diff --git a/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/mirrors/chapter.sgml b/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/mirrors/chapter.sgml
index 374f042c78..3bca663902 100644
--- a/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/mirrors/chapter.sgml
+++ b/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/mirrors/chapter.sgml
@@ -2425,6 +2425,14 @@ doc/zh_*</screen>
 	determine which parts of the ports tree need to be updated
 	later.</para>
 
+      <note>
+	<para>In the default installation <filename>/usr/ports</filename>
+	  is not created.  It should be created before
+	  <application>portsnap</application> is used.</para>
+
+	<screen>&prompt.root; <userinput>mkdir /usr/ports</userinput></screen>
+      </note>
+
       <screen>&prompt.root; <userinput>portsnap extract</userinput></screen>
     </sect2>