SYSMERGE(8)             OpenBSD System Manager's Manual            SYSMERGE(8)

NAME
     sysmerge - update system configuration files

SYNOPSIS
     sysmerge [-bd] [-s src | etcXX.tgz] [-x xetcXX.tgz]

DESCRIPTION
     sysmerge is a sh(1) script designed to help the administrator update con-
     figuration files after upgrading to a new release or snapshot.  The con-
     figuration files are typically those held in /etc, though sysmerge is al-
     so able to update files held in /dev, /root, and /var.

     It is HIGHLY recommended to back up the /etc directory before running
     this script.

     sysmerge works by comparing a temporary reference root directory against
     currently installed files.  The reference files are created from a cvs(1)
     source tree or a ``.tgz'' release or snapshot file.  The default, if no
     source is specified on the command line, is to use /usr/src.  All work is
     done under ${TMPDIR}/sysmerge.XXXXX (known as the work directory).  The
     temporary root directory temproot is created under the work directory.
     Each modified and/or replaced file is saved under the backup directory
     inside the work directory.

     To make sure configuration files are in sync with the actual binaries,
     use the same source as was used to upgrade the system: /usr/src when up-
     grading from source; etcXX.tgz and xetcXX.tgz when upgrading from binary
     sets.

     sysmerge will work through the fileset, offering the chance to merge any
     differences using ${MERGE_CMD}.  Merged files may be edited using a de-
     fault editor, or one defined by the ${VISUAL} or ${EDITOR} environment
     variables.  Files may also be left to deal with at a later date.  Should
     any problems occur, such as a failure to upgrade a file, the user will be
     notified and have to deal with the issue by hand.

     By default (if -d is not used) sysmerge only compares files whose refer-
     ence sources have changed since the last run and attempts to automatical-
     ly upgrade them to the newest version, provided that they have no local
     changes.  It automatically installs missing files and binaries, and up-
     dates files differing only by CVS Id.  Files whose reference sources have
     matching CVS Id are skipped from comparison.  /etc/fbtab,
     /etc/login.conf, /etc/sysctl.conf, and /etc/ttys are created using helper
     scripts and are always compared.

     sysmerge will finish by running mtree(8) to make sure the directory
     structure has correct permissions.

     The options are as follows:

     -b      Batch mode.  sysmerge runs non-interactively, saving differing
             files for later manual processing.

     -d      Diff mode.  In this mode, sysmerge will not take any automatic
             action, allowing for a full diff comparison.

     -s src | etcXX.tgz
             Specify a path to an OpenBSD top src directory or an etcXX.tgz
             tarball.  A tarball path specified as an FTP or HTTP URL will be
             passed to ${FETCH_CMD}.

     -x xetcXX.tgz
             Specify a path to an xetcXX.tgz tarball.  A tarball path speci-
             fied as an FTP or HTTP URL will be passed to ${FETCH_CMD}.

     Files and directories can be excluded from comparison by listing them in
     the file /etc/sysmerge.ignore, each entry separated by white space or a
     new line.  The following files will always be skipped from comparison:
     /etc/*.db, /etc/mail/*.db, /etc/passwd, /etc/motd, /etc/myname,
     /var/db/locate.database, /var/db/sysmerge/etcsum,
     /var/db/sysmerge/xetcsum, /var/games/tetris.scores, /var/mail/root.

     The sendmail(8) configuration files /etc/mail/localhost.cf,
     /etc/mail/sendmail.cf and /etc/mail/submit.cf will always differ because
     they include their build date and directories.  A special test was added
     to handle this and they are offered for comparison only if they really
     differ.

ENVIRONMENT
     DBDIR       Directory in which checksum files are stored.  If unset, this
                 defaults to /var/db/sysmerge.

     DESTDIR     Directory in which to merge and install files.  If unset,
                 this defaults to /.

     EDITOR, VISUAL
                 Specifies an editor to use.  If both EDITOR and VISUAL are
                 set, VISUAL takes precedence.  If neither EDITOR nor VISUAL
                 are set, the default is vi(1).

     FETCH_CMD   Command used to fetch remote files.  Defaults to ftp(1).

     FTP_KEEPALIVE
                 Have ftp(1) send a byte after every FTP_KEEPALIVE seconds, so
                 that incorrectly configured network equipment won't aggres-
                 sively drop it.  See ``ftp -k'' for more information.

     MERGE_CMD   Command used to merge diffs.  This will be called with three
                 arguments: the first argument is the output file to create,
                 the second argument is the currently installed file and the
                 third argument is the reference file.  If unset, this de-
                 faults to ``sdiff -as -w ${SWIDTH} -o''.

     PAGER       Specifies the pagination program to use.

     REPORT      Log summary which may contain information for further, manu-
                 al, updating.  Defaults to ${WRKDIR}/sysmerge.log.

     TMPDIR      Directory in which the work directory is created.  If unset,
                 this defaults to /var/tmp.

FILES
     ${TMPDIR}/sysmerge.XXXXX     Default work directory.  The temproot and
                                  backup directories are created relative to
                                  this.
     ${WRKDIR}/sysmerge.log       Default log file.
     /etc/sysmerge.ignore         Files and directories to ignore from compar-
                                  ison.

SEE ALSO
     cap_mkdb(1), diff(1), mktemp(1), more(1), sdiff(1), MAKEDEV(8),
     makemap(8), mtree(8), newaliases(8), pwd_mkdb(8)

     /usr/src/etc/Makefile

     http://www.openbsd.org/faq/current.html
     http://www.openbsd.org/faq/upgradeXX.html

HISTORY
     The sysmerge script first appeared in OpenBSD 4.4.

AUTHORS
     The sysmerge shell script was written by Antoine Jacoutot
     <ajacoutot@openbsd.org> using FreeBSD mergemaster written by Douglas
     Barton <DougB@FreeBSD.org> as a base.

OpenBSD 4.7                    December 18, 2009                             3
