Booting from usb cdrom/dvdrom for install? which make/model?

mmlenz · Jul 16, 2009, 12:54 PM

I need to pick up an external CD (preferably DVD) ROM for part of which will be to install pfSense. Anyone using a relatively recent drive that you know works for installing? If so what is the make and model number?

cheesyboofs · Jul 16, 2009, 2:48 PM

This is more to do with the ability of your motherboard to boot from a USB device. I have a 'working' USB DVD ROM that I picked up off e-bay but I cant say for sure that you router will boot from it.

mmlenz · Jul 16, 2009, 2:56 PM

I don't think it ever had anything to do with bios as it did with the freebsd bootloader. I had 3 different externals that could boot linux livecd's just fine that would not boot the pfSense cd's at the time. This was a LONG time ago, like 4 years maybe? Over the years I thought I'd read that the pfSense team addressed (or freebsd fixed) these issues.

I still thought I would check and at least try to buy make and model that people are actually using rather than roll the dice.

wallabybob · Jul 17, 2009, 12:46 AM

Some time ago I looked the Linux source code for support of USB mass storage devices (e.g. USB HDD adapters, USB optical drive adapters) and noticed a fairly extensive table of devices with "quirks". At the time I was looking, FreeBSD had a similar sort of table but much less extensive.

Experience teaches that not all USB mass storage adapters are equal, so the question is definitly worth asking.

I bought a USB CD-ROM drive on Ebay a couple of years ago. It reports as a Samsung unit though I can't find anything on the outside to identify it as a Samsung unit.. I've successfully booted a couple of different FreeBSD versions with this drive.

mmlenz · Jul 17, 2009, 1:20 AM

I just remembered that I bought my GF a samsung slim dvdrw usb powered along with her eeepc. I'll give that a try and if it works I'll buy another one.