FreeBSD: Mount /usr/ports Inside Jail
Q. I'd like to save disk space for my FreeBSD 7 ISP server. We run webserver, nameserver from various jails under powerful HP RAID 10 server. How do I export /usr/ports from host to each jail hosted on /jail/ volume such as /jail/www, /jail/ns, /jail/sql etc?
A. You need to use the mount_nullfs command. It creates a null layer, duplicating a sub-tree of the file system name space under another part of the global file system namespace. This allows existing files and directories to be accessed using a different pathname. You need to run this command outside jail.
Option #1: Mount ports in read write mode
Login as root and type the following command:
# D=/jail/www
# mkdir -p $D/usr/ports
# mount_nullfs /usr/ports $D/usr/ports
# mount | sort
Now login to jail called www (jail id # 10):
# jls
# jexec 10 sh
Try to install apache22:
# cd /usr/ports
# cd www/apache22
# make install clean
Option #2: Mount ports in read only mode
As suggested by reader Mel, you can mount ports tree in read only mode. This may result into ports tree integrity in a long run.
D=/jail/www
mkdir -p $D/usr/ports
mount_nullfs -o ro /usr/ports $D/usr/ports
Mount /var/distfiles in read-write mode:
# mkdir $D/var/distfiles
# mount_nullfs -o rw /usr/ports/distfiles $D/var/distfiles
Now install port called php5:
# cd /usr/ports/lang/php5
# make install clean WRKDIRPREFIX=/tmp
You need to set WRKDIRPREFIX as ports installed in read only mode. WRKDIRPREFIX specifies where to create any temporary files.
Further readings
- man page ports, make
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Discussion on This FAQ
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Tags: disk space, FreeBSD, freebsd ports, freebsd ports collection, freebsd WRKDIRPREFIX, global file system, jails, jexec command, jls command, make command, mount_nullfs command, pipes, raid 10
October 5th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
It’s better to mount read-only, so you don’t make changes to the ports in either, both or neither. Secondly, you don’t get to deal with the port’s cookies (${WRKDIR}/.*_done) when you build port foo in either.
Setting:
DISTDIR
WRKDIRPREFIX
to a jail writeable directory is required.
I myself use:
mkdir $D/var/distfilesmount -t nullfs -o rw /usr/ports/distfiles $D/var/distfiles
October 6th, 2008 at 6:56 am
Nice tips. Thanks for sharing with us. The FAQ has been updated to incorporate your view.