Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade
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I tried Netgate firmware upgrade from the UI. The on-screen instructions were to power-cycle the unit.
After I turned the power on, the most left LED is amber. The device is not displaying any messages in the serial console and doesn't boot from either internal storage or Net Install USB.
Does anyone have any idea how to fix this or the device is bricked?
Please see the attached image with the "successfull" upgrade message before I turned the unit off for more information.
Thanks!
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Hmm, the LED remaining amber implies it's stuck in standby. Does the PWR button do anything? Is it stuck down? I have seen a stuck button present like that. Though it would have done that before any update too.
Steve
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@stephenw10 The 4100 unit has a power button that is similar to the reset button. I never used it. I tried both PWR and reset and they make absolutely no difference.
Thanks! -
But they do both 'click' when you press them?
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You are looking at the console output ?
As this is a 'BIOS' update, I would really pick the moment to do so, and even make sure my UPS works well.
A power down during BIOS upgrade, is ... well ... not good.Btw : I have a 4100 also.
This :
didn't change for .... I can't remember if I ever upgraded it (last year or two).
Why would your 4100 do so now ?
It's old ? -
@stephenw10 yes they do
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@Gertjan I can't curently look at the console output, because the unit can not boot anymore.
And yes, it's old - has been lying around for 2+ years now and I only unboxed it yesterday. So, no big issue with lost config, etc. I just want to put it back to working order.Thanks!
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@smartcall said in Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade:
I can't curently look at the console output, because the unit can not boot anymore.
Still, I really advice you to take the cable that came with it, and hook it up - see the Netgate 4100 user manual.
Maybe there is a message waiting for you at boot time .... at that moment, the system doesn't know yet it is a 'pfSense' and can use Ethernet ports ...@smartcall said in Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade:
2+ years now and I only unboxed it yesterday
Wow .. ^^
I get it now. -
@Gertjan I have connected with the serial console same as I do to other Netgate appliances and unfortunately there is nothing there. Not even a BIOS message. Just a black screen.
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Hummm. Bummer.
I was really hoping there would be 'something'. -
Hmm, the status LED changing from Amber to Blue initially is done in low level firmware when it changes the power state from standby to run.
Did you reboot it after the firmware update or just pull the power at that point?
It shouldn't make any difference there but would indicate if the issue is in Blinkboot or the microcontroller code.
Do you have a TAC ticket open for this?
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@Gertjan I pulled the power at the point where it said that the FW upgrade was successful. Maybe that was my mistake.
I have opened a ticket. Initial response was a copy/paste instructions to reimage the device, which is obviously not possible. Waiting for another reply.Thanks!
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@smartcall said in Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade:
I pulled the power at the point where it said that the FW upgrade was successful. Maybe that was my mistake.
I don't think so.
When you saw :
the files were in place that initiate the BIOS (firmware) upgrade.
It's during the next 4100 startup, during BIOS testing, the at the presence of special "bios upgrade files" are detected, and if so, it will upgrade the bios.
It's during this phase that the situation is critical.
As the bios upgrade can take some time,
And during this phase pfSense didn't startup - as the device is doing other things like 'upgrading the firmware',
It is during this moment the console cable is very important .... because what would I do if my 4100 takes 'way to long' to startup ? I would be waiting way beyond the normal startup delay. Nt normal I would say ... (already forgetting that the BIOS upgrade now takes place - and I can't see a thing as I have no console cable hooked up )
Right ... I gave it a power reboot .... and that's the moment you break the BIOS as it was 'half way' upgrading.All this implies, for me : when I upgrade what so ever : I activate the console cable first, and then watch the show from a GUI perspective, and console view, and I have the console logged to a file for catastrophe analyses, if needed.
All this said, with some luck, the BIOS has maybe an initial 'pre boot' mode, where it will scan USB devices for firmware - pfSense or BIOS - the will force install a new BIOS.
@stephenw10 can surely tell you more about this.
As said : go TAC ^^ -
You should be able to reboot it by pulling to power at that point. If you do the next time it boots it would be running the new microcontroller code and would update the BIOS (Blinkboot) before booting into the OS. That can take a few minutes. But it would show on the console output.
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@Gertjan TAC support's verdict was "Terminal harware failure". Seems like I can use the power supply and the SSD for something else. That's what's left.
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If you haven't already try removing the CMOS battery.
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Try running pkg clean and pkg update and pkg upgrade on command line
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@stephenw10 I tried this already
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The board has some internal diagnostic LEDs near the console port. If it is powering up correctly it should look like:
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@stephenw10 It looks like the one on your image
