On Sat, Dec 07, 2002 at 11:03:22PM -0500, Steven M. Bellovin wrote:
  | In message <Pine.NEB.4.33.0212071955390.12035-100000@vespasia.home-net.internet
  | connect.net>, Bill Studenmund writes:
  | >Why not use build.sh to make a release? It will make the sets for you. And
  | >if you do an unpriv'd build, you need to do something to get the
  | >permissions right.
  | >
  | 
  | The problem is that installing a release from sets is an annoying 
  | process.  You have to zap all the things that a full installation 
  | needs but you already have (i.e., root's crontab), and take the usual 
  | care with /etc.  etcupdate is a big step forward, but I'm still not at 
  | all satisifed with the ease of upgrading.  (Note:  this isn't to say 
  | that tar-ing DESTDIR on top of the running system is easier -- it's the 
  | same set of problems.  But I wish there were an easier way to keep 
  | -current.)

So don't extract the etc.tgz set then.

I regularly upgrade my systems from "old -current" or "earlier release"
to "-current" or "head of release branch" by running an UNPRIVED
DESTDIR!=/ build, creating the sets, extracting all sets *except*
etc.tgz, and then running one of:

    a)	if sources are available:
		cd /usr/src
		./etc/postinstall -s `pwd` check
		./etc/postinstall -s `pwd` fix

    b)	if no sources available, but I have etc.tgz:
		mkdir /tmp/foo
		cd /tmp/foo
		pax -zrvpe -f /path/to/etc.tgz
		./etc/postinstall -s `pwd` check
		./etc/postinstall -s `pwd` fix
		cd /
		rm -rf /tmp/foo

This latter step handles all the "upgrade" issues for me of source
related stuff.   I don't use etcupdate, but I believe it can help with
some of the other "etc upgrade" related issues...