NetBSD upgrade step-by-step

Upgrading to NetBSD 9.4 on a V-Colo

These instructions are for upgrading to NetBSD 9. If you need to upgrade to NetBSD 10, please see Upgrading to NetBSD 10.0 on a V-Colo

Using the NetBSD recovery system, you can upgrade NetBSD on your V-Colo using the NetBSD "sysinst" program.

This procedure will not allow you to change the size of your root disk. If you want to change the size of your root disk as well, you may instead want to do a fresh install.

Back up your important data.
The NetBSD installer should not cause data loss, but you should take every precaution as it's impossible to test every scenario.
Log into the V-Colo management interface
Using the username and password you selected when you signed up, please log into the management interface at https://config.panix.com/vc. If you have more than one V-Colo, you'll need to select a V-Colo at the top of the page.
Log into the console server
Please see the instructions on the V-Colo management under the "Console" tab. Log into your V-Colo's console as you'll be needing this later.
Record the disk name to be upgraded.
On your V-Colo, if you enter "df /" you should see output like this:
```
   Filesystem  1K-blocks      Used     Avail Capacity  Mounted on
   /dev/xbd0a    3277966    849212   2264856    27%    / 
```
The disk name is in the first column. In this case, it is "xbd0". You will need this later.
If performing a major upgrade - Create a new boot profile to use the latest NetBSD kernel

Once you perform the upgrade, you may no longer be able to boot with the old kernel, so you'll want to make sure you have a usable profile first.
1. On the management interface click on the "Boot Profiles" tab.
2. Click on the profile which is currently set to boot. You'll need the record the "Root device" and "Attach disks" information for the new profile.
3. Click on "Create a new profile" located underneath your current boot profiles.
4. Set the kernel to "NetBSD/i386 9.4" for 32-bit or "NetBSD/amd64 9.4" for 64-bit and press "Set kernel to proceed".
5. Enter something into the "Description" field such as "NetBSD 9.4". This field can not be left blank.
6. Set the "Root device" and "Attach disks" to be the same as the original profile.
7. Press "Save profile".
8. Click the radio button next to the new profile and press "Set as boot profile".
9. Reboot your V-Colo. You can either do this in the management interface or by logging into your V-Colo and using the "reboot" or "shutdown -r" commands.
Boot the NetBSD upgrade/recovery system.
After you have determined that you can boot your current system with the NetBSD 9.4 kernel, you'll next need to boot the NetBSD Upgrade/Recovery System
1. On the same "Boot Profiles" tab, go to the section "Boot a live CD" and select "NetBSD/i386 Upgrade/Recovery System" (32-bit) or "NetBSD/amd64 Upgrade/Recovery System" (64-bit)
2. Press "Save boot change".
3. Reboot your V-Colo again
4. After a few minutes, log into your V-Colo's console again.
5. Log in as "root". If you successfully booted the Upgrade/Recovery system, it will not ask you for a password.
Perform the upgrade
Please see our step-by-step instructions
Switch back to normal boot
1. On the "Boot Profiles" tab in the management interface, go to the section "Boot a live CD" and select "Normal Boot".
2. Press "Save boot change".
3. Reboot your V-Colo again

Your V-Colo should now be running NetBSD 9.4.