu 4.2 GENERIC#0 i386

When you build a kernel, a new vers.c file is created by running
/usr/src/sys/conf/newvers.sh.

That script is also responsible for creating a "version" file that
increments every time you build a kernel in the same directory.

You too could have high build number if you were never to delete
the kernel build directory (by default instruction
/usr/src/sys/arch/$(machine)/compile/GENERIC) or being carefull about
keeping the "version" file.

--
Hugo Villeneuve <hugo@...>
http://EINTR.net/