The 2.4 release looks to be about a week and a half away; if you’re a committer, please plan to make drastic changes after the release, if possible,
Category: Heads Up!
08/30/2009
Update libtiff if it’s 3.9.0
The libtiff package has been found to write out incorrect TIFF files in version 3.9.0. If that’s what is installed on your system, please update now.
08/24/2009
GCC 3.4, kerberos 5 removed from base
Simon ‘corecode’ Schubert has removed GCC 3.4 and Kerberos 5/Heimdal from the base system. Kerberos hasn’t been building as part of base for a while, and is available in pkgsrc. It was also the last item that requires GCC 3.4, so buildworlds are little quicker now. (Cross your fingers that GCC 4.2 the current version doesn’t break somehow.)
08/12/2009
GCC 4.4. and NO_GCC44
As Hasso Tepper pointed out, having GCC 4.4 in DragonFly is unique to DragonFly. Systems like pkgsrc don’t work due to the changes in headers and etc. between gcc 4.2 and 4.4, and since no other BSD uses gcc 4.4, the fixes would all have to come from DragonFly (and be backward compatible). This is unlikely to change in the near term, since this newer version of gcc is being refused due to the V3 GNU Public License, not a technical issue. It’ll stay in DragonFly for now.
However, you can specifically exclude it and speed up buildworlds with the new NO_GCC44 option. It’s also possible to use NO_GCC34 in make.conf to keep the old version of gcc from building, for those who don’t like to wait.
08/06/2009
DevFS and vinum do not get along
DevFS breaks vinum. Will it be fixed? Yes, hopefully very soon.
08/04/2009
DevFS arrives
DevFS has been added. There’s some issues, each with a workaround. Please test, as it’s certain that a major change like this will cause new problems around video and sound. Once those are fixed, however, device management will be a lot easier.
07/30/2009
DevFS this weekend
The DevFS Summer of Code project is going into DragonFly this weekend; be ready for surprises if you update. It’s not complete yet; there’s a few more weeks for Summer of Code, but there’s other work that this code will enable.
07/19/2009
PCI_MAP_FIXUP removed
The kernel option PCI_MAP_FIXUP has been removed as of July 11th; if you’re upgrading past that point, make sure to remove that option.
07/13/2009
MPSAFE work requires rebuilds
There’s going to be a lot of kernel structure changes this week, as Matthew Dillon works on making more system parts multiprocessor-safe. Rebuild everything including your kernel, if you’re running bleeding edge DragonFly.
05/30/2009
Subversion update
Subversion isn’t being used for DragonFly, but it is available via pkgsrc. If you’re one of the people using it, the pkgsrc version has been updated to 1.6.2 which may have some upgrading issues.
05/27/2009
2 separate bugs: threading, Xorg
Hasso Tepper has a “BIG FAT WARNING” about two new issues: threaded programs are broken on bleeding-edge DragonFly because of a possible GCC bug that was only recently exposed, and Xorg in pkgsrc has issues with the Intel driver.
Simon ‘corecode’ Schubert already has one change in that may fix the issue with threaded programs, and is working on the Intel driver issue.
Update: more threading changes.
05/11/2009
Extra rebuild needed
If you’re running bleeding-edge DragonFly, you’ll need to rebuild world and kernel after this recent change to interrupt counting from Sepherosa Ziehau.
05/04/2009
2.2.2 very soon
Yonetani Tomokazu discovered a permissions problem under Hammer, so Matthew Dillon made a number of commits to fix this and other issues. An update for 2.2 will get them for you, and DragonFly 2.2.2 will be put together very soon so that there’s a release image with these fixed.
04/07/2009
Major libc changes
Peter Avalos has made major changes to DragonFly’s libc; you can look at the commits page or check out his git repo for details. If you are running 2.3, you will need to do a full buildworld on your next update.
You may also need to rebuild pkgsrc packages; I’m build a new binary set for 2.3 now.
04/06/2009
A Summer of Code reminder: subscribe
If you’re a student with a Summer of Code application, make sure to subscribe to it. Doing this will ensure you are automatically notified of any mentor requests for more information.
There’s also some recent stats published by Google on the applications so far; DragonFly is one of the surveyed orgs it mentions, and the results are the same – less applications, better quality.
04/01/2009
GSoC: Applications almost due
If you’re a potential student for Google’s Summer of Code, please get your application in ASAP. All student applications are due by 19:00 UTC April 3rd. You can revise a submitted application, even after the April 3rd cutoff, but it has to be in.
