Netgate Discussion Forum
    • Categories
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Users
    • Search
    • Register
    • Login

    [SOLVED] Update 2.3.4 to 2.4 failed ("Unable to check for updates", …)

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Problems Installing or Upgrading pfSense Software
    17 Posts 9 Posters 32.3k Views
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • P
      PiBa
      last edited by

      Internet connectivity from pfSense box itself works fine?

      Check if you have any 0 byte packages in the /var/pkg/cache , and perhaps a file called 'empty' in the

      If you see any zero byte files in the directories below, such as a file named ".empty", remove them.
      /usr/local/share/pfSense/keys/pkg/trusted/
      /usr/local/share/pfSense/keys/pkg/revoked/
      https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php?topic=136950.msg749972#msg749972

      If above doesn't help, perhaps run "truss -f -o /root/pkg_truss.log pkg-static install -f pkg" and attach the file that gets created. It might tell what pkg is trying to do..

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • J
        JohnnyBeGood
        last edited by

        Hi all,

        Had same issue while trying to upgrade using web interface. Rebooted pfSense using web interface and tried again and it worked!
        Here's the successful upgrade log https://pastebin.com/b0j8JEzy

        I like to fill my tub up with water, then turn the shower on and act like I'm in a submarine that's been hit!

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • F
          felix.wolfsteller
          last edited by

          @PiBa:

          Internet connectivity from pfSense box itself works fine?

          Yes, it did.

          @PiBa:

          Check if you have any 0 byte packages in the /var/pkg/cache , and perhaps a file called 'empty' in the

          You mean /var/cache/pkg:

          
          $ ls -lha /var/cache/pkg 
          lrwxr-xr-x  1 root  wheel    24B Oct 21 02:27 /var/cache/pkg -> ../../root/var/cache/pkg
          
          

          Probably again such a symlink thing (target does not exist). I deleted (and mkdir'd) /var/cache/pkg; afterwards pkg-static install -f pkg succeeded.

          Now /var/cache/pkg looks like this:

          $ ls -lha /var/cache/pkg/
          total 2917
          drwxr-xr-x  2 root  wheel  512B Oct 22 12:37 .
          drwxr-xr-x  3 root  wheel  512B Oct 22 12:37 ..
          -rw-r–r--  1 root  wheel  2.8M Oct  8 23:44 pkg-1.10.1_1-5a32648e84.txz
          lrwxr-xr-x  1 root  wheel    27B Oct 22 12:37 pkg-1.10.1_1.txz -> pkg-1.10.1_1-5a32648e84.txz

          @PiBa:

          If you see any zero byte files in the directories below, such as a file named ".empty", remove them.
          /usr/local/share/pfSense/keys/pkg/trusted/
          /usr/local/share/pfSense/keys/pkg/revoked/
          https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php?topic=136950.msg749972#msg749972

          In "trusted" there are two 95B files, in "revoked" one .empty, which i deleted.

          @PiBa:

          If above doesn't help, perhaps run "truss -f -o /root/pkg_truss.log pkg-static install -f pkg" and attach the file that gets created. It might tell what pkg is trying to do..

          I did not do this because "pkg-static install -f pkg" succeeded after the cache-symlink-cleanup (see above)

          Thanks a lot PiBa! At least this allowed to go one step further. The GUI still shows "unable to check for updates", but at least the pkg thing seems to be clean now. I guess I could start the update via shell (pfSense-upgrade?) now - will try this when a slightly more relaxed time slot falls into my life. soon.

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • F
            felix.wolfsteller
            last edited by

            I though I'd at least check if pfSense-upgrade would show me available package updates. Following happens:

            
            $ pfSense-upgrade 
            pkg-static: No package(s) matching pfSense-kernel-*
            >>> Updating repositories metadata... 
            Updating pfSense-core repository catalogue...
            pkg-static: Repository pfSense-core has a wrong packagesite, need to re-create database
            Fetching meta.txz: . done
            Fetching packagesite.txz: . done
            Processing entries: . done
            pfSense-core repository update completed. 7 packages processed.
            Updating pfSense repository catalogue...
            pkg-static: Repository pfSense has a wrong packagesite, need to re-create database
            Fetching meta.txz: . done
            Fetching packagesite.txz: .......... done
            Processing entries: .......... done
            pfSense repository update completed. 485 packages processed.
            All repositories are up to date.
            ERROR: Unable to compare version of pfSense-repo
            
            

            That seems not so dramatic, but following scares me quite a lot:

            
            $ pkg info
            Shared object "libssl.so.8" not found, required by "pkg"
            
            [code]
            $ find / -name "libssl.so*"
            /usr/lib/libssl.so.7
            /usr/lib/libssl.so
            [/code]
            
            [code]
            $ pkg update
            Shared object "libssl.so.8" not found, required by "pkg"
            [/code]
            
            I guess I should not reboot that box now ... ? :)
            Any help appreciated. The cheapest try would be to symlink `ln -s /usr/lib/libssl.so /usr/lib/libssl.so.8` - but this really gives me goosebumps.
            
