Getting 'not currently mounted /cf' on embedded system running on flash

ttblum

2.0.1-RELEASE][admin@pfsense.localdomain]/root(1): mount

/dev/ufs/pfsense0 on / (ufs, local, noatime, read-only, synchronous)
devfs on /dev (devfs, local)
/dev/md0 on /tmp (ufs, local)
/dev/md1 on /var (ufs, local)

[2.0.1-RELEASE][admin@pfsense.localdomain]/root(2): cd /cf

[2.0.1-RELEASE][admin@pfsense.localdomain]/cf(3): ls

conf

[2.0.1-RELEASE][admin@pfsense.localdomain]/cf(4): cd conf

[2.0.1-RELEASE][admin@pfsense.localdomain]/cf/conf(5): ls

backup config.xml dhcpleases.tgz ez-ipupdate.cache rrd.tgz sshd

[2.0.1-RELEASE][admin@pfsense.localdomain]/cf/conf(6):

stephenw10

Hmm. So the config slice is not mounted as /cf but you can still cd into it and list it's contents. What…. :-\

How does that compare with your other Alix boxes?
Not something I know about I'm afraid. :(

Steve

ttblum

Hi,

My other Alix routers look normal like the example you posted.

I'm just concerned about rebooting it in case there is a hardware problem, such as bad disk, etc.

Thanks,

Todd

stephenw10

Is that the only one running bandwidthd?

Steve

ttblum

I have bandwidthd running OK on at least two other Alix routers. I have had the CF card fail on one of them before, but never this specific error.

jimp

If the /cf slice fails to mount, it would still write files into /cf/ on / - a little odd, but it happens.

I'd run:

fsck -y /dev/ufs/cf

And then see what that reports. If it's dead/not mounting, you may have a disk issue.

The main problem you'll have in your current state is that if you do a firmware update, you will lose your config because it's not on the shared config slice.

ttblum

OK. If there were a disk problem, any chance the fsck would bring the router down?

jimp

No, the /cf slice is already unmounted so unless the entire CF is about to blow, it's unlikely running a check on an unmounted/inactive slice will hurt anything.

ttblum

[2.0.1-RELEASE][admin@pfsense.localdomain]/root(1): fsck -y /dev/ufs/cf

Can't stat /dev/ufs/cf: No such file or directory
Can't stat /dev/ufs/cf: No such file or directory

[2.0.1-RELEASE][admin@pfsense.localdomain]/root(2):

jimp

sure you didn't do something like write an image to the card that was far too large?

I can't think of any reason why the slice would have just disappeared like that unless it was never written to the card. And since the cf slice is at the end of the card, if the image was too big (think writing a 2GB image to a 1GB card) then it may behave like that.

I suppose if the CF had a large number of bad sectors causing the disk to "shrink" it may also do that, but I don't think I've seen one act quite like that when it happens.