03/23/2009
Summer of Code: students apply now
If you’re a student, you have from now until the 3rd of April to apply for a Summer of Code slot.
03/18/2009
Summer of Code 2009: we’re in!
DragonFly BSD is a participating organization in Google’s Summer of Code 2009. (See the lists of participating organizations at the Google site.)
I have an announcement message with more details on the mailing lists; the next important date is the 23rd, when students can apply. If you’re a student, start putting your proposal together and talking with others. If you can mentor, sign yourself up on the Google site and request a mentoring spot.
03/10/2009
Less BGL in the network
Big news: Sepherosa Ziehau has managed to remove the Big Giant Lock from the ip and bridge forwarding path. This includes ipfw, though not yet pf. It is in fact possible to make the whole TCP/UDP code path BGL-free. Sepeherosa helpfully posted some benchmarks to show just how significant the improvements can be.
03/08/2009
Old wiki is now read-only
wiki.dragonflybsd.org has been set to be read-only, since the content has been moved to www.dragonflybsd.org. The site hasn’t been turned off yet, because I may have missed something in the move…
03/04/2009
iwi(4) update
The iwi(4) firmware has been updated, and there’s an announcement that tells you where to find it.
03/03/2009
Note SoC interest now!
If you are interested in the Google Summer of Code project, as a student, a mentor, or just want to suggest a project, write that down:
http://www.dragonflybsd.org/gsoc2009/
The application period starts for DragonFly (for the organization, not students) in a week, and it’ll help to see who wants to get in on the action.
03/02/2009
Attention source mirrors
Simon ‘corecode’ Schubert has some tips on how to mirror the git repo for DragonFly more exactly; there’s an additional command that can clean up spurious branches.
02/26/2009
em(4) updated; adds a module
Sepherosa Ziehau has updated em(4) to version 6.9.6, with some interesting improvements. It does possible require loading a module now. He also has more patches to test.
02/14/2009
telnetd vulnerability fixed
A vulnerability in telnetd code common to FreeBSD and DragonFly was just discovered; it’s been fixed in DragonFly using code from NetBSD in 1995, strangely enough. (via #dragonflybsd on EFNet)
02/03/2009
Feature Freeze is here
As Simon ‘corecode’ Schubert notes, DragonFly is now in a ‘Feature Freeze’ for two weeks. Please work on bug fixes in the intervening timeframe, and push them to the ‘master’ branch. Changes for the release will be pushed to the 2.2 release branch. Matthew Dillon has more details.
12/28/2008
DHCP changes
The ISC DHCP package in pkgsrc is changing as it moves from 4.0 to 4.1; the package names will be different, as will the rc flags. Keep an eye out for this if you use it for your internal network. (This may affect our install CD, too.)
12/02/2008
Size change means buildworld
Simon ‘corecode’ Schubert warns that a recent change in the size of struct thread is going to require a buildworld; this only affects people running DragonFly 2.1.
11/12/2008
Matthew Dillon noticed that it is possible to have files on a Hammer volume marked ‘nohistory’ even when the volume they are on is retaining history details. He’s fixed the cause, and it will be in 2.0.1 soon. Check for this if you have a Hammer-based /usr/obj.
09/29/2008
2.0.1 is out
Somehow I missed this commit, but DragonFly 2.0.1 is out, with many changes to Hammer and other miscellaneous updates.
09/14/2008
2.0.1 this Wednesday
DragonFly 2.0.1 is going to be rolled this Wednesday, so if there’s anything you need in there, speak up.
09/01/2008
HEADS UP: the kernel moved
As Matthew Dillon writes in a post to kernel@: “The kernel & modules are now being installed in /boot/kernel and /boot/modules instead of /kernel and /modules.”
This means do a full buildworld and installworld if you are using bleeding edge code; this is to clean up the correct files.
HEADS UP: intr_mpsafe is enabled
Sepherosa Ziehau has enabled intr_mpsafe for bleeding edge code; see his warning if this causes issues for you. Another step closer to removing the big lock from networking…
07/21/2008
2.0 released
Read and go! Please use a mirror if possible. If you’re feeling torrentish, Christian Sturm has a BitTorrent link.
07/20/2008
Release slightly delayed for mirrors
Do you run a mirror? Make sure you’re downloading the 2.0 release ISO. The release won’t officially happen until there’s enough ISOs floating around for people to actually reach it.
07/18/2008
Last chance for commits
If you want to commit something for 2.0, do it now!
If you are so inclined, test 2.0 building with a ‘cd /usr/src/nrelease; make installer release‘
07/16/2008
Happy 5th birthday, DragonFly
It’s been 5 years since Matthew Dillon announced DragonFly. Happy 5th birthday, us!
