Can't boot embedded version - BTX crashes

ask · Aug 4, 2008, 7:44 PM

Hi,

I got a couple new servers for pfSense but managed to order them without a DVD (grrh). (We usually pxeboot Linux when we install that, so nobody noticed the lack of them on the pfSense boxes).

Anyway - I tried putting the .img snapshot on a USB flash drive, but as soon as it boots I think I get hit by this error (from http://wiki.freebsd.org/JeremyChadwick/Commonly_reported_issues )

"BTX crashes on start (screen continually scrolls registers or dumps registers then reboots)
Some systems behave badly when executing BIOS interrupts while in virtual 86 mode. Use real mode instead.
Reference: http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/cvsweb.cgi/src/sys/boot/i386/btx/btx/Makefile - see revision 1.19.10.1
Workaround: Download a snapshot ISO from ftp://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/snapshots/200804
Fix: John Baldwin committed fixes to RELENG_[467] on March 18th, 2008."

Does 1.2.1 have that fix? Any ideas? I've disabled power management and such in the bios. It's a SuperMicro box (an "r142" from SiliconMechanics - http://www.siliconmechanics.com/i15328/xeon-3000.php )

On a related note then it'd be neat to have a USB key bootable image that can be used to install on a HD (or can the .img version be used like that?)

[ Update: It looks like I'm having this problem: http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-stable/2008-March/041172.html ]

ask

sullrich · Aug 5, 2008, 5:16 PM

We already sync'd btx.S a couple months back. Unfortunately we are out of time to do such a major change this late in the release cycle. I have added this patch to 1.3 Alphas however.

ask · Aug 6, 2008, 11:19 PM

@sullrich:

We already sync'd btx.S a couple months back. Unfortunately we are out of time to do such a major change this late in the release cycle. I have added this patch to 1.3 Alphas however.

Thanks Scott. I got a USB CD drive to use for the install, so it's not an issue for me anymore - I just wanted to report the issue.

ask