Intel D201GLY2

jahonix

… not even preflashing my CF card with it, it just wont format the drive. ...

This sounds more like a CF issue.
Can you insert the card in another computer's reader and install pfSense there. Change it back afterwards.

If you happen to have a Windows machine go to the m0n0wall site, get PhyDiskwrite and write the embedded image to the card.

la_tengo_como_burro

I did that allready since some people recommended it but it did not work, the CF card is perfectly ok since it works with Smoothwall.

I am able to format and partition the CF card, but when I get to the actual loading of the files (the bootblock part) it fails with the following message:

Execution of the command

/sbin/bsdlabel -B -r -w ad0s1 auto

FAILED with a return code of 1.

I would appreciate if somebody can help me with this, I would really like to try PFSense, since Smoothwall express is not a real enterprise grade firewall, is not that versatile.

jahonix

@jahonix:

If you happen to have a Windows machine go to the m0n0wall site, get PhyDiskwrite and write the embedded image to the card.

Can you try this? Then you would know that you have a working image on the card

But I'm not the CF expert so others are welcome to chime in!

docunext

I have used the D201GLY (not "2", the one with the fan and no SATA ports). It worked fine, very well in fact. I'm going to try it again today so I'll double check and let you know.

la_tengo_como_burro

I tried RC4 with physdiskwrite, safely removed CF card from windows computer, inserted it into the D201GLY2 computer and it does not get very far at all. This is all it says when I turn it on….

BTX Loader 1.00 BTX Version is 1.01
Consoles: Internal video/keyboard
BIOS drive C: is disk0
BIOS 639kB/210128kB Available memory

FreeBSD/i386 bootstrap loader, Revision 1.1
(sullrich@builder6.pfsense.com, Tue Jan 15 23:26:13 EST 2008)
Loading /boot/defaults/loader.conf
/

And it stays there frozen indefinitely. I loaded an image on the same CF card with FreeNAS wich is based in Monowall and it worked flawless.

I do not know what else to do ??? Can somebody please help?

hoba

Embedded images have the output on the serialconsole once they start booting. You need a nullmodemcable and a terminalprogram to control the box at com1 and assign interfaces the first time you boot up.

la_tengo_como_burro

There is no other way to do it? I would like to make an article on my website on how to install a free enterprise-grade firewall, but this is too complicated for a regular user. The reason why I chose this motherboard is because it is the cheapest option outthere, and it is fanless.

hoba

This has been discussed in depth here. Some devices do panic if the console is set to vga and the device only has a serial console (pcengines wraps for example). That's why the embedded images have no video support. There are ways to do full installs on cf-cards but it's not recommended nor supported due to several reasons. Please search the forum for further details.

la_tengo_como_burro

As I have understood, in the embedded version of PFsense packages are not inclued, I would like to use Squid for example, and that is why I need to do a full install. Has anybody been able to perform a normal full install on this motherboard? and tell me what to do?

rsw686

@la_tengo_como_burro:

As I have understood, in the embedded version of PFsense packages are not inclued, I would like to use Squid for example, and that is why I need to do a full install. Has anybody been able to perform a normal full install on this motherboard? and tell me what to do?

Why don't you just use a hard drive and install the full version. Squid will kill a CF card in no time with its cache. You would only need to hook up a cdrom drive for the install process.

la_tengo_como_burro

A hard drive would make me consume a lot more electricity, plus it is way more expensive than a CF card. A regular hard drive will not fit inside the case, I would have to buy a laptop hard drive. that is not an option, sorry. I want squid to regulate access not really for the cache part.

rsw686

@la_tengo_como_burro:

A hard drive would make me consume a lot more electricity, plus it is way more expensive than a CF card. A regular hard drive will not fit inside the case, I would have to buy a laptop hard drive. that is not an option, sorry. I want squid to regulate access not really for the cache part.

Well then your own your own as far as getting it all installed and working as packages on embedded installs are not supported. As far as the power consumption if it was that big of a deal you should have gone with a WRAP / ALIX board. I google'd your board and saw reports of it drawing 43 watts vs 5 watts for a ALIX board.

GruensFroeschli

@la_tengo_como_burro:

A hard drive would make me consume a lot more electricity, plus it is way more expensive than a CF card. A regular hard drive will not fit inside the case, I would have to buy a laptop hard drive. that is not an option, sorry. I want squid to regulate access not really for the cache part.

I think there was somewhere a thread abouthow to setup a RAM-Drive for the swap partition.
Well you'd need lot's of RAM (2GB???) to use this efficiently, and i'm not sure if it's less expensive than just to use a microdrive (Harddisk in CF format)
A quick google found me microdrives for about 30$
( http://www.pricewatch.com/flash_card_memory/microdrive.htm )

Cry Havok

@la_tengo_como_burro:

A hard drive would make me consume a lot more electricity, plus it is way more expensive than a CF card. A regular hard drive will not fit inside the case, I would have to buy a laptop hard drive. that is not an option, sorry. I want squid to regulate access not really for the cache part.

Have you considered the use of a microdrive (CF format hard disk)? That's how I use pfSense and it works fine - just search the forum as some brands don't work.

la_tengo_como_burro

Microdrive has moving parts and is less reliable than a CF card. I would have used an ALIX but 1) I did not know this at the time 2) ALIX Boards seem to be quite expensive compared to the $65 that this cost me including CPU. 3) I cannot go to Alix at this time because I allready made this investment.

There has to be somebody in the world that has gotten this motheroard to work with PFSense. Its prbably something simple.

I can intall FreeNAS with NO PROBLEMS, and freenas is almost the same as m0n0wall (OS wise)
It installs Smoothwall perfectly (Linux)

rsw686

From your post the embedded install worked fine. It just redirects the console to the serial port. You just need to purchase a null modem cable and use a terminal emulator program to see the console. Putty will work for this or you can use the Windows HyperTerminal program.

la_tengo_como_burro

Hi, I am actually trying that right this minute!!!

But I cannot get it to work, I am using Hyper Terminal and connecting using COM1 and it makes a connection but all I see on the screen is the blinking underscore, is there anything I am missing? maybe different Baud Rate etc?

rsw686

@la_tengo_como_burro:

Hi, I am actually trying that right this minute!!!

But I cannot get it to work, I am using Hyper Terminal and connecting using COM1 and it makes a connection but all I see on the screen is the blinking underscore, is there anything I am missing? maybe different Baud Rate etc?

The baud rate should be 9600 by default. Try setting Hyper Terminal to that. Once you connect hit enter and see if the console screen menu shows up.

la_tengo_como_burro

Ok I spoke too soon I had the serial port disabled on the BIOS sorry about that. I got the Null Modem - Com1 thing to work… However it starts booting and freezes at the following point in the booting process....

pcib2: <pci-pci bridge="">at device 31.0 on pci0
pci2: <pci bus="">on pcib2

Any ideas of what might be going on?</pci></pci-pci>

rsw686

No error messages or kernel panics? What card do you have in that PCI slot? Trying pulling the card and see if it boots.