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	Title: OpenBSD -current - Frequently Asked Questions
	Author: Solène
	Date: 27 March 2020
	Tags: openbsd
	Description:

	Hello, as there are so many questions about OpenBSD -current on IRC,
	Mastodon
	or reddit I'm writing this FAQ in hope it will help people.

	The official FAQ already contains answers about -current like
	[Following
	-current and using snapshots](https://www.openbsd.org/faq/current.html)
	and
	[Building the system from
	sources](https://www.openbsd.org/faq/faq5.html#Flavors).


	## What is OpenBSD -current?

	OpenBSD -current is the development version of OpenBSD. Lot of people
	use it
	for everyday tasks.


	## How to install OpenBSD -current?

	OpenBSD -current refers to the last version built from sources obtained
	with
	CVS, however, it's also possible to get a pre-built system (a snapshot)
	usually
	built and pushed on mirrors every 1 or 2 days.

	You can install OpenBSD -current by getting an installation media like
	usual,
	but on the path /pub/OpenBSD/snapshots/ on the mirror.


	## How do I upgrade from -release to -current?

	There are two ways to do so:

	1. Download bsd.rd file from the snapshots directory and boot it to
	upgrade
	like for a -release to -release upgrade
	2. Run `sysupgrade -s` command as root, this will basically download
	all sets
	under `/home/_sysupgrade` and boot on bsd.rd with an
	`autoinstall(8)`
	config.


	## How do I upgrade my -current snapshot to a newer snapshot?

	Exactly the same process as going from -release to -current.


	## Can I downgrade to a -release if I switch to -current?

	No.


	## What issues can I expect in OpenBSD -current?

	There are a few issues possibles that one can expect


	### Out of sync packages

	If a library get updated into the base system and you want to update
	packages,
	they won't be installable until packages are rebuilt with that new
	library,
	this usually takes 1 up to 3 days.

	**This only create issues in case you want to install a package you
	don't have.**

	The other way around, you can have an old snapshot and packages are not
	installable because the libraries linked to by the packages are newer
	than what
	is available in your system, in this case you have to upgrade snapshot.
	### Snapshots sets are getting updated on the mirror

	If you download the sets on the mirror to update your -current version,
	you may
	have an issue with the sha256 sum, this is because the mirror is
	getting
	updated and the sha256 file is the first to be transferred, so sets you
	are
	downloading are not the one the sha256 will compare.


	### Unexpected system breakage

	Sometimes, very rarely (maybe 2 or 3 time in a year?), some snapshots
	are
	borked and will prevent system to boot or lead to regularly crashes. In
	that
	case, it's important to report the issue with the `sendbug` utility.

	You can fix this by using an older snapshot from [this archives
	server](http://ftp.hostserver.de/archive/) and prevent this to happen
	by
	reading bugs@ mailing list before updating.


	### Broken package

	Sometimes, a package update will break it or break some others
	packages, this
	is often quickly fixed on popular packages but in some niche packages
	you may
	be the only one using it on -current and the only one who can report
	about it.

	If you find breakage on something you use, it may be a good idea to
	report the
	problem on [email protected] mailing list if nobody did before. By
	doing so,
	the issue will be fixed and next -release users will be able to install
	a
	working package.


	## Is -current stable enough for a server or a workstation?

	It's really up to you. Developers are all using -current and are
	forbidden to
	break it, so the system should totally be usable for everyday use.

	What may be complicated on a server is keep updating it regularly and
	face
	issues requires troubleshooting (like major database upgrade which was
	missing
	a quirk).

	For a workstation I think it's pretty safe as long as you can deal with
	packages that can't be installed until they are in sync.