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    Boot Issue w/Multi USB Flash Drives

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved 2.1 Snapshot Feedback and Problems - RETIRED
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    • N
      NOYB
      last edited by

      This seems odd.

      Setup
      No disk drive, no CDROM drive, 2 USB flash drives each with a different snapshot installed and different config.

      Issue
      System boots OS (FreeBSD) from one device and loads pfSense from the other.

      Query
      Why is this and how can I make it load pfSense from the same device the OS booted from?

      Thanks

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      • W
        wallabybob
        last edited by

        My guess is that /etc/fstab on both drives says /dev/da0 is to be mounted as the root file system.

        FreeBSD will enumerate the two drives as da0 and da1. Suppose you boot from da1 then /etc/fstab on da1 says to mount /dev/da0 as / hence you see what you report.

        Suggested solution: boot with only one drive plugged in. Other readers with more detailed information of the capabilities of FreeBSD might be able to suggest other solutions. On Linux fstab can specify partitions by UUID allowing partitions to be uniquely identified regardless of device probe order but I don't know if there is equivalent capability in FreeBSD.

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        • N
          NOYB
          last edited by

          Sounds like that is what's going on.  FreeBSD booting to one device, then enumerating the devices in a different order.  Such that da0 ends up being the other device.

          Anyone know how to force FreeBSD to set da0 to be the device it booted from?

          Thanks

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          • E
            eri--
            last edited by

            Normally you use labels for these things.

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            • N
              NOYB
              last edited by

              @ermal:

              Normally you use labels for these things.

              Don't see how putting a label on the device will accomplish the objective of forcing da0 to be the device FreeBSD booted from.  Except of course in the case where the boot device also is the device with label corresponding to da0.

              All ears if someone knows how to do this.

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