07/14/2008
2.0 is branched – one week countdown!
2.0 is going to be released on the 20th. If you’re committing, make sure to put it both in the 2.0 and 2.1 branches, please. And get it in quickly! If you’ve contributed changes to this release, please get them listed in the 2.0 release document that Matthias Schmidt has been conscientiously updating.
07/13/2008
2.0 on 20
The 2.0 release of DragonFly will be on the 20th of this month. I’ll be working on a new set of pkgsrc packages to match.
07/07/2008
MPLS support added
Nuno Antunes has added experimental MPLS over Ethernet support. Note that this will require a complete rebuild if you are running bleeding-edge code.
06/07/2008
HAMMER speedup and a warning
A recent commit from Matthew Dillon improves HAMMER’s write performance, but introduces some potential stability problems. They should be solved in the next few days.
06/01/2008
New calls require rebuild
Matthew Dillon’s new statvfs() calls in the kernel require a full build/install process for world and kernel, if you are running bleeding edge code.
04/22/2008
DragonFly 1.12.2 is out
The 1.12.2 release is out; check the download page and the errata page for details on the changes that went into this minor release.
04/06/2008
Fairq finds futher features
Matthew Dillon had another patch for his fairq code, adding changed prompted by Max Laier’s suggestion of WFQ, along with other ideas. There is one outstanding issue, however. The code causes an ABI change, so take extra steps if you aren’t doing a full buildworld/buildkernel.
03/25/2008
dragonflybsd.org network hiccups
The upstream network provider for dragonflybsd.org is going through some changes, so there may be occasional downtime for some weeks.
03/17/2008
Google Summer of Code – we’re in!
I’ll link to my mailing list post about it, as I’ve already summarized there. Student signup is the 24-31st of March, so start getting it together if you want to be involved as a student or mentor!
p.s. Yay!
03/08/2008
Full buildworld/buildkernel needed
HEAD users will need to do a full buildworld/buildkernel because of Sepherosa Ziehau’s recent changes to ifnet.
03/04/2008
12.1 on the way
Matthew Dillon is going to roll release 12.1 very soon, due to the discovery and fix of a Sendmail bug that can cause segfaults.
02/23/2008
1.12 release Monday
1.12 is being released Monday the 25th – test now! If something drastic comes up, Wednesday is the backup date.
02/18/2008
Sendmail bug found
Matthew Dillon found a memory corruption bug in sendmail; it is patched in the 1.12 release branch and in HEAD.
02/04/2008
2.0 release dated
2.0 will be branched on the 9th and released on the 23rd of this month. If you have something you want in that release, hurry! HAMMER will be included in an alpha state.
12/14/2007
Floating point error and fix
Joerg Anslik found a strange error that turns out to have been a problem in handling floating point states; it’s fixed, but you will need to recompile kernel and libc_r if you are running bleeding edge code.
11/15/2007
Preview slipped forward
Simonm ‘corecode’ Schubert has slipped the Preview tag; those of you running 1.11-preview can update and get all recent changes.
11/02/2007
Struct vattr changes coming up
Matthew Dillon warns of struct vattr changes being done to support his new filesystem, HAMMER. This may cause problems in userland, though of course this can only affect you if you are running the bleeding edge of code.
08/27/2007
DragonFly BSD Linux 1.2
Apparently Softpedia thinks DragonFly is up to version 1.2 and is yet another Linux distribution. Plus, their DragonFly article would be an exact copy of the DragonFly website’s main page text, if it wasn’t for the errors they added. (via Sascha Wildner)
08/21/2007
Deadlock in msdosfs code
Matthew Dillon found a problem in DragonFly with msdosfs mounts. He’s fixing it momentarily.
This is only a problem if you are running the very latest version of 1.11.
08/16/2007
Switching IPFW1 to IPFW2
Sepherosa Ziehau is switching DragonFly from IPFW1 to IPFW2, which has the same rule syntax. Gergo Szakal helpfully pointed out that the differences between the two versions are listed in the IPFW man page under “IPFW2 ENHANCEMENTS”.
SMP virtual kernel changes
A bug in SMP virtual kernels has been fixed; the side effect is that if you are running bleeding edge code, you will need to recompile any SMP vkernels you are using.
08/06/2007
1.10 released
1.10 has been released; check the page describing the release and then please use a mirror when downloading the ISO or updating your sources. The release page also has a list of the many changes in this version. Check the errata, as there’s a few small issues that remain within the installer.
