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ispell-3.1.20c_2 < needs updating (port has 3.2.04_1) jade-1.2.1_1 = up-to-date with port libtool-1.3.4_2 = up-to-date with port links-0.96pre7 < needs updating (port has 0.96,1) m4-1.4 = up-to-date with port mutt-1.2.5 = up-to-date with port rrdtool-1.0.33 = up-to-date with port sftp-0.9.6_1 = up-to-date with port sudo-1.6.3.7 < needs updating (port has 1.6.3.7_1) ucd-snmp-4.2.1 = up-to-date with port unzip-5.42 = up-to-date with port uulib-0.5.13 = up-to-date with port xsysinfo-1.4a = up-to-date with port zip-2.3 = up-to-date with port .................................................................................................... Reading down the list of comments next to each piece of software, it's easy to see that most of the software on this system is the latest version. But take a look at the entry for ispell-1.2.10. The message shows that the port is out of date, and at some point you might want to update that program. You need to decide on your own if the package is important enough for you to spend the time needed to upgrade it. Now, since I personally installed every piece of software on this system, I'm familiar with it, and I know how important everything is. I know that ispell is a spell-checker and that its importance in the grand scheme of Web serving is minimal at best. I'm not going to worry about it. On the other hand, the sudo-1.6.3.7 package is a security tool used to control user privileges; correct operation of this program is absolutely vital. If a newer version is available I must investigate and probably upgrade. The entry for cvsup-bin-16.1 with the message of "orphaned: net/cvsup-bin" tells us that there is no entry for this piece of software in /usr/ports/INDEX, and hence no port for this package. I installed this port from a package; no port is available. Automatically Checking Software Versions You can add an automated software-version check to your weekly status email. Just add the following line to /etc/periodic.conf: .................................................................................................... weekly_status_pkg_enable="NO" .................................................................................................... Create /etc/periodic.conf if you don't have one. For full details on /etc/periodic.conf, see Chapter 9. Hints for Upgrading Most of the software-maintenance process is based upon knowing what your server is supposed to do. If you are the only administrator of a machine, things are very simple. Once you start having multiple administrators, however, you'll find that keeping track of this information becomes very difficult. I cannot stress highly enough the importance of keeping a server log for every system on your network! Even a text file, /etc/changes, where you jot down things like "mwlucas, 5-15-01: Installed sftp for client bufar@absolutebsd.com" can save you hours of pain later as you try to figure 248

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