Upgrading NetBSD from 11.0 to 11.1

Last edited on 2026-11-05 • Tagged under #netbsd #bsd

I successfully upgraded my NetBSD amd64 system (with one hiccup, detailed below) from 11.0 to 11.1:

$ uname -v
NetBSD 11.1 (GENERIC) #0: Mon Nov  2 16:34:32 UTC 2026  mkrepro@mkrepro.NetBSD.org:/usr/src/sys/arch/amd64/compile/GENERIC

This was my first time upgrading NetBSD and I’m happy with how it all turned out!

NetBSD’s Guide describes two different methods for performing an upgrade: boot from NetBSD install media and use sysinst(8), or use the sysupgrade(8) to do an in-place upgrade of the system that downloads and installs the kernel and necessary package sets, then guides the admin to review and merge new configuration changes. With a bit of research, I get the sense that for major version changes (i.e 10.1 -> 11.1) sysinst is the preferred method, while sysupgrade is a convenient alternative for minor version bumps.

So sysupgrade it is. First, I install the package:

# pkgin update
# pkgin install sysupgrade

Then simply run:

# sysupgrade auto https://cdn.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD/NetBSD-11.1/$(uname -m)/

This will proceed to download the kernel and sets appropriate for your machine, unpack them, then prompt you to review and merge new configuration changes. There were only a few files that needed hands-on editing like passwd and sshd_config and I liked how NetBSD shows the diffs between the old and new files and its handling of merging differences.

I had one postinstall check that failed:

# postinstall checks failed: opensslcertsrehash

I resolved the issue by wiping the legacy cache, then letting certctl(8) take over by rehasing the certs:

# rm -rf /etc/openssl/certs/*
# certctl rehash

Verify certctl successfully populated the directory:

# certctl list

I manually re-run postinstall fix [issue] and confirm that it now passes inspection (which it did):

# sysupgrade postinstall fix opensslcertsrehash
# sysupgrade clean

Reboot the computer and start enjoying the upgrade!

NOTE
In addition, edit /usr/pkg/etc/pkgin/repositories.conf and point pkgin to the new 11.1 repositories.

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