1.2 backup/upgrade question

Bankshot

I inherited a pfSense 1.2-Release installation, and I want to make a configuration backup and upgrade to the current version. It is installed on a low end server box, and after bootup completes it shows the following:

=============================================

*** Welcome to pfSense 1.2-RELEASE-pfSense on hsgw ***

LAN* -> bge0 -> 192.168.168.1
WAN* -> bge10 -> x.x.x.x

pfSense console setup

0) Logout (SSH only)
1) Assign Interfaces
2) Set LAN IP address
3) Reset webConfigurator password
4) Reset to factory defaults
5) Reboot system
6) Halt system
7) Ping host
8) Shell
9) PFtop
10) Filter Logs
11) Restart webConfigurator
12) pfSense PHP shell
13) Upgrade from console

Enter an option:

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All of the tutorials I read start from the WebGUI, I'm not sure how to get there from this console setup menu. My first priority is making a backup of the configuration files, after that is done I'd like to update to the current version. USB ports are available on this machine, or I could ftp the file to an external server via the WAN link.

wallabybob

@Bankshot:

All of the tutorials I read start from the WebGUI, I'm not sure how to get there

Connect a computer with a web browser to a switch connected to the pfSense LAN interface or directly to the pfSense LAN interface then point the browser to the IP address of the pfSense LAN interace. (The console output reports the pfSense LAN interface has IP address 192.168.168.1.) Then proceed to login as user admin with the password ???.

If you don't know the admin password, use option 3 on the console menu to set the password to a known value, then try again through the web browser.

Bankshot

Thanks! That got me in. I now have a backup of the .xml file - I assume that plus the ISO is all I'd need to restore the machine in case of a crash. No packages appear to be installed, so I should be able to upgrade via the console menu without any problems. Is there an easy way to verify that nothing else but pfSense is installed on the box?

wallabybob

@Bankshot:

Is there an easy way to verify that nothing else but pfSense is installed on the box?

In the web GUI: System -> Packages and click on the Installed Packages tab.

@Bankshot:

No packages appear to be installed, so I should be able to upgrade via the console menu without any problems.

I would be cautious about assuming the packages for very old versions of pfSense are still around or still at their original locations. I am not aware of any deliberate policy to cull old packages but stuff sometimes gets moved and the older the version of pfSense the more likely it is no one will notice.

@Bankshot:

I now have a backup of the .xml file - I assume that plus the ISO is all I'd need to restore the machine in case of a crash.

That is how it is supposed to work and how it has worked for me a number of times across a number of versions.

Bankshot

Right - I checked for installed packages within the webGUI under system/packages and the installed packages tab was empty, so I'm pretty sure I have a basic install of pfSense.

I ran pkg_info from the shell which showed the following packages installed:

bsdinstaller-2.0.2007.0827
cpdup-1.05
freetype2-2.2.2_1
grub-0.97
libart_lgpl-2.3.19,1
lighttpd-1.4.18
lua-5.0.2_1
pcre-6.6_1
perl-5.8.8
pkg-config-0.21
png-1.2.14

These all look like things that would be included in a base operating system install but I don't know enough about FreeBSD to be sure pfSense is the only application installed on the box. Is there anything else I need to check?

wallabybob

@Bankshot:

I don't know enough about FreeBSD to be sure pfSense is the only application installed on the box. Is there anything else I need to check?

Packages will normally be upgraded automatically on a pfSense upgrade so you probably don't need to be concerned about packages. However I don't know an automated way of checking for applications that might have been put on the system outside the package system (e.g. by copying from anther system) or changes made to php code..

From what you have written I suspect you might be concerned that the upgrade might break something. Do you have a hard drive you could temporarily put in the system, image copy (e.g. use dd) the existing hard drive to the newly added drive and then put the newly added drive somewhere for safe keeping for a little while, then go ahead with the upgrade?

Bankshot

Good idea - I actually have another near duplicate system in my spares pile. I'll set up 1.2 on that, load the config backup, then upgrade to 2.0.1 and swap the ethernet cables. That way if I manage to overlook or break something during the upgrade I can switch back to the existing setup by just swapping cables.

Thanks for all your help!