Serial console login disabled after RC snapshot update

pvoigt

I am currently evaluating 2.2-RC (2G nanoBSD) on an ALIX.2D13 with MiniPCI WLAN adapter. My first impression is very good. In the current development state I do not use it as a firewall but more as a LAN member thus not beeing able to fully test the system.

I have detected one smaller issue that I would like to address. I am using the GUI updater to install latest 2.2-RC snapshots. After installation of a new snapshot the serial console is accessible again without login protection. When checking the settings they turn out to be correct, e.g. the serial console should be password protected. I figured out the password protection will be back only after explicitly pressing the "save" button on the "System -> Advanced" page of the webGUI. I strongly suppose this is not the expected behavior.

Regards,
Peter

phil.davis

After the upgrade is complete, if you then do another reboot, do you get the console password protected?

If so, then I guess it is "just" the implementation of that setting on-the-fly after doing upgrade code that has gone wrong somewhere.

pvoigt

@phil.davis:

After the upgrade is complete, if you then do another reboot, do you get the console password protected?

I will check this with the next snapshot update.

Regards,
Peter

pvoigt

@phil.davis:

After the upgrade is complete, if you then do another reboot, do you get the console password protected?

If so, then I guess it is "just" the implementation of that setting on-the-fly after doing upgrade code that has gone wrong somewhere.

I have just upgraded to the latest snapshot:

pfSense (nanobsd) 2.2-RC i386 Mon Dec 22 01:04:10 CST 2014

Directly after the upgrade the serial console is no longer password protected in spite of the settings in the webGUI. The situation does not change after a further reboot. Only an explicit "Save" under "System -> Advanced" brings back password protection again.

Regards,
Peter

phil.davis

I have confirmed this issue.

Select "Password protect the console menu" from System->Advanced, Admin and press Save. The console now prompts for login in real time.
Reboot to confirm the setting is preserved - yep, all good - the console prompts for login at the end of the boot output.
Upgrade to latest snapshot.
Console is no longer password protected. (but config.xml has <disableconsolemenu>correctly in it)
Reboot (any number of times) - console is never password protected.
Go to System->Advanced, Admin and press Save. Now the password protect is implemented.

The underlying cause seems to be that pfsense-utils.inc/setup_serial_port() is only called by config.lib.inc/reset_factory_defaults() and directly from system_advanced_admin.php

setup_serial_port() modifies /etc/ttys to implement the required settings on the appropriate tty entry/s.

On a nanoBSD upgrade, that needs to be done to the new /etc/ttys on the new slice. But there does not seem to be any code that does it during or after the upgrade. I looked on 2.1.5 also, and it looks like there is nothing there either and that an upgrade from an earlier version to 2.1.5 might have this same issue.

I do not know about a full upgrade - perhaps /etc/ttys will be overwritten by the upgrade file, or perhaps it will be left in place and thus will work.

Bug ref: https://redmine.pfsense.org/issues/4140</disableconsolemenu>