[NMLUG] OpenBSD installed.....now what???

[lpotts at swcp.com (Leila Potts)]

I don't have a lot of experience with OpenBSD, but I do with FreeBSD and
from what I know, OpenBSD's ports work the same way.

There are actually two different methods of installing software:
packages and ports.  A packages is pre-compiled software, downloaded
from the repository and installed immediately.  I don't have much
familiarity with apt, but I'm pretty sure this is how apt works.

When you install software via it's port, you're having your machine
download the source, apply whatever patches it may have, compile, and
then install.  With small applications this only takes a few minutes,
but when you're talking about large ones, your machine could be busy
compiling all day.  When you use a package, you don't have this problem
because everything is pre-compiled.

The ports and packages systems work together.  You can upgrade a package
with a port, and vice versa.  The central database that keeps track of
what's installed works for both; in fact it doesn't know or care how the
software was installed.  This integration is very nice because you'll
find some software in the ports tree that's not available as a package.
Since the database treats everything the same, all dependencies can be
resolved via packages if you're short on time.

The advantage of packages, of course, is that it's precompiled so all
you're looking at is the download and install time.  The disadvantage is
that you have no control over how it was compiled.  Usually it's
optimized pretty well, but if there's specific compile-time parameters
you need, using the port is the way to go.

According to the OpenBSD website, the ports tree should be located in
/usr/ports.  Then just navigate to the software you want and do a "make
install".  When it's done, it's done.  To install a package, you can use
the pkg_add command (see the man page for usage).  If you supply it the
name of a package, it will fetch it from the FTP site and install it for
you.  You can browse packages on ftp.openbsd.org.  Perhaps there's also
web version I don't know about.

The ports/packages collection is explained much better here:
http://www.openbsd.org/ports.html

I've never used apt so I can't compare this system to it, but I will say
that I find the BSD method to be vastly superior to the other Linux
package management systems I've tried (mostly RPM and Slackware's
packages). Hope this helps.  

Leila

-----Original Message-----
From: nmlug-bounces@nmlug.org [mailto:nmlug-bounces@nmlug.org] On Behalf
Of Tim Emerick
Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2004 5:29 PM
To: nmlug nmlug; nmglug@nmglug.org
Subject: [NMLUG] OpenBSD installed.....now what???

I recently installed OpenBSD on my antique SparcStation5 (apparently
there is
a problem with my version of the sparcstation and linux).  I've heard of
the
ports application which is similar to debian's apt-get.

OK, how do I get the ports application installed and running?  I keep
running
into brick walls on how to even get the thing installed.  With the
debian
apt-get I just browse http://packages.debian.org and find a package I
might
be interested in.  Then a simple apt-get install package installs
everything
for me.  How does ports work?

What I have now is just the plain vanilla net-installed sparc OpenBSD
(whatever the latest version is).  No X-windows.  Nothing beyond
vanilla.

Any pointers, help, urls would be appreciated.

Thanks much.

Tim


		
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