Q. I've FreeBSD jail configured as explained in man pages using make world options. Now I've upgrade my base FreeBSD 7.0 system to FreeBSD 7 patch level 4. How do I upgrade my Jail (FreeBSD VPS) so that everything get updated inside jail?
A. The FreeBSD jail mechanism is an implementation of operating system-level virtualization that allows administrators to partition a FreeBSD-based computer system into several independent mini-systems called jails. FreeBSD jails offer security, ease of delegation and os level virtualization. To upgrade your jail using make world use the following commands.
Step # 1: Build world
Follow this guide to upgrade your running system. Once done type the following command to build world for jail:
WARNING! There are various ways of creating and upgrading jails. This method uses make world upgrade method as original jail was created using make build itself.# JAIL=/path/to/jail
OR
# JAIL=/usr/home/jail/192.168.1.10
# cd /usr/src
# make buildworld DESTDIR=$JAIL
Please note that If you have just done make buildworld previously you can do make installworld and save the time.
Step # 2: Stop jail service
Type the following command to stop all jails:
# /etc/rc.d/jail stop
Step # 3: Upgrade jail
Type the following command to stop all jails:
# cd /usr/src
# make installworld DESTDIR=$JAIL
# mergemaster -i -C -D $JAIL
If you have multiple jail repeat above steps. You can also try something as follows:
# JPATHS="/jail/path1 /jail/path2 /jail/path3"
# for j in $JPATHS; make installworld DESTDIR=$j; done
Step # 4: Start all jails
Type the following command:
# /etc/rc.d/jail start
Make sure everything is running:
# jls
Try to connect to jail called www.example.com with 20 as jail id from host itself:
# jexec 20 sh
# hostname
# sockstat
Try to upgrade FreeBSD ports inside jail:
# portsnap fetch update
# portversion -l '<'
# portupgrade -a
Exit from jail and go back to host:
# exit
Further readings
- jail related man pages
- FreeBSD jail
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
You can optionally use ezjail – /usr/ports/sysutils/ezjail
A *great* tool, you can automatically create new jail for seconds, there are ‘flavours’ that you can configure and have *almost anything* setuped in new jail upon creation.
Also you can create jail in regular image file (which can be crypted!)… a lot of features and one of the best – upgrade in 3 steps:
1. cvsup /usr/src dir.
2. build/install world on base system.
2. ezjail-admin update -i
If the -i (install only) option is given, ezjail-admin update only per-
formes a make installworld, otherwise make world is invoked.
You missed a very important step- you must run mergemaster to update /etc in the new jail!
after running make installworld DESTDIR=$JAIL you need to run mergemaster -i -C -D $JAIL
@Chirs,
Thanks for the heads up.
@Valqk,
Thanks for sharing your idea.
thanks for this mini howto :)
just a question… you say:
make buildworld DESTDIR=$JAIL
is really necessary setting DESTDIR variable while
making buildworld?
you also say:
“Please note that If you have just done make buildworld previously you can do make installworld and save the time.”
This makes me think… one buildworld… one or more installworld (with different DESTDIR for each jail)
either DESTDIR in buildworld is useless or we have
to make buildworld for each jail…
Just to be sure,
thank you very much indeed ;)
is really necessary setting DESTDIR variable while making buildworld?
No, you can actually run it as follows:
make buildworldmake installworld DESTDIR=/path/to/jail/1
make installworld DESTDIR=/path/to/jail/2
make installworld DESTDIR=/path/to/jail/N
HTH
For “Step # 4: Start all jails”, you have:
# /etc/init.d/jail start
It should be:
# /etc/rc.d/jail start
David,
Thanks for the heads up.
Hi folks, I’m asking myself, whether it will be safe to do this upgrade from 6.3-RELEASE to 7.0-RELEASE.
Anybody out there, how has done a major version upgrade with his base system and then with his jails?
What will the jails do when hosted by a 7.0-RELEASE but themselves not upgraded yet?
TIA,
Sigmar
I haven’t done a major upgrade (6.3-to-7.0) of a jail host system jet, but I’ve successfully upgraded a production server from a minor release to another (RELENG_6_2 to RELENG_6_3), by using the method described by Valqk (ezjail-admin update + mergemaster), and all worked fine!
I’ve upgraded jails from FreeBSD 6.3 to 7.0-REL and it worked like a charm.