Another Netgate with storage failure, 6 in total so far

ltctech

I have a Netgate 6100 showing this:

eMMC Life Time Estimation A [EXT_CSD_DEVICE_LIFE_TIME_EST_TYP_A]: 0x0b
eMMC Life Time Estimation B [EXT_CSD_DEVICE_LIFE_TIME_EST_TYP_B]: 0x0b
eMMC Pre EOL information [EXT_CSD_PRE_EOL_INFO]: 0x01

Not sure what to make of these values. The EOL value is OK, but Life value is really bad?

punting_packets

@ltctech said in Another Netgate with storage failure, 6 in total so far:

[EXT_CSD_DEVICE_LIFE_TIME_EST_TYP_A]

I believe its been said before these are estimates and not definitive however I had the same eMMC figures and have been experiencing issues with forwarding stopping, I've install an Intel Optane drive, just in case.

https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/troubleshooting/disk-lifetime.html

0x0b = The disk has used 100%-110% of its estimated life time
0x01 = Normal - The disk has consumed less than 80% of its reserved blocks

andrew_cb

@ltctech Those values indicate imminent failure of your onboard storage.
From what I have seen, the Pre EOL value always says 0x01, so it seems to be a useless indicator - the onboard eMMC might not support it.

I would suggest installing an SSD ASAP before your device stops working, and export a backup of your configuration (Diagnostics > Backup & Restore).

Netgate has chosen not to publish instructions for installing an SSD in the 4100 and 6100.

Make sure you get an M.2 NVMe that has B+M key (2 notches). Be sure it is NVMe as they are hard to find and most B+M key drives are SATA.

This video shows how to disassemble the device.

Clear the onboard storage

Reinstall pfSense

dane_h

@andrew_cb I'm thankful I stumbled onto this thread. My 6100 is not a MAX model, and it's over 3 years old. Purchased right after they came out.

I'm just going to replace the storage immediately as it's clear it's very probably EOL. I'm comfortable with the process you've outlined, but I'm not clear on exactly which NVMe M.2 2280 SSD to get. Can you please link one from Amazon that would work?

Would this KingSpec work? I saw higher up that this is what someone else bought, although there are several.

stephenw10

That drive would not work because it's m.2 SATA. It must be an NVMe drive for 4100 or 6100.

punting_packets

@dane_h I used an Intel Optane 16Gb drive https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/395684843954

dane_h

@punting_packets That appears to be the same as this one on Amaz.

punting_packets

@dane_h Yep, I'd agree.

Cabledude

These eMMC topics have been here for a while. I’ve had two SG-1100 units fail on eMMC, one of which I fixed using an old SSD in a USB enclosure.

It was enough for me to order a Max model (SG-2100 with 128GB SSD preinstalled by Netgate), just to stay on the safe side of things.

dstaylor

@dane_h I ordered and installed this one, up and running. Price about the same.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TTDQ5WH?ref=fed_asin_title&th=1

andrew_cb

@dane_h I have not used this drive, but it should work: https://www.amazon.com/KingSpec-256GB-Performance-Internal-Ultrabook

edit: I checked and it's the same one @dstaylor linked lol