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Old 21st August 2012
daemonfowl daemonfowl is offline
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Default doing without X .. what files to safely remove ?

Hi !

I've installed OpenBSD with X but now decided not to use X on the box ..
To ensure a clean system what files could I safely remove ? and what additional settings should I perform ?

Thank you very much !
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Old 21st August 2012
ocicat ocicat is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daemonfowl View Post
To ensure a clean system what files could I safely remove ? and what additional settings should I perform ?
So daemonfowl, let me answer your question with another:

How would you find what exists in the x* filesets?
  • xbase51.tgz
  • xetc51.tgz
  • xfont51.tgz
  • xserv51.tgz
  • xshare51.tgz
...& before you start deleting files, remember that a good sysadmin backs up the entire system before removing large parts of the filesystem.

As a bonus, where is the aperature set?

Last edited by ocicat; 21st August 2012 at 07:00 AM.
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Old 21st August 2012
daemonfowl daemonfowl is offline
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Thank you Ocicat !
Call me stupid or whatever .. I don't know how to answer question1.
should backup cover only /etc (and personal data) or something else elsewhere /etc ?
The aperture was set in /etc/sysctl.conf to 1 .. then I'd change it to 0.
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Old 21st August 2012
ocicat ocicat is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daemonfowl View Post
I don't know how to answer question1.
What does Section 4.1 of the FAQ say?
Quote:
should backup cover only /etc (and personal data) or something else elsewhere /etc ?
Does the following quote help answer this question?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ocicat
remember that a good sysadmin backs up the entire system before removing large parts of the filesystem.
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Old 21st August 2012
daemonfowl daemonfowl is offline
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Thanks !
Section 4.1 doesn't seem to inform about .. if untarring x* sets is what you mean , that's not what I was expecting .. I asked about those x* related files that are now useless on an X-less box.
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Old 21st August 2012
daemonfowl daemonfowl is offline
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Quote:
The etc51.tgz and xetc51.tgz sets are not installed as part of an upgrade, only as part of a complete install, so any customizations you make will not be lost
is it a guarrantee that removing /etc/fonts & /etcX11 for instance won't bring issues ?
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Old 21st August 2012
ocicat ocicat is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daemonfowl View Post
Section 4.1 doesn't seem to inform about .. if untarring x* sets is what you mean , that's not what I was expecting .. I asked about those x* related files that are now useless on an X-less box.
So daemonfowl, what's the difference between a system installed with X, & one without in terms of the filesets?
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Old 21st August 2012
ocicat ocicat is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daemonfowl View Post
is it a guarrantee that removing /etc/fonts & /etcX11 for instance won't bring issues ?
This is why you want to do a full back-up of your system before embarking on such an escapade.
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Old 21st August 2012
daemonfowl daemonfowl is offline
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Answering this doesn't mean that all X-related files should go -or stay- only to/within /etc/X11 /etc/X11R6 /etc/fonts ........ hence my question about what to remove exactly without risking a lame OS.
or am I imagining things only ? and that OpenBSD is clean enough to never allow this ? that is : remove /etc/X11R6 & /etc/fonts & /etc/X11 .... et voila

My purpose : changing an OpenBSD-as-a-workstation box to an OpenBSD-as-a-server box .. result : a clean OS without the X sec-risks :-)

Last edited by daemonfowl; 21st August 2012 at 07:05 PM.
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Old 21st August 2012
ocicat ocicat is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daemonfowl View Post
Answering this doesn't mean that all X-related files should go -or stay- only to/within /etc/X11 /etc/X11R6 /etc/fonts ........
You seem to be focusing on these specific directories. You have not demonstrated why. The files installed from the x* filesets are the definitive lists of what files are required by X. I have a suspicion that you have not looked at the tar(1) manpage in order to find out how to list files within a tarfile.
Quote:
what to remove exactly without risking a lame OS.
Of course you can delete too much. Again for third time, this is why you want to do a full backup of your system before gutting the filesystem.

So daemonfowl, how are you backing up your system?
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Old 21st August 2012
daemonfowl daemonfowl is offline
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I'm sorry if I'm too dumb to articulate a point .. I didn't miss tar man .. but wondered whether a particular x set was gonna reach after install to where non x sets dwell .. then no way removing the former without messing the latter .. so I asked as a beginner what particular x files/folders to remove *after install* .. not what a particular x set contains
Quote:
So daemonfowl, how are you backing up your system?
frankly : I never backed up anything but /etc and bsd .
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Old 21st August 2012
ocicat ocicat is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daemonfowl View Post
...I asked as a beginner what particular x files/folders to remove *after install* .. not what a particular x set contains
If you think about it, they are one & the same. What is being installed is what you want to remove.
Quote:
frankly : I never backed up anything but /etc and bsd .
I have suspected this for a long time. You don't have any idea how much time you have been spent dodging this issue. You really need to study the dump(8) & restore(8) manpages. There some in the FAQ too.
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Old 21st August 2012
daemonfowl daemonfowl is offline
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O Daemonforums members , come testify :
Sir ocicat is hijacking MY thread .. it talks X to Xless .. he talks backup

Tit 4 Tat my friend .. :-)
Actually I need to reread those manpages.
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Old 21st August 2012
ocicat ocicat is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daemonfowl View Post
Sir ocicat is hijacking MY thread ..
In a sense daemonfowl, I am changing the subject, but the point is very fundamental given that you are taking a suboptimal risky approach to a task which may very well lose important data.

You are pleading for precise information which will guarantee that you will not lose anything important if you decide to rip out a good portion of an existing filesystem. Most will agree that there is risk involved with your venture, & there are no guarantees. I don't know your system. You may not either, but if you want a guarantee, you will back-up everything before starting.

That, my friend, is not hijacking. That is covering the fundamental issues which need to be addressed upfront.
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Old 21st August 2012
daemonfowl daemonfowl is offline
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Thanks .. I agree with you , Anaxagoras
:-)
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Old 21st August 2012
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jggimi jggimi is offline
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daemonfowl:
  1. Many of your installed packages may require X libraries. There are a lot of applications that do not display graphically but still use them. Even if a system does not run X services, the xbase fileset may be needed to support installed applications.
  2. When you disable machdep.aperture, you disable X display on the local machine. But if you keep the X software installed, you could run X applications over your network, should you wish to. I'll bet this is something you were not aware was possible.
  3. If you remove X, what space have you actually saved? For what purpose? You told me you are using automatic partitioning on all your systems.
  4. I think you have still not figured out that the tar(1) program can do more than unpack or create an archive. Here's my only hint: there might be output from tar(1) that could be used with another program to remove unwanted files.
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Old 21st August 2012
daemonfowl daemonfowl is offline
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Thanks jggimi , for the useful clarifications !!
I no longer autopartition.I create my own slices .. as for graphic applications I'm doing without them on this anti-GUI box that I wish to set as web/ftp server for practice' sake not because I wanna save space.I don't know how to make point4 useful for my case.
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Old 22nd August 2012
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daemonfowl View Post
...for practice' sake...
Then you may just disable the sysctl and ignore the software. Once you have actually learned how to back up and restore an entire system (something I've recommended to you for many months), you can then make any "practice" software removals you want, make mistakes, restore, and try something else.
Quote:
I don't know how to make point4 useful for my case.
I'm not going to hint any further. Your goal of removing X software is beyond your current capabilities.
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