How to install nanobsd image on ALIX?

valnar · Aug 7, 2009, 3:52 PM

I wiped my 1.22 image and used physdiskwrite to try the new 1.23 nanobsd image from 8-6-2009. I have a 1GB CF card, and used the appropriate image size. On bootup, it shows


1   FreeBSD
2   FreeBSD

Boot:      1 ###########################

The pound signs keep on coming. It never boots (or I don't wait long enough). Is there an official procedure to install and get one of the new nanobsd images working on an ALIX box?

gladizxx · Aug 7, 2009, 4:10 PM

@valnar:

I wiped my 1.22 image and used physdiskwrite to try the new 1.23 nanobsd image from 8-6-2009. I have a 1GB CF card, and used the appropriate image size. On bootup, it shows
1   FreeBSD
2   FreeBSD

Boot:      1 ###########################
The pound signs keep on coming. It never boots (or I don't wait long enough). Is there an official procedure to install and get one of the new nanobsd images working on an ALIX box?

I also experienced the same incident as above. :o

ccplcguy · Aug 7, 2009, 4:47 PM

Update to .99h firmware. I had the same problem until the update.

valnar · Aug 7, 2009, 5:49 PM

That did it. Thanks.

cmb · Aug 8, 2009, 2:29 AM

That's indeed a BIOS bug, upgrade to the latest BIOS to fix it.

For those seeing the same thing on the WRAP, that's the same (or similar) BIOS bug, but there is no fix for the WRAP (yet, we're trying to work with PC Engines to get that resolved).

marrandy · Aug 14, 2009, 5:22 PM

@cmb:

That's indeed a BIOS bug, upgrade to the latest BIOS to fix it.

For those seeing the same thing on the WRAP, that's the same (or similar) BIOS bug, but there is no fix for the WRAP (yet, we're trying to work with PC Engines to get that resolved).

It might be a BIOS bug, but as other builds for the past 3+ years have worked fine on wrap hardware, what changed and can it be fixed.

jimp · Aug 14, 2009, 5:41 PM

@marrandy:

@cmb:

That's indeed a BIOS bug, upgrade to the latest BIOS to fix it.

For those seeing the same thing on the WRAP, that's the same (or similar) BIOS bug, but there is no fix for the WRAP (yet, we're trying to work with PC Engines to get that resolved).

It might be a BIOS bug, but as other builds for the past 3+ years have worked fine on wrap hardware, what changed and can it be fixed.

The main difference is that now we are using nanobsd for embedded images instead of the previous embedded system (tinybsd, iirc)

marrandy · Aug 14, 2009, 6:38 PM

I realize that, but what is nanoBSD doing that is different, that is causing this, (unknown to most of us) bug, to reveal itself ?

Should/can this nanoBSD 'feature' be removed so the bug won't show up. Having to fix (push the manufacturers to fix) the BIOS in many different machines would seem problematic.

My Soekris 4801 isn't working either although it seems to boot past that stage. I get junk on my screen after pressing enter (serial port) and my LAN port is not configured.

So, at the moment, my soekris 4801, wrap 1E & Netgate m1n1wall 2D3 red are all dead when I use the pfSense-1.2.3-512mb-20090811-0539-nanobsd.img.gz although all work at 1.2.3-RC-1 built on Wed Apr 22 16:21:49 EDT 2009

jimp · Aug 14, 2009, 7:20 PM

If I remember right, it's that packet mode is now required to boot the second slice.

Without packet mode, the ALIX will boot slice #1 but not slice #2, which is required for upgrades and using nanobsd as it is intended.

The WRAP will boot without packet mode, but only slice #1.

With packet mode, the ALIX will boot both slices just fine.

I may be misremembering some of this. So much was tested and changed during the trials of getting nanobsd to work I don't remember some of the specifics. My ALIX shipped with the newest BIOS so I never had any issues there. I did have to update my WRAP to the latest BIOS but it works fine at least with slice #1 now.

Seeing as you have to reflash to use nano anyhow, having to also upgrade the BIOS at the same time doesn't seem like an unreasonable request to me.

As for the other boxes, if you have your serial port set for 9600/8/n/1 it should work with the serial console, though you may have to set the BIOS for 9600 after upgrading that. I had to set my terminal for 38400, then fix the BIOS to 9600 and save, then it went fine.

jimp · Aug 14, 2009, 7:22 PM

Also, the automatically configured network cards are now defaulting to vr(4) cards, which are found in ALIX and some Soekris hardware.

The default for embedded used to be sis(4) which are on the old WRAP boards. To use those now you will have to configure the interfaces via the serial console or inject a working config into the CF card after imaging and before booting.