Boot environment on plus

[JonathanLee]

How can one switch zfs boot environments from a console connection? The log in menus do not list an option like web GUI has. The Netgate docs show boot loader but on plus I don't know where that is. If I hit a key when it starts I get marvel prompt and I still see no boot environment options.

[SteveITS]

@JonathanLee I think you’re looking for this: https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/backup/zfsbe/loader.html

[JonathanLee]

@SteveITS

Thanks, I have seen this except my 2100 does not show a bootloader screen like this. It just starts I have an option to escape to get to the marvel prompt but that's it. How do I access this bootloader splash screen?

[SteveITS]

@JonathanLee it doesn’t show the menu when pfSense boots? The Marvell prompt shows if the boot is stopped via keypress such as per https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/solutions/netgate-2100/reinstall-pfsense.html

It’s been a while but the menu should show during boot for a few seconds.

[JonathanLee]

@SteveITS I am using the console cable to log into it.

[Gertjan]

@JonathanLee said in Boot environment on plus:

Thanks, I have seen this except my 2100 does not show a bootloader screen like this

Give yourself some more time.
Open /boot/loader.conf (or /boot/loader.conf.local) and look for

autoboot_delay="3"

edit "3" for something bigger.

[stephenw10]

Yup the loader menu/prompt is after the uboot (marvel>> prompt) option.

[JonathanLee]

It never shows it this is what I see with the console cable non ssh

login-to-view

The console does not have that boot splash screen like it would with SSH

[stephenw10]

That's a long way past the loader prompt. There is some output missing here because the screen overwrites but this is where you should interrupt it:

Model: Silicom Rogue-2
Net:   eth0: neta@30000 [PRIME], eth1: neta@40000
Hit any key to stop autoboot:  0 
Setting bus to 1
** No partition table - mmc 0 **

Reset SCSI
scanning bus for devices...
Bus 0
  Device 0: (0:0) Vendor: ATA Prod.: ATP M.2 2242 Rev: P111
            Type: Hard Disk
            Capacity: 60416.0 MB = 59.0 GB (123731968 x 512)
    18022   armada-3720-netgate-1100.dtb
    18022   armada-3720-sg1100.dtb
    12944   armada-3720-netgate-2100.dtb
    12944   armada-3720-sg2100.dtb

4 file(s), 0 dir(s)

12944 bytes read in 3 ms (4.1 MiB/s)
853460 bytes read in 20 ms (40.7 MiB/s)
## Starting EFI application at 01000000 ...
Scanning disk sdhci@d8000.blk...
Scanning disk ahci_scsi.id0lun0...
Found 5 disks

   _ __  / _|___  ___ _ __  ___  ___      _                
  | '_ \| |_/ __|/ _ \ '_ \/ __|/ _ \   _| |_              
  | |_) |  _\__ \  __/ | | \__ \  __/  |_   _|             
  | .__/|_| |___/\___|_| |_|___/\___|    |_|               
  |_|                                                      
                                                           
                                                                             
+---- Welcome to Netgate pfSense Plus ----+      __________________________  
|                                         |     /                       ___\ 
|  1. Boot Multi user [Enter]             |    |                      /`     
|  2. Boot Single user                    |    |                     /    :-|
|  3. Escape to loader prompt             |    |      _________  ___/    /_ |
|  4. Reboot                              |    |    /` ____   / /__    ___/ |
|  5. Cons: Dual (Serial primary)         |    |   /  /   /  /    /   /     |
|                                         |    |  /  /___/  /    /   /      |
|  Options:                               |    | /   ______/    /   /  _    |
|  6. Kernel: default/kernel (1 of 2)     |    |/   /          /   / _| |_  |
|  7. Boot Options                        |        /          /___/ |_   _| |
|  8. Boot Environments                   |       /                   |_|   |
|                                         |      /_________________________/ 
+-----------------------------------------+                                  \
                                                                                

Exiting menu!


Type '?' for a list of commands, 'help' for more detailed help.
OK 

[JonathanLee]

@stephenw10 I have never seen that I wonder if flow control needs to be enabled

[stephenw10]

Hmm, curious. That should show in any vaguely recent version of pfSense. It didn't in older version, I forget exactly when it was enabled, 22.01 maybe.

[JonathanLee]

@stephenw10 I am running 23.05.01 ARM processor SG2100. I wonder if my terminal software is botching the slash screen when logged in with USB. But it does show a spashscreen. . .

[Gertjan]

@JonathanLee

Can you try Putty as a console/COM port serial ?

Minimal settings are needed :

login-to-view

COM10, because my PC elected the USB-to-serial adapter to COM10.
Speed : 115200
Type : Telnet = vanilla serial

and that's it.

This works for me (tm) from BIOS boot up until 'pfSEnse up and running'.

[JonathanLee]

Thanks everyone putty and Windows 11 fixed it with the correct usb driver

login-to-view

Got access to the boot environments now.

I can't get some packages to with with ARM for 23.09 I keep getting completely locked out and having to go back. That fixed it.