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    Pfsense/Netgate unable to login, Fatal error

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General pfSense Questions
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    • stephenw10S
      stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
      last edited by

      So you don't even see the login screen?

      If there was no change made on the firewall then I would suspect a drive issue. If the boot drive fails services will fail over time as and when they need to read/write data. Without some sort of access it's hard to say though.

      Steve

      S 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • S
        stormchaser5 @stephenw10
        last edited by

        @stephenw10 pfsense-dashboard-screen.JPG

        This is what the web page looks like when you go to the external web page (dashboard) to login. Just this string of characters.

        A hardware failure, such as a disk sound plausable. But this XG-7100 is like a year and half old. So seems unlikely and is in a pristine enviroment, power/cooling and very low workload. In a few weeks will probably get to the bottom of it when I get console access. But it's very strange. I am glad it's still working on some level as a gateway.

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        • S
          SteveITS Galactic Empire @stormchaser5
          last edited by

          @stormchaser5 If I was traveling on site I'd bring a USB stick with the install image on it just in case.
          https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/solutions/xg-7100-1u/reinstall-pfsense.html
          And maybe some type of spare/replacement. :-/

          There is also https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/troubleshooting/disk-lifetime.html#emmc

          Pre-2.7.2/23.09: Only install packages for your version, or risk breaking it. Select your branch in System/Update/Update Settings.
          When upgrading, allow 10-15 minutes to restart, or more depending on packages and device speed.
          Upvote ๐Ÿ‘ helpful posts!

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          • S
            stormchaser5 @SteveITS
            last edited by

            @steveits Thanks. It's been over year, since I was imersed in pfsense/netgate when I set this up. So I am going to have to sort through this. Thanks for your help. Working on these things in a loud, cramped data center is not fun.

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            • S
              SteveITS Galactic Empire @stormchaser5
              last edited by

              @stormchaser5 oh gosh yeah. Bring earplugs. Or noise canceling headphones. As with airplanes! Makes a big difference.

              Pre-2.7.2/23.09: Only install packages for your version, or risk breaking it. Select your branch in System/Update/Update Settings.
              When upgrading, allow 10-15 minutes to restart, or more depending on packages and device speed.
              Upvote ๐Ÿ‘ helpful posts!

              S 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • S
                stormchaser5 @SteveITS
                last edited by

                @steveits Do you happen to know what type of disk is in the XG-7100 I should bring as a replacement? I am going to go on the assumption the disk is bad and a reinstall is required. It looks like they don't sell a XG-7100 anymore. So 1:1 swap out is not possible, if it is not the disk.

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                • S
                  stormchaser5 @SteveITS
                  last edited by

                  @steveits I found the docs.

                  https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/solutions/xg-7100-1u/m-2-sata-installation.html

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                  • R
                    rcoleman-netgate Netgate @stormchaser5
                    last edited by

                    @stormchaser5 m.2 mSATA. Not NVMe.

                    Ryan
                    Repeat, after me: MESH IS THE DEVIL! MESH IS THE DEVIL!
                    Requesting firmware for your Netgate device? https://go.netgate.com
                    Switching: Mikrotik, Netgear, Extreme
                    Wireless: Aruba, Ubiquiti

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                    • stephenw10S
                      stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                      last edited by

                      The 7100 also has on-board eMMC, it may not have shipped with an m.2 SATA drive.
                      But if the eMMC has failed you can always fit an SSD and boot from that.

                      Steve

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                      • S
                        stormchaser5 @stephenw10
                        last edited by

                        @stephenw10 I purchased a Western Digital 500GB WD Red SA500 NAS SSD - SATA III 6 Gb/s, M.2 2280, - WDS500G1R0B and hope to get installed this week.

                        Do you know what the typical filename /extension is for the configuration backup is for pfsense? I am sure I made a backup of it. Just need to search for it on my NAS.

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                        • F
                          FSC830
                          last edited by

                          Typical filename looks like this: config-pfsense.mydomain.biz-20220222183909.xml, where pfsense.mydomain.biz is to replace with the pfSense name followed by FQDN.

                          Regards

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