comparerelease4to5

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comparerelease4to5 [2005/02/15 04:59] – Get the 'ifconfig' example to show up in a mono-pitch, "plain-text" section. GaranceDrosehncomparerelease4to5 [2015/11/15 05:32] (current) – historical interest only MarkLinimon
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     * http://www.FreeBSD.org/releases/5.3R/announce.html -- provides a short announcement for 5.3-RELEASE, information on various ways to obtain the release, and links to various pages that provide much more detail.     * http://www.FreeBSD.org/releases/5.3R/announce.html -- provides a short announcement for 5.3-RELEASE, information on various ways to obtain the release, and links to various pages that provide much more detail.
  
-===== FreeBSD 4 vs 5 - Hardware Architectures =====+===== FreeBSD 4 vs 5.3 - Hardware Architectures =====
  
   * Release 5 adds support for sparc64, amd64, and ia64 hardware ports.   * Release 5 adds support for sparc64, amd64, and ia64 hardware ports.
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   * Ports for ARM, MIPS and S370 hardware are "being worked on" by a a few developers (to different degrees).   * Ports for ARM, MIPS and S370 hardware are "being worked on" by a a few developers (to different degrees).
  
-===== FreeBSD 4 vs 5 - Kernel Level =====+===== FreeBSD 4 vs 5.3 - Kernel Level =====
  
   * Much much effort on improving our SMP support, with the following goals:   * Much much effort on improving our SMP support, with the following goals:
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   * System now uses the devfs method of populating /dev  (so on Release 5.x systems there is no need for the MAKEDEV script).   * System now uses the devfs method of populating /dev  (so on Release 5.x systems there is no need for the MAKEDEV script).
  
-===== FreeBSD 4 vs 5 - Filesystems =====+===== FreeBSD 4 vs 5.3 - Filesystems =====
  
   * Support has been added for UFS2   * Support has been added for UFS2
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   * Softupdates (vs logged filesystems like extfs3)   * Softupdates (vs logged filesystems like extfs3)
     * See info at http://www.mckusick.com/softdep/index.html     * See info at http://www.mckusick.com/softdep/index.html
-    * UFS snapshots  (see separate example //-- not included on this wiki page!//)+    * UFS snapshots  (see separate wiki page:  ExampleUfsSnapshots )
     * The /sbin/dump command includes a -L option to automatically use a snapshot when dumping a live filesystem, so your dump will be a consistent snapshot of the filesystem.     * The /sbin/dump command includes a -L option to automatically use a snapshot when dumping a live filesystem, so your dump will be a consistent snapshot of the filesystem.
     * The /sbin/newfs command creates a .snap directory (which is owned by user operator) after initializing any filesystem partition, for use by /sbin/dump -L .     * The /sbin/newfs command creates a .snap directory (which is owned by user operator) after initializing any filesystem partition, for use by /sbin/dump -L .
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   * In 5.x, softupdates also allows us to do "background fsck" at startup.  If these are used, then after a system crash (for any reason), the system startup will not have to wait until the initial "fsck" finishes.  That means the system can be available to users, even though "fsck" may not have completed.  This is a big advantage on huge partitions that have millions of files.   * In 5.x, softupdates also allows us to do "background fsck" at startup.  If these are used, then after a system crash (for any reason), the system startup will not have to wait until the initial "fsck" finishes.  That means the system can be available to users, even though "fsck" may not have completed.  This is a big advantage on huge partitions that have millions of files.
  
-===== FreeBSD 4 vs 5 - Networking =====+  * Release 5.3 includes GEOM, which is a major rewrite and improvement of the code which handles the partitioning of hard disks.  Among other changes, this brought in support for the types of disk labels which are standard formats on sparc64 and PPC architecture. This rewrite will also make it easier to reliably implement new features in disk support, disk partitioning and disk I/O (such as additional styles of RAID support). 
 + 
 +  * One of the benefits of GEOM which is available in 5.3 is called GBDE.  This provides support for encrypted disk partitions. 
 + 
 +===== FreeBSD 4 vs 5.3 - Networking =====
  
   * Network drivers:  Out from under "the Giant Lock", which means much better performance on SMP systems.   * Network drivers:  Out from under "the Giant Lock", which means much better performance on SMP systems.
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   * http://people.freebsd.org/~andre/FreeBSD-5.3-Networking.pdf describes these network changes, along with many others.   * http://people.freebsd.org/~andre/FreeBSD-5.3-Networking.pdf describes these network changes, along with many others.
  
