Re: [pfSense Support] CF 1.0.1 APPARENT boot failure - RESOLVED - SUGGESTIONS
Hi Holger et al Yes, it proved to be the null modem cable - and some errant assumptions on my part! May I suggest: 1) for the documentation - an addition that clarifies the differences in the CF card bootup sequence between Monowall and pfSense, as pfSense does not behave the same as Monowall (as one might have expected) - as the video and keyboard stop responding very early on, and the subsequent boot information is transferred and only available down the serial cable. FreeBSD/i386 bootstrap loader, Revision 1.1 ([EMAIL PROTECTED], Sunday Oct 29 01:30:00 UTC 2006) Loading /boot/defaults/loader.conf / 2) that just before pfSense transfers control to the serial cable that it also send a message to the video monitor, as suggested below. (So that one might not be lead to believe the install has hung, as one might be tempted to believe) FreeBSD/i386 bootstrap loader, Revision 1.1 ([EMAIL PROTECTED], Sunday Oct 29 01:30:00 UTC 2006) Loading /boot/defaults/loader.conf / Keyboard input and video display stopping and diverting to terminal, via COM1 serial null modem link. Connect to continue from there... 3) That one beep sounds when the default install comes to the first choice, so that the installer gets to know the boot sequence has completed correctly, even if they are not getting a serial output. If it helps anyone the HyperTerminal Config (for a PC using a CF card - not an embedded device) is 9600 bps. I hope these help someone in the future! Again, many thanks to the people involved, pfSense certainly is very good! Kind regards David Hingston - Original Message - From: Holger Bauer [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: support@pfsense.com Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2006 2:30 AM Subject: RE: [pfSense Support] CF 1.0.1 boot failure Maybe your nullmodemcable is not ok. You need to assign NICs first from the console before you can use any of the interfaces (unless you are using sis nics which are preconfigured for the embedded image). Check your cable at another box to see if it actually is working. Holger -Original Message- From: Tortise [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:19 AM To: support@pfsense.com Subject: Re: [pfSense Support] CF 1.0.1 boot failure Perhaps I have a null modem connection problem as 5 beeps are eventually heard, suggesting it may be running up properly, however I can't ping any of the (3) NIC's at 192.168.1.1 as I presume I should be able to do on at least one? (Using 192.168.1.2 255 255 255 0) I get no output to HyperTerminal or to Teraterm, tried various cables, definitely using COM1 form the motherboard H - Original Message - From: Holger Bauer [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: support@pfsense.com Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2006 10:48 PM Subject: RE: [pfSense Support] CF 1.0.1 boot failure The embedded images have output at com1. There won't be video output once it started. This is due to some embedded devices only having serial console and no video. Access your machine at com1, 9600baud using a terminalprogram. Holger From: Tortise [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2006 8:37 AM To: support@pfsense.com Subject: [pfSense Support] CF 1.0.1 boot failure Hi I am trying to run pfSense from a CF card, have written images to various cards. Monowall boots fine and runs from 16M CF card so it would seem the IDE CF reader is ok. This is on a Pentium 166 system. With pfSense, trying a number of different CF cards 128M and 256M: The BTX loader seems to run OK. Then I get: FreeBSD/i386 bootstrap loader, Revision 1.1 ([EMAIL PROTECTED], Sunday Oct 29 01:30:00 UTC 2006) Loading /boot/defaults/loader.conf / The / does a couple of circles then stops... I have tried to get the serial output by connecting HyperTerminal to the serial port. It seems it might be too early to get a serial output - as I do not get anything? Any guidance would be appreciated. David Hingston - To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: [pfSense Support] CF 1.0.1 APPARENT boot failure - RESOLVED - SUGGESTIONS
