installing FreeBSD-13/14

[2022/09,2023/11]

Notes from installing FreeBSD-13/14 onto ZFS.

FreeBSD installer (bsdinstall)

Tip: Can scroll up console by pressing ScrollLock.

Tip: Can run "holographic shell" by choosing 'Live CD' then running bsdinstall in another console. (Not suggested since not the standard way, yet may be useful for trial-run or if problems occur.)

First find device name of root device. At start, bsdinstall offers to run Shell, use it to run: geom disk list

When asked which system components to install, select src which is needed to compile/install some ports.

ZFS: This author chooses 0 for swap partition so that later can instead create ZFS volume for swap-space if ever needed.

This author skips connecting to Internet until custom firewall has been installed, and since bsdinstall has hung if fails to connect to DHCP.

When creating users, for home dir permission, discovered bsdinstall will accept chmod symbolic syntax: u=rwx,go=

configuring newly installed FreeBSD system

ASAP: Enable rescue login as ~toor by defining its password by running bsdconfig. ATW, ensure ~root and ~toor have different shells in case of ever wrecking shell configuration.

ASAP: Create both bootenv and ZFS snapshots of new system -- before system becomes wrecked.

ASAP: LOCK (read immutable in 'man chflags') those system directories that should be read-only. (This author does so for computer security, accepting risk of possibly wrecking system.).

For disciples of Emacs:
Manually install the wonderful mg fork of MicroEmacs (OpenBSD installs by default and maintains).

For users of GNU cp: BEWARE: BSD cp has pitfalls!!
Trailing / in srcDir/ will copy its CONTENTS -- not srcDir itself.