Introduction

In this case, I have to update from 14.1 to 14.3 before pushing my datasets

Upgrading FreeBSD from 14.1 to 14.3

Before I Start

I make sure I have console or out-of-band access to the machine, just in case something goes wrong during the reboot. A snapshot or backup is also strongly recommended if this is a production system.

Step 1 — Patch My Current 14.1 Installation First

Before jumping to 14.3, I bring my existing 14.1 system fully up to date with all available security and errata patches. This ensures I am starting from a clean, known-good state.

freebsd-update fetch && freebsd-update install

Step 2 — Upgrade to 14.3-RELEASE

Once 14.1 is fully patched, I trigger the minor version upgrade. This command downloads all the necessary files to move to 14.3.

freebsd-update upgrade -r 14.3-RELEASE

The tool will present a list of configuration file changes and ask me to review any merges. I take my time here — it is important to not blindly overwrite customised files like /etc/rc.conf or /etc/ssh/sshd_config.

Step 3 — Apply the First Round of Changes

Once the download and merge review is complete, I run the install command a first time. This installs the new kernel onto the system, while leaving the userland at 14.1 for now.

freebsd-update install

Step 4 — Reboot Into the New Kernel

I reboot the machine so it comes up running the 14.3 kernel. The userland is still 14.1 at this point — that is expected and normal.

shutdown -r now

Step 5 — Install the New Userland

After the reboot, I run freebsd-update install a second time. This second invocation is not a mistake — it is a required step that upgrades the userland (libraries, base utilities, etc.) now that the new kernel is running.

freebsd-update install

At this point my system is fully running FreeBSD 14.3. I verify with:

freebsd-version -ku

Both the kernel and userland should now report 14.3-RELEASE.

Step 6 — Upgrade All Installed Packages

The final step is to update my package database and upgrade all installed packages to their 14.3 builds. This eliminates any version mismatch warnings I may have seen before (such as packages built for 14.3 being refused on a 14.1 system).

pkg update && pkg upgrade

I review the list of packages to be upgraded, confirm, and let it complete. Once done, my entire system — base and packages — is aligned on 14.3.

Summary

The key points I must remember: always patch my current release before upgrading, run freebsd-update install twice (once before the reboot for the kernel, once after for the userland), and finish by upgrading my packages. The two-pass install is the step I must not forget — skipping it leaves me with a mismatched kernel and userland.