We can't display a message as the kernel is compiled without video support. This is needed to make a wrap bootup as it doesn't simulate a fake videocard with it's bios like the soekris boxes do. It would simply crash and not boot up. Without video support compiled in we can't display any messages. Everything else would need hacking the kernelmessages afaik and that's something we don't want to do. For the documentation part: http://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Chapter_3:_Installing_pfSense (somebody did a newer version which doesn't have all that info, maybe it should be merged back in but the doc mediawiki is still ... We'll, let's call it unfinished; help needed here) I don't think a notification beep would help that much. We play a sound when it finished booting so you know at a headless setup it should be ready to be used. In case you don't hear this jingle after some time you have to check the console anyway. Holger -Original Message- From: Tortise [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2006 10:29 AM To: support@pfsense.com Subject: Re: [pfSense Support] CF 1.0.1 APPARENT boot failure - RESOLVED - SUGGESTIONS Hi Holger et al Yes, it proved to be the null modem cable - and some errant assumptions on my part! May I suggest: 1) for the documentation - an addition that clarifies the differences in the CF card bootup sequence between Monowall and pfSense, as pfSense does not behave the same as Monowall (as one might have expected) - as the video and keyboard stop responding very early on, and the subsequent boot information is transferred and only available down the serial cable. FreeBSD/i386 bootstrap loader, Revision 1.1 ([EMAIL PROTECTED], Sunday Oct 29 01:30:00 UTC 2006) Loading /boot/defaults/loader.conf / 2) that just before pfSense transfers control to the serial cable that it also send a message to the video monitor, as suggested below. (So that one might not be lead to believe the install has hung, as one might be tempted to believe) FreeBSD/i386 bootstrap loader, Revision 1.1 ([EMAIL PROTECTED], Sunday Oct 29 01:30:00 UTC 2006) Loading /boot/defaults/loader.conf / Keyboard input and video display stopping and diverting to terminal, via COM1 serial null modem link. Connect to continue from there... 3) That one beep sounds when the default install comes to the first choice, so that the installer gets to know the boot sequence has completed correctly, even if they are not getting a serial output. If it helps anyone the HyperTerminal Config (for a PC using a CF card - not an embedded device) is 9600 bps. I hope these help someone in the future! Again, many thanks to the people involved, pfSense certainly is very good! Kind regards David Hingston - Original Message - From: Holger Bauer [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: support@pfsense.com Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2006 2:30 AM Subject: RE: [pfSense Support] CF 1.0.1 boot failure Maybe your nullmodemcable is not ok. You need to assign NICs first from the console before you can use any of the interfaces (unless you are using sis nics which are preconfigured for the embedded image). Check your cable at another box to see if it actually is working. Holger -Original Message- From: Tortise [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:19 AM To: support@pfsense.com Subject: Re: [pfSense Support] CF 1.0.1 boot failure Perhaps I have a null modem connection problem as 5 beeps are eventually heard, suggesting it may be running up properly, however I can't ping any of the (3) NIC's at 192.168.1.1 as I presume I should be able to do on at least one? (Using 192.168.1.2 255 255 255 0) I get no output to HyperTerminal or to Teraterm, tried various cables, definitely using COM1 form the motherboard H - Original Message - From: Holger Bauer [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: support@pfsense.com Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2006 10:48 PM Subject: RE: [pfSense Support] CF 1.0.1 boot failure The embedded images have output at com1. There won't be video output once it started. This is due to some embedded devices only having serial console and no video. Access your machine at com1, 9600baud using a terminalprogram. Holger From: Tortise [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2006 8:37 AM To: support@pfsense.com Subject: [pfSense Support] CF 1.0.1 boot failure Hi I am trying to run pfSense from a CF card, have written images to various cards. Monowall boots fine and runs from 16M CF card so it would seem the IDE CF reader is ok. This is on a Pentium 166 system. With pfSense, trying a number of different CF cards 128M and 256M: The BTX loader seems to run OK. Then I get: FreeBSD/i386 bootstrap loader, Revision 1.1 ([EMAIL PROTECTED
