Sysupgrade 6.9 -> 7.0 and /etc/boot.conf 'set image'

[J65nko]

I had a disk with OpenBSD 6.9 (rather easy to slot in/out my HP Proliant server).

First I decided to do a clean new install with OpenBSD 7.1 using the 7.1 bsd.rd.
Usually I lose the race at the beginning of the boot to type a space so I can enter "bsd.rd":

Using drive 0, partition 3.
Loading......
probing: pc0 com0 com1 mem[638K 1918M a20=on]
disk: hd0+ hd1+
>> OpenBSD/amd64 BOOT 3.33
boot> bsd.rd

So I entered set image /bsd.rd in /etc/boot.conf to make sure that there was no race that I tend to lose.....

The automatic (disklabel) partitioning of 7.1 was not exactly the same as that of 6.9. Because I wanted to keep my /home partition by not specifying a mount point (that way that partition will not get "newfs'ed"), I aborted the install and decided to try an upgrade.
Before rebooting the system, I selected the shell prompt and used ed(1) to edit /etc/boot.conf and did a s/\.rd// to it read set image /bsd.
Then 2 days later I created an extra backup of my /home directory and went the sysupgrade(8) way.

And that did not work at all. After fetching the upgrade file sets, the system rebooted and I still ended up in 6.9. Tried again .Same result ......

I saw while booting something like "upgrade kernel detected, switching to bsd.upgrade". And then I understood why it is was not working.....
Because I still had set image /bsd in /etc/boot.conf and that overrode the selection of the bsd.upgrade file .......
It is logical that the boot process honors the /etc/boot.conf settings. For example in this file you also configure the serial console settings.

Lesson learned: when you want to do an automatic upgrade with sysupgrade(8) make sure you don't have a set image /bsd in /etc/boot.conf.

[jggimi]

Sorry you had trouble. By default, the bootloader will wait 5 seconds for any keyboard input. So your race is not to type in a complete bootloader command but to type any character at all, such as the space bar. After which, you would have time to type whatever command you want.

If you want to change the race interval, you can use "set timeout <seconds>".

Also, you can have the bootloader ignore any boot.conf(5) provisioning by holding down either Control key during the boot process.

[J65nko]

Originally Posted by J65nko

Usually I lose the race at the beginning of the boot to type a space so I can enter "bsd.rd"

I am familiar with the set timeout command. That is standard in my a SiteXX,tgz file set.But this system was installed without it.
The main problem is that booting the HP Proliant Server takes a rather long time, so I am tempted to do something different, like getting a drink, and then when I return it is too late .....
Additional problem is that OpenBSD console output goes to the installed PCI express nVidia Graphic card, while the X Window output only shows up at the built-in Matrox VGA. So I also have to remember to switch the VGA monitor cable when I want to do an install/upgrade.

Just now I managed to fix the VGA output in the HP BIOS by making the PCI-X card the primary video card. Now both console as well as X Window are using the nVidia PCI-X card. One headache solved ......