Index: etc/Makefile
===================================================================
--- etc/Makefile
+++ etc/Makefile
@@ -57,6 +57,8 @@
 	${_+_}cd ${.CURDIR}/mtree; ${MAKE} install
 	${_+_}cd ${SRCTOP}/share/termcap; ${MAKE} etc-termcap
 	${_+_}cd ${SRCTOP}/usr.sbin/rmt; ${MAKE} etc-rmt
+	${INSTALL_SYMLINK} ../var/run/os-release \
+		${DESTDIR}/etc/os-release
 .if ${MK_UNBOUND} != "no"
 	if [ ! -e ${DESTDIR}/etc/unbound ]; then \
 		${INSTALL_SYMLINK} -T "package=unbound" \
Index: libexec/rc/rc.d/Makefile
===================================================================
--- libexec/rc/rc.d/Makefile
+++ libexec/rc/rc.d/Makefile
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@
 	nsswitch \
 	ntpdate \
 	${_opensm} \
+	os-release \
 	pf \
 	pflog \
 	pfsync \
Index: libexec/rc/rc.d/os-release
===================================================================
--- /dev/null
+++ libexec/rc/rc.d/os-release
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+#
+# $FreeBSD$
+#
+
+# PROVIDE: os-release
+# REQUIRE: mountcritremote FILESYSTEMS
+# BEFORE:  LOGIN
+
+. /etc/rc.subr
+
+name="osrelease"
+desc="Update /var/run/os-release"
+start_cmd="osrelease_start"
+stop_cmd=":"
+: ${osrelease_file:=/var/run/os-release}
+: ${osrelease_perms:=444}
+
+osrelease_start()
+{
+	check_startmsgs && echo -n 'Updating ${osrelease_file} '
+	VERSION=$(freebsd-version -u)
+	VERSION_ID=${VERSION%%[^0-9.]*}
+	t=$(mktemp -t motd)
+	cat > "$t" <<-__EOF__
+		NAME=FreeBSD
+		VERSION=$VERSION
+		VERSION_ID=$VERSION_ID
+		ID=freebsd
+		ANSI_COLOR="0;31"
+		PRETTY_NAME="FreeBSD $VERSION"
+		CPE_NAME=cpe:/o:freebsd:freebsd:$VERSION_ID
+		HOME_URL=https://freebsd.org/
+		BUG_REPORT_URL=https://bugs.freebsd.org/
+__EOF__
+	install -C -o root -g wheel -m ${osrelease_perms} "$t" "${osrelease_file}"
+	rm -f "$t"
+	check_startmsgs && echo 'done.'
+}
+
+load_rc_config $name
+run_rc_command "$1"