06/18/2007
Heads up twice on disklabel
Two warnings: the compatibility slice is changing, and disklabel is going through extensive changes. If you run bleeding-edge code, you will want to do a full rebuild.
05/19/2007
More disklabel work
Matthew Dillon has done some careful reworking of the disklabel system; it will require a full make buildworld and etc. process if you are running bleeding edge code and want to upgrade. Be careful!
Incidentally, this makes a dynamic /dev possible, for anyone wanting to put it together.  Again, be careful!
05/15/2007
Heads up: disklabel work
Since Matthew Dillon’s working on the disklabel code, be careful if you’re running bleeding edge code in the next few days. Disklabel errors eat data.
05/09/2007
IPv6 routing bug: Update now
If you have a DragonFly system, you should update it now. (Point releases have been rolled for 1.8, 1.6, and even 1.4) Non-DragonFly systems should also be updated, if available.
05/08/2007
Mirroring changes
If you are mirroring Joerg Sonnenberger’s pkgsrc binary archive from its old location at packages.stura.uni-rostock.de, it’s time to switch. He has a new site, and until his bandwidth has stabilized, it’s best to mirror from Simon ‘corecode’ Schubert’s site at chlamydia.fs.ei.tum.de.
03/27/2007
DragonFly 1.8.1 released
The title says it all – visit the download page for 1.8 to get it. Most every mirror appears to have it right now – not just the ones on the 1.8 page.
Note that some sites have an early version of the 1.8.1 release that lacks the installer; that image is ‘dfly-1.8.1.iso.gz’. Instead, be sure to download ‘dfly-1.8.1_REL.iso.gz’, which should be the newer file of the two.
03/26/2007
HEAD users update
Sepherosa Ziehau warned bleeding-edge users that recent network interface changes will require a rebuild of both kernel and world when next updating. This does not apply to 1.8 users.
03/21/2007
1.8.1 soon
DragonFly 1.8.1 will be released this weekend, so if you have something that you need added, speak up! This release will include the rtld fixes that enable parts of KDE to work again, among other things.
03/11/2007
Updating for daylight savings time
You may need to copy in a new /etc/localtime file to account for daylight savings time changes in the U.S. and Canada, especially if you have an older system; Matthew Dillon explains.
03/06/2007
dragonflybsd.org upgrades
www.dragonflybsd.org and leaf.dragonflybsd.org are getting upgraded to 1.8; this may mean some intermittent downtime over the next week.
02/26/2007
DST changes, maybe
If you are running a DragonFly system older than version 1.6, and you are in North America using something other than UTC time, you will need to manually update your tzinfo files to reflect the changed (in 2005, taking effect this year) Daylight Savings Time start and stop dates. If you are on UTC or are running 1.6+, you are fine.
01/30/2007
DragonFly 1.8 released
Version 1.8 has been released! See the release announcement, or proceed directly to the download page (and errata).
Updated: mentioned on BSDNews, Reddit, and Digg. Download also available as a Metalink. (Description at metalinker.org)
01/19/2007
Kernel config changes and branching soon
Matthew Dillon reports changes to the kernel configuration file are needed now. Also, if you are running bleeding-edge code, a full buildworld/buildkernel is required on the next upgrade.
Branching for 1.8 will happen very soon; as soon as ACPI is ready. The release date has not slipped.
01/18/2007
CVS surgery happening
Matthew Dillon is doing CVS surgery tonight to revert the architecture name changes; if you are using bleeding-edge code, don’t update it until tomorrow.
01/15/2007
File reorganization again
Simon ‘corecode’ Schubert had some trouble with the changed src layout while working on gcc 4.1. Matthew Dillon is changing it back, Wednesday. (So no commits on Wednesday, please.) This naming issue is apparently not new.
01/08/2007
I/O calls renamed
Matthew Dillon is renaming some I/O calls. It shouldn’t cause major problems, but as always, make sure to do a complete buildworld/buildkernel when next upgrading your bleeding-edge system.
01/07/2007
Trapframe changes
Matthew Dillon is making trapframe changes – it will require a complete buildworld if you are following bleeding edge code. Read his post for more details.
01/06/2007
TLS call rename
TLS system calls are being renamed by Matthew Dillon. If you’re running HEAD (bleeding edge code), this will require both a kernel and world rebuild on your next update.
12/28/2006
Preview update and kernel cleanup
Matthew Dillon is performing some significant cleanup of the kernel startup/VM code, so watch out if you are using the bleeding edge code. He synced Preview before starting, so Preview users can move to the code version just before this (potentially) destabilizing code.
