How to upgrade Linux to FreeBSD remotely via SSH?
reddit / freebsd

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mezantrop · 2021-12-27 10:38

The answer is simple: download and use my
[script](https://github.com/mezantrop/linux2free).

Time runs fast, MBR evolved to GPT, BIOS to UEFI and I followed the
footsteps of good old Depenguinator [2.0](https://www.daemonology.net/
blog/2008-01-29-depenguinator-2.0.html) and
[3.0](https://github.com/allanjude/depenguinator) to bring some
Christmas magic to the end of 2021 year.

This is a very early draft, the script abilities are very limited,
there are a lot things to implement and many bugs to fix, but
it ~~runs fine on my laptop~~ successfully installs FreeBSD 13.0 over
the default CentOS Linux 8 on a VirtualBOX machine.

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kx885 · 2021-12-27 12:31

Linux to FreeBSD? No upgrade option, wipe and install, restore data.

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mezantrop · 2021-12-27 12:43

Is it you, cap? :)

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PkHolm · 2021-12-27 12:55

Did you check the script? IT is exactly what he is doing. Deploying
FreeBSD system from under linux.  Creating new zpool and unpacking
FreeBSD to it + creating UEFI entry.   Quite a nice script when you do
not have access to console.  I just would prefer to see copying SSH
key from linux  instead of enabling password-less root login :-)
Actually whole /root can be copied to FreeBSD.

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mezantrop · 2021-12-27 13:00

Good idea! Will take it in account.

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Melodic_Ad_8747 · 2021-12-27 18:53

You didn't read

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DialsMavis_TheReal · 2021-12-27 22:19

I guess it depends what you define as an _upgrade_, but regardless,
great job on this script!

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mezantrop · 2021-12-27 22:34

Thank you :)

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tux2bsd · 2021-12-27 23:48

Here's a recommendation:

/LINUX

and under there copy data, say

/LINUX/root  /LINUX/home  /LINUX/etc

but the problem becomes, where do you stop?

maybe a user can list what they want.

e.g. root home etc opt

and those go over but then the issue becomes someone complaining that
your script didn't preserve data they forgot to list and your script
was never about data preservation to begin with...

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daemonpenguin · 2021-12-28 02:07

This is my kind of crazy. :)

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mezantrop · 2021-12-28 07:46

Yep, another great idea. Thanks a lot!

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okapi-a · 2021-12-28 09:23

I tried this and get an error for "FATAL: Only systems with EFI/ESP
supported". Can I forget trying to update that particular VM or are
there some tricks I should try?

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tux2bsd · 2021-12-28 09:35

Most of all the point was be careful with scope creep, it's dreadfully
time consuming (unless it's uber trivial).

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mezantrop · 2021-12-28 09:36

No, you can't do anything with this machine at least for the moment. I
still have to add traditional BIOS/MBR boot support.

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stashtv · 2021-12-28 17:48

Imagine this propagating as worm.

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mezantrop · 2021-12-28 19:34

Ahahah, oh, shi\~