-===== FreeBSD 4 vs 5 - Applications in Base System =====+===== FreeBSD 4 vs 5.3 - Applications in Base System =====
  
   * Perl is removed from the "base" system   * Perl is removed from the "base" system
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   * Release 5.x changes from BIND8 to BIND9 in base system.   * Release 5.x changes from BIND8 to BIND9 in base system.
  
-===== FreeBSD 4 vs 5 - Misc =====+===== FreeBSD 4 vs 5.3 - Misc =====
  
   * There is the usual "this release supports more devices, and has better support for some devices".  Examples include bluetooth, firewire and improved PCI and USB support.   * There is the usual "this release supports more devices, and has better support for some devices".  Examples include bluetooth, firewire and improved PCI and USB support.
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   * Release 5.x now has a new way of starting/stopping services via the scripts in /etc/rc.d/* (this was adapted from %%NetBSD%%).   * Release 5.x now has a new way of starting/stopping services via the scripts in /etc/rc.d/* (this was adapted from %%NetBSD%%).
  
-  * Some work has been done so the system can be compiled by icc or tcc in addition to gcc (icc == Intel's C compiler, tcc == C compiler from http://www.tendra.org/ .+  * Some work has been done so the system can be compiled by icc or tcc in addition to gcc (icc == Intel's C compiler, tcc == C compiler from http://www.tendra.org/ ).
  
   * Newer boot-up manager.  Somewhat nicer.  (this might also be in the most recent 4.x releases.  I have not done a clean install of 4.x for some time now).  You will probably only see this if you do a clean install of Release 5.3 (or later), or if you remember to run 'disklabel -B' after building and installing a new system.   * Newer boot-up manager.  Somewhat nicer.  (this might also be in the most recent 4.x releases.  I have not done a clean install of 4.x for some time now).  You will probably only see this if you do a clean install of Release 5.3 (or later), or if you remember to run 'disklabel -B' after building and installing a new system.
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   * procfs is used much less.  It is not mounted by default, and is likely to disappear at some point (6.0 or later).   * procfs is used much less.  It is not mounted by default, and is likely to disappear at some point (6.0 or later).
 +
 +  * /dev/random now provides much better randomness.  It is now "cryptographic quality".  This includes the checking of multiple sources of entropy to make sure it supplies truly unpredictable random values.
 +
 +  * You can also checkout the migration guide at: http://www.freebsd.org/releases/5.3R/migration-guide.html
  
   * My recommendation: If you are upgrading a system from 4.x to 5.3-RELEASE, you would probably be better off backing up all your important data, and doing a clean install.  You can upgrade from (say) 4.10-release to 5.3-release, but you will have better results if you create brand new partitions, and install into them.  Among other things, you probably want a larger root partition.   * My recommendation: If you are upgrading a system from 4.x to 5.3-RELEASE, you would probably be better off backing up all your important data, and doing a clean install.  You can upgrade from (say) 4.10-release to 5.3-release, but you will have better results if you create brand new partitions, and install into them.  Among other things, you probably want a larger root partition.
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 meant to be an exhaustive comparison of release 4.10 (or later) to meant to be an exhaustive comparison of release 4.10 (or later) to
 release 5.3 (and later).  It might not even be completely accurate. release 5.3 (and later).  It might not even be completely accurate.
 +In some sense, it is just the changes which "effected me personally".
 Other developers are welcome up to update this page, or to contact Other developers are welcome up to update this page, or to contact
 me directly if there is anything I have grossly mis-represented. me directly if there is anything I have grossly mis-represented.
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 //GaranceDrosehn wrote in November and December 2004, and thus it// //GaranceDrosehn wrote in November and December 2004, and thus it//
 //might be a bit out-of-date//. //might be a bit out-of-date//.
 +
 +----
 +
 +[[CategoryHistorical]]
  
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  • Last modified: 2005/02/15 04:59
  • by GaranceDrosehn