Updating my box.

http://www.openbsd.org/errata56.html

So are you running -STABLE or -RELEASE + errata patches?

(Running -STABLE here.)

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I've been messing around with this work station. I was running OpenBSD only. I just recently again set-up another Slackware/OpenBSD dual boot. I installed OpenBSD using the install56 ISO and also downloaded, installed the needed source files. I'm back to just using errata to patch the box. Five kernel re-compiles for these 11 patches.
I do get confused with the terminology. Am I running -stable or -release?

If you are installing patches, you are running Release with patches. Stable includes patches. I do not want to delve further. I use Release, so anything beyond what I have already posted will likely be inaccurate or just plain wrong.

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When following -RELEASE I just apply all of the patches first and then just rebuild a kernel once and whatever other packages once. In 5.4 and 5.5 there were a lot of patches to SSL, so this means applying about several errata patches, but only rebuilding the kernel, ssl, ftp and whatever else once.

Patching and rebuilding and patching and rebuilding the same binary for every errata patch is unnecessary.

Unless you rebuild the whole base system from source, then you're running -RELEASE. I am not including 3rd party stuff like "m tier" in this as I don't use it and know nothing about it.

To summarise

To stick to -RELEASE:

1) Get the src, sys, xenocara and optionally ports tarballs from your mirror

2) Apply errata patches and rebuild those binaries http://www.openbsd.org/errata56.html

3) Use only binary packages (and/or the -RELEASE ports tree snapshot)


To follow -STABLE:

1) Get the src, sys, xenocara and ports tarballs from your mirror

2) Read the documentation:

http://www.openbsd.org/faq/faq5.html
http://www.openbsd.org/stable.html
http://www.openbsd.org/anoncvs.html

A few points of interest regarding -STABLE:

1) Yes you do have to rebuild the whole base system (including xenocara) from source.
2) Yes you do have to use CVS to sync your src, xenocara and ports tree. A ports tree which is out of sync with the base system leads to trouble ahead.
3) If you don't specify the release in your CVS command lines, then you could end up with a sync of the -CURRENT sources.
4) If you skip steps, ignore errors and cross your fingers and pray - it will break.
5) When rebuilding ports in the -STABLE branch, there are useful tools in /usr/ports/infrastructure/bin/ such as "out-of-date"

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cynwulf,

Many thanks for the thorough explanation.

Probably a good idea to keep an eye on the errata page in view of this: http://daemonforums.org/showthread.php?t=8811

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Thanks for the heads-up. Yep. Will keep an eye on the errata page. Good to see the developers responding swiftly.

Errata 12, 13, 14 now up.

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Thanks. Applying those patches.