Various FreeBSD configuration notes

• sysctl

sysctl is a cmd-line utility. sysctl -a shows lots of system configuration variables.
To change a setting eg:
sysctl net.inet.ip.fw.verbose=1
sysctl net.inet.ip.forwarding=1

• Targets for building ports:

make reinstall
make deinstall
make package

• FreeBSD puts some startup scripts in /usr/local/etc/rc.d
• FreeBSD 4.10 can run Linux Java 1.4.2 but not 1.5.

Nothing special is needed beyond installing/enabling Linux emulation (linux_base) and setting PATH. Just run the .bin files (which are shell scripts) and they will extract their contents in the CWD as would be done on Linux. The native FreeBSD "Diablo" Java 1.3 from the FreeBSD Foundation works also.

• domain name

Don't use "domainname mydomainname" as that sets the obsolete NIS/yellowpage domainname. Rather, use a DNS domainname which is assigned at /etc/resolv.conf and by the hostname command.

• To change your shell, run chpass.
• Startup commands:

Custom commands to run on startup should be written in /etc/rc.local but not /etc/rc.conf. /etc/rc.local is supposed to source /etc/rc.conf. See man rc.

• This will allow emacs to work as expected in text mode:

kbdcontrol -l /root/misc/us.emacs.kbd

However, two caveats is that sometimes it won't work as expected unless NumLock is pressed or release (not sure which). Worse, it causes emacs on X to not work as expected.

• To restore default keymap:

kbdcontrol -l /root/misc/us.iso.kbd
kbdcontrol -l /root/misc/us.unix.kbd   # alternative

• Inability to rlogin into FreeBSD:

Solution is to uncomment the lines with "rlogind" in /etc/inet.conf. By default, the lines are commented-out, so rlogind is never called when another host tries to rlogin in.