diff --git a/distrib/sets/lists/base/mi b/distrib/sets/lists/base/mi
index 2b73ed208827..052e6a444850 100644
--- a/distrib/sets/lists/base/mi
+++ b/distrib/sets/lists/base/mi
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# $NetBSD: mi,v 1.381 2003/02/18 20:35:28 jdolecek Exp $
+# $NetBSD: mi,v 1.382 2003/02/20 11:40:30 lukem Exp $
 .			base-sys-root
 ./altroot		base-sys-root
 ./bin			base-sys-root
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@
 ./etc/mail		base-sendmail-root
 ./etc/mtree		base-sys-root
 ./etc/namedb		base-bind-root
+./etc/obsolete		base-sys-root
 ./etc/openssl		base-crypto-root
 ./etc/openssl/certs	base-crypto-root
 ./etc/openssl/misc	base-crypto-root
diff --git a/distrib/sets/lists/etc/mi b/distrib/sets/lists/etc/mi
index d28fd074b629..fe7298d16042 100644
--- a/distrib/sets/lists/etc/mi
+++ b/distrib/sets/lists/etc/mi
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# $NetBSD: mi,v 1.113 2003/01/16 11:55:28 martti Exp $
+# $NetBSD: mi,v 1.114 2003/02/20 11:40:30 lukem Exp $
 ./.cshrc				etc-util-etc
 ./.profile				etc-util-etc
 ./dev/MAKEDEV				etc-sys-etc
@@ -54,6 +54,13 @@
 ./etc/newsyslog.conf			etc-sysutil-etc
 ./etc/nsswitch.conf			etc-net-etc
 ./etc/ntp.conf				etc-ntp-etc
+./etc/obsolete/base			etc-sys-etc
+./etc/obsolete/comp			etc-sys-etc
+./etc/obsolete/etc			etc-sys-etc
+./etc/obsolete/games			etc-sys-etc
+./etc/obsolete/man			etc-sys-etc
+./etc/obsolete/misc			etc-sys-etc
+./etc/obsolete/text			etc-sys-etc
 ./etc/passwd				etc-sys-etc
 ./etc/passwd.conf			etc-sys-etc
 ./etc/phones				etc-uucp-etc
diff --git a/distrib/sets/makeobsolete b/distrib/sets/makeobsolete
index d4bfe3c2ff17..3f8089997924 100755
--- a/distrib/sets/makeobsolete
+++ b/distrib/sets/makeobsolete
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 #
-# $NetBSD: makeobsolete,v 1.16 2002/11/26 06:22:23 lukem Exp $
+# $NetBSD: makeobsolete,v 1.17 2003/02/20 11:40:29 lukem Exp $
 #
 # Print out the obsolete files for a set
 # Usage: makeobsolete [-b] [-x] [-a arch] [-m machine] [-s setsdir] \
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ lists=$_lists
 unset _lists
 
 for setname in $lists; do
-	file=$target/${setname}_obsolete
+	file=$target/${setname}
 	(
 	if [ -f $setd/lists/$setname/obsolete.mi ]; then
 		awk -- '{print $1}' $setd/lists/$setname/obsolete.mi
diff --git a/etc/Makefile b/etc/Makefile
index 546fdd03c6e4..457579f1684e 100644
--- a/etc/Makefile
+++ b/etc/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#	$NetBSD: Makefile,v 1.245 2003/02/16 00:22:37 lukem Exp $
+#	$NetBSD: Makefile,v 1.246 2003/02/20 11:40:28 lukem Exp $
 #	from: @(#)Makefile	8.7 (Berkeley) 5/25/95
 
 # Environment variables without default values:
@@ -134,6 +134,8 @@ TARGET_ENDIANNESS=	-B
 TARGET_ENDIANNESS=
 .endif
 .endif	# install-etc-files						# }
+OBSOLETE.dir=		${.OBJDIR}/obsolete.dir
+OBSOLETE.files=		base comp etc games man misc text
 
 
 # distribution --
@@ -171,9 +173,9 @@ install-etc-files: check_DESTDIR
 	    ${DESTDIR}/etc/master.passwd
 .if defined(UNPRIVED)
 	( \
-	    echo "./etc/passwd type=file mode=0644 uname=root gname=wheel tags=etc_pkg"; \
-	    echo "./etc/pwd.db type=file mode=0644 uname=root gname=wheel tags=etc_pkg"; \
-	    echo "./etc/spwd.db type=file mode=0600 uname=root gname=wheel tags=etc_pkg"; \
+		for metaent in passwd pwd.db spwd.db; do \
+	    		echo "./etc/$${metaent} type=file mode=0644 uname=root gname=wheel tags=etc_pkg"; \
+		done; \
 	) | ${METALOG.add}
 .endif	# UNPRIVED
 	${ETC_INSTALL_FILE} -o ${BINOWN} -g ${BINGRP} -m 555 \
@@ -279,6 +281,12 @@ install-etc-files: check_DESTDIR
 .if !defined(NO_SENDMAIL) || ${NO_SENDMAIL} == "no"
 	(cd ${NETBSDSRCDIR}/gnu/usr.sbin/sendmail/cf/cf; ${MAKE} distribution)
 .endif
+	mkdir -p ${OBSOLETE.dir}
+	(cd ${NETBSDSRCDIR}/distrib/sets; sh ./makeobsolete -t ${OBSOLETE.dir})
+.for file in ${OBSOLETE.files}
+	${ETC_INSTALL_FILE} -o ${BINOWN} -g ${BINGRP} -m 644 \
+	    ${OBSOLETE.dir}/${file} ${DESTDIR}/etc/obsolete
+.endfor
 
