Help with upgrade to latest vers Nano version

pmb1010

I have Alix board with 4GB compact flash, and the 4G NanoBSD img gotten from here in the "nanobsd" folder:

http://snapshots.pfsense.org/FreeBSD_RELENG_7_2/pfSense_RELENG_1_2/nanobsd/pfSense-1.2.3-4G-20090926-0007-nanobsd.img.gz

I wish to update to the "lastest version/fixpack" which is a menu option on the menus in my running PFSenase system as "System/Firmware/Manual Update". It wants to load a file.

So I use other computer, go to Snapshots section, and rather than Nanobsd, I find "Updates" folder.
THere are updates for Embedded, and for NanoBSD.
OK I find the update for the 4gig image I'm using as this:

http://snapshots.pfsense.org/FreeBSD_RELENG_7_2/pfSense_RELENG_1_2/updates/pfSense-1.2.3-4g-20091004-1410-nanobsd-upgrade.img.gz

One thing I notice, it's not a TGZ like the screen on the system expect the file to be. After downloadng that file, if I pick that file in order to do the update, it tries to send it to my Alix and then comes back with "this is not a valid file, the MD5 is wrong, etc do you really want to load this onto your system…"

Of course I'm not goiong to click past this... I dont want to hoses up my working system
I've tried from 2 differnet computers, and 2 different dates (oct 4 and a few days before)

What am I missing?

jahonix

@pmb1010:

I have Alix board with 4GB compact flash, and the 4G NanoBSD img
[…]
Of course I'm not goiong to click past this… I dont want to hoses up my working system

You have a working NanoBSD install, right?
Goto Diagnostics | NanoBSD and copy the working slice (usually #1) to the backup slice (should be #2).
Now you've got a clone from your working setup that you can select when booting.
You should check that it is actually working, though…

Now install the upgrade. MD5s are computed for stable releases only, if I remember correctly.

If your upgrade fails:

report back &
boot from slice #2 and clone it back to slice #1

pmb1010

Yes, working OK nanoBSD.

I go to Diagnostics, NanoBSD and click the duplicate slice option.
Goes to the spinning icon, saying "Duplicating slice. Please wait, this will take a moment.."

It does this for hours. It's a 4 Gig compact flash, I dont expect it to be quick but it never seems to finish.

–-----------------
Update:
I build a test system (non-Alix) based on an old HP PC I had laying around, but with IDE-> CF adapter installed so I can use the nano-builds. Configured via the serial port, then went onto the GUI interface.
Using the same 9/30/09 Nano version, I can sucessfully duplicate the slice on this 4g CF in about 5 minutes. Ran the update image, it did say it failed the MD5 and I forged ahead and let it update.
It updated the 2nd slice with Oct 6th code in another 5 minutes, it rebooted to slice 2 and seems OK.
This is working as I expected things to work.

So somethings funky with this Alix, I'm having trouble duplicating the slice from within the GUI.
Are there any commands I can type in from the shell to manually similate this process to clone the image?

MORE:
p---------------------
Even without the image clone, I went ahead and tried to update the firmware anyway.
I downlaoded the updater code aond tried to force it into the alix setup.
no go.

Get this
System: Firmware: Manual Update

The following input errors were detected:

The image file is corrupt.

Not sure what to do.

suggesetions?

gnhb

Hi,

I'd like to know what the manual procedure for doing an update is as well. I can't figure it out.
I'm running 2.0-FreeBSD 8.0 nanobsd image on ALIX board. I'm having the same experience. When I try to duplicate slice it goes forever and nothing seems to happen. When I use the GUI to try to update with a .tgz "Embedded" file that I downloaded manually, it says that the .tgz file isn't compatible with the nanobsd image.

Thanks,

GNB

jimp

gnhb,

You do not need to manually duplicate the slice. That is only if something goes really wrong and you want to fix the slice you're not booting from. It will take a long time, especially if you are using a large (4GB) CF on an ALIX.

You do not use an "embedded" .tgz file to update NanoBSD, you need to use one labeled as nanobsd, with a size the same as the CF image you used for the initial imaging. That is, if you originally using a 2GB image, you need the 2GB update file.

You can update manually by downloading this image, and then using the firmware update tab in the GUI, or you can do a console update by URL and feed it the full URL for the update image.

For example, for a 4GB image you would use an update like this for 2.0:
http://snapshots.pfsense.org/FreeBSD_RELENG_8_0/pfSense_HEAD/updates/pfSense-2.0-ALPHA-ALPHA-4g-20091129-2217-nanobsd-upgrade.img.gz

Or this for 1.2.3:
http://snapshots.pfsense.org/FreeBSD_RELENG_7_2/pfSense_RELENG_1_2/nanobsd/pfSense-1.2.3-4g-20091127-0411-nanobsd.img.gz

pmb1010

Just an FYI on how I solved this issue:

never got past the original problem.
I downloaded (a later) dated version of the NanoBSD image.
Logged into my existiong ALIX
Saved my configuration to a local PC on the LAN
Reflashed the CF card with the later image, essentially wiping out what was there.
Powered up the ALIX and went thru the initial configuration, and set enough configuration to establish a connection to it from local PC.
Restored the saved configuration file to the new flash, rebooted the device and it worked.