On Jan 19, 2015, at 8:54 PM, Brandon Allbery <allbery.b at gmail.com>
wrote:
> On Mon, Jan 19, 2015 at 8:36 PM, Yass Amed <zagazaw2004 at gmail.com>
wrote:
>
>> I'd like to clarify a certain info regarding FreeBSD -STABLE.
>> Currently, I am running 10-STABLE and need to know if it is mandatory
to
>> rebuild kernel and world every time I sync the source using "# svn
up
>> /usr/src"?
>>
>
> A running FreeBSD system never needs /usr/src. But if you are running
> STABLE (or CURRENT), sometimes you will want to look at the source to
> something in the running system (usually because it just did something
> unexpected...) and so it's helpful to have /usr/src match the running
> system. So, not necessary but often a good idea.
It's correct that, once built and running, a FreeBSD system never needs
/usr/src. However, a -STABLE or -CURRENT FreeBSD system will need /usr/src to
apply any security advisories or errata (as happened recently, re: OpenSSL).
Unlike -RELEASE branches, -STABLE and -CURRENT don't get updates via
freebsd-update.
Also, it's handy to have /usr/src and rebuild if ever there is a feature
MFC'd that you'd like to have available on your -STABLE system (e.g.,
the bhyve support for AMD processors that was MFC'd not so long ago).
That's usually the main reason for running -STABLE, actually.
Cheers,
Paul.