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    Can't reset or usb connect to console of SG-5100

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    • P
      Patian @stephenw10
      last edited by

      @stephenw10 I have requested a support ticket for a copy of pfsense software. I will do a USB reinstall.

      I just wonder why it failed. or if it is the hardware about to fail?

      If the re-install fails to make it work again, does it mean the hardware is finished?

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      • stephenw10S
        stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
        last edited by

        There's no way to recover the eMMC if it fails but you can boot from SSD without issue.
        However if the eMMC fails entirely it causes a long delay at boot which can be inconvenient. There is currently no workaround for that.

        Steve

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          Patian @stephenw10
          last edited by

          @stephenw10 Thank you for the advise.
          If it is a eMMC failure, I can simply install a M. 2 SATA drive and re-install the pfsence onto the M.2 SATA drive.
          5100 will boot from the new SATA drive, but it will take a longer time.
          What size of M.2 SATA drive should be installed for the pfsense.
          Is there a min spec. on the M.2 SATA drive to be installed onto the 5100?
          Is there a setting to bypass the eMMC during boot?
          Is it possible simply replace the eMMC module?

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          • stephenw10S
            stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
            last edited by

            The eMMC drive as it is has not failed entirely, it's still trying to boot from it. So you should be able fit an m.2 SSD and set that as the boot device in the BIOS.
            If the eMMC fails entirely the BIOS still tries to boot from it but it no longer appears at all and the timeout is very long.

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            • S
              SteveITS Galactic Empire @Patian
              last edited by

              @patian https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/solutions/sg-5100/m-2-sata-installation.html

              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 👍 helpful posts!

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              • stephenw10S
                stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                last edited by

                Yeah, I'm not aware of any limitation on the m.2 SSD you can use other than it must be SATA and not NVMe. You probably want to smallest capacity drive you can find. 32GB is more than sufficient for pfSense.

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                • P
                  Patian @stephenw10
                  last edited by

                  @stephenw10 Thank you for the advise. I installed a new M2. SSD drive, re-installed the pfsense plus onto the SSD drive. I changed the BIOS to boot from the M2 Drive first.

                  Now it seems everything is back to normal. Thank you for all the inputs. I did not expect the hardware to fail after 2 years, simply bad luck....

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                  • G
                    gumbyOne @rcoleman-netgate
                    last edited by

                    @rcoleman-netgate i got a new usb cable and i can see the port now. however, when i connect to the device, it looks like it runs the bios(?) but continues to reboot itself over and over again. i can see the initial screen where i can select to:
                    Boot multi user
                    Boot single user
                    Escape to loader prompt
                    etc...

                    after it defaults to boot multi user. there's a lot of output and finally ends with:
                    ``
                    Tracing command kernel pid 0 tid 100098 td 0xfffff8000e49c740
                    sched_switch() at sched_switch+0x630/frame 0xfffffe002ce6e9a0
                    mi_switch() at mi_switch+0xd4/frame 0xfffffe002ce6e9d0
                    sleepq_wait() at sleepq_wait+0x2c/frame 0xfffffe002ce6ea00
                    _sleep() at _sleep+0x253/frame 0xfffffe002ce6ea80
                    taskqueue_thread_loop() at taskqueue_thread_loop+0xe9/frame 0xfffffe002ce6eab0
                    fork_exit() at fork_exit+0x7e/frame 0xfffffe002ce6eaf0
                    fork_trampoline() at fork_trampoline+0xe/frame 0xfffffe002ce6eaf0
                    --- trap 0, rip = 0, rsp = 0, rbp = 0 ---
                    db:0:kdb.enter.default> capture off
                    db:0:kdb.enter.default> textdump dump
                    Textdump complete.
                    db:0:kdb.enter.default> reset
                    cpu_reset: Restarting BSP
                    cpu_reset_proxy: Stopped CPU 1

                    
                    this happens over and over. any advice?
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                    • R
                      rcoleman-netgate Netgate @gumbyOne
                      last edited by

                      @gumbyone Need to see the whole thing... but reinstallation is a good first step. Especially if it is running on a UFS partition.

                      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

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                      • stephenw10S
                        stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                        last edited by

                        Yes, we'd need to see the panic string to know for sure but if it;s booting UFS it's probably a filesystem issue. And that can usually be resolved by:
                        https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/troubleshooting/filesystem-check.html#manual-filesystem-check

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                        • T
                          tkronic @stephenw10
                          last edited by

                          @stephenw10 said in Can't reset or usb connect to console of SG-5100:

                          There's no way to recover the eMMC if it fails but you can boot from SSD without issue.
                          However if the eMMC fails entirely it causes a long delay at boot which can be inconvenient. There is currently no workaround for that.

                          Steve

                          Hi,

                          I believe my eMMC has also failed on my SG-5100. Last night, I was able to connect to consol and got similar errors I have seen which indicate a failed eMMC. Today, I attempted to install a M.2 card, however, I can not get consol access again. Putty opens a window when I try to connect, but no output. Am I not waiting long enough for this boot delay you are describing? Should there be a boot delay when attempting to reinstall pfSense with a USB drive connected? I have tried accessing the consol with and without the new M.2 and with and without the USB reinstall drive. No consol output.

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                          • R
                            rcoleman-netgate Netgate @tkronic
                            last edited by

                            @tkronic said in Can't reset or usb connect to console of SG-5100:

                            Am I not waiting long enough for this boot delay you are describing?

                            It will boot eventually. As noted by Stephen there is no workaround in software or adding hardware -- the only one I have found so far is removing the eMMC which requires a hot air re-working station. See here: https://forum.netgate.com/topic/181199/var-is-low-on-disk-space/18?_=1689707002968

                            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

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
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