 
 # distrib-dirs --
@@ -503,6 +511,6 @@ snap_md_post: check_DESTDIR check_RELEASEDIR
 
 
 clean:
-	-rm -rf ${CDROM.dir} ${CDROM.pathlist}
+	-rm -rf ${CDROM.dir} ${CDROM.pathlist} ${OBSOLETE.dir}
 
 .include <bsd.prog.mk>
diff --git a/etc/mtree/NetBSD.dist b/etc/mtree/NetBSD.dist
index 919572b68c5d..4b980007cda6 100644
--- a/etc/mtree/NetBSD.dist
+++ b/etc/mtree/NetBSD.dist
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#	$NetBSD: NetBSD.dist,v 1.215 2003/02/16 00:19:00 lukem Exp $
+#	$NetBSD: NetBSD.dist,v 1.216 2003/02/20 11:40:29 lukem Exp $
 #	@(#)4.4BSD.dist	8.1 (Berkeley) 6/13/93
 
 /set type=dir uname=root gname=wheel mode=0755
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 ./etc/mail
 ./etc/mtree
 ./etc/namedb
+./etc/obsolete
 ./etc/openssl
 ./etc/openssl/certs
 ./etc/openssl/misc
diff --git a/etc/postinstall b/etc/postinstall
index 01e8516bfaaa..833bccd03103 100755
--- a/etc/postinstall
+++ b/etc/postinstall
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 #
-# $NetBSD: postinstall,v 1.50 2003/02/18 10:12:52 lukem Exp $
+# $NetBSD: postinstall,v 1.51 2003/02/20 11:40:28 lukem Exp $
 #
 # Copyright (c) 2002-2003 The NetBSD Foundation, Inc.
 # All rights reserved.
@@ -41,12 +41,6 @@
 #	over time as NetBSD evolves.
 #
 
-# bugs:
-#	- may need MACHINE_ARCH set.
-#	- need MAKE set (c.f, uwe@)
-#	- makeobsolete needs copy of obsolete files, or better way to
-#	  generate them
-
 #
 # checks to add:
 #	- obsolete minor/teeny shared libraries in /lib
@@ -267,15 +261,19 @@ rcconf_is_set()
 	)
 }
 
-# find_file_in_dirlist() file dir1 [...] --
+# find_file_in_dirlist() file message dir1 [...] --
 #	find which directory file is in, and sets ${dir} to match
 #	returns 0 if matched, otherwise 1 (and sets ${dir} to "").
 #
+#	generally, check the directory for the "checking from source" case,
+#	and then the directory for the "checking from extracted etc.tgz" case.
+#
 find_file_in_dirlist()
 {
-	[ $# -ge 2 ] || err 2 "USAGE: find_file_in_dirlist file dir1 [...]"
+	[ $# -ge 3 ] || err 2 "USAGE: find_file_in_dirlist file msg dir1 [...]"
 
 	_file=$1 ; shift
+	_msg=$1 ; shift
 	_dir1st=
 	for dir in $*; do
 		: ${_dir1st:=${dir}}
@@ -287,7 +285,7 @@ find_file_in_dirlist()
 			return 0
 		fi
 	done
-	msg "Can't find source directory"
+	msg "Can't find source directory for ${_msg}"
 	return 1
 }
 
@@ -587,7 +585,7 @@ do_makedev()
 {
 	[ -n "$1" ] || err 2 "USAGE: do_makedev   fix|check"
 
-	find_file_in_dirlist MAKEDEV \
+	find_file_in_dirlist MAKEDEV "MAKEDEV" \
 	    ${SRC_DIR}/etc/etc.${MACHINE} ${SRC_DIR}/dev \
 	    || return 1
 
@@ -604,7 +602,7 @@ do_postfix()
 	op=$1
 	failed=0
 
-	find_file_in_dirlist postfix-script \
+	find_file_in_dirlist postfix-script "postfix scripts" \
 	    ${SRC_DIR}/gnu/dist/postfix/conf \
 	    ${DEST_DIR}/usr/share/examples/postfix \
 	    || return 1
@@ -627,17 +625,13 @@ do_obsolete()
 	[ -n "$1" ] || err 2 "USAGE: do_obsolete  fix|check"
 	op=$1
 
-	setdir=${SRC_DIR}/distrib/sets
-	makeobs=${setdir}/makeobsolete
-	if [ ! -x "${makeobs}" ]; then
-		warn "Can't find program \"${makeobs}\""
-		return 1
-	fi
-
-	( cd ${setdir} && ./makeobsolete -s . -t ${SCRATCHDIR} )
 	failed=0
 
-	for obssrcfile in ${SCRATCHDIR}/*_obsolete; do
+	find_file_in_dirlist base "obsolete set lists" \
+	    ${SRC_DIR}/etc/obsolete ${DEST_DIR}/etc/obsolete \
+	    || return 1
+
+	for obssrcfile in ${dir}/*; do
 		while read ofile; do
 			ofile=${DEST_DIR}${ofile#.}
 			cmd="rm"