            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • GrimsonG
              Grimson Banned
              last edited by

              Just do a fresh 2.4 install and recover/restore the config backup, saves a lot of time and you are sure the system is in a clean state.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • P
                PiBa
                last edited by

                A reinstall would probably be best indeed.

                If you want to keep trying to salvage the current running installation then some commands to try below. But be prepared to reinstall anyhow as it might break functionality further..

                
                pkg-static update -f
                pkg-static install -f pkg
                pkg-static install -y pfSense pfSense-base pfSense-repo pfSense-kernel-pfSense pfSense-rc pfSense-repo pfSense-upgrade
                
                pkg-static unlock pfSense-kernel-pfSense
                pkg-static upgrade -f
                pkg-static lock pfSense-kernel-pfSense
                
                pfSense-upgrade -d
                
                
                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • F
                  felix.wolfsteller
                  last edited by

                  @PiBa:

                  A reinstall would probably be best indeed.

                  If you want to keep trying to salvage the current running installation then some commands to try below. But be prepared to reinstall anyhow as it might break functionality further..

                  
                  pkg-static update -f
                  pkg-static install -f pkg
                  pkg-static install -y pfSense pfSense-base pfSense-repo pfSense-kernel-pfSense pfSense-rc pfSense-repo pfSense-upgrade
                  
                  pkg-static unlock pfSense-kernel-pfSense
                  pkg-static upgrade -f
                  pkg-static lock pfSense-kernel-pfSense
                  
                  pfSense-upgrade -d
                  
                  

                  Okay. Our users are allergic to downtimes, so this needs a bit of preparation. Will post the outcome and edit original question if solution is found within PiBas Wisdom (thanks a lot!).

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • F
                    felix.wolfsteller
                    last edited by

                    Awesome PiBa, that worked (I executed all of the commands). Got quite some further warnings about libssl, libcrypto etc pp but the box rebooted and the logs look fine to me! The GU shows "version 2.4.0" and "latest version". Is there anything to do to clean thing up?

                    Once I gained confidence that the box behaves stable, I will update the original Post.

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • F
                      felix.wolfsteller
                      last edited by

                      This is the relevant crash info (appears on every reboot). Creating a symlink to libssl.so.{8,7} leads to similar issues (I think then libcrypto.so is missing).
                      I found various other threads about this issue (https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php?topic=137941 / ACME, https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php?topic=137939) but did not dare to dive into it - for now the system seems okay. I cross fingers for a 2.4.1 update moving everything back into place.

                      
                      			Crash report begins.  Anonymous machine information:
                      
                      amd64
                      11.1-RELEASE-p1
                      FreeBSD 11.1-RELEASE-p1 #83 r313908+d77c47fe50c(RELENG_2_4_0): Tue Oct 10 06:48:42 CDT 2017     root@buildbot2.netgate.com:/builder/ce-240/tmp/obj/builder/ce-240/tmp/FreeBSD-src/sys/pfSense
                      
                      Crash report details:
                      
                      PHP Errors:
                      [23-Oct-2017 07:25:06 Europe/Berlin] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library '/usr/local/lib/php/20131226/ssh2.so' - Shared object "libssl.so.7" not found, required by "libssh2.so.1" in Unknown on line 0
                      [23-Oct-2017 07:25:06 Europe/Berlin] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library '/usr/local/lib/php/20131226/ssh2.so' - Shared object "libssl.so.7" not found, required by "libssh2.so.1" in Unknown on line 0
                      [23-Oct-2017 07:25:08 Europe/Berlin] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library '/usr/local/lib/php/20131226/ssh2.so' - Shared object "libssl.so.7" not found, required by "libssh2.so.1" in Unknown on line 0
                      [23-Oct-2017 07:25:34 Europe/Berlin] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library '/usr/local/lib/php/20131226/ssh2.so' - Shared object "libssl.so.7" not found, required by "libssh2.so.1" in Unknown on line 0
                      [23-Oct-2017 07:25:34 Europe/Berlin] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library '/usr/local/lib/php/20131226/ssh2.so' - Shared object "libssl.so.7" not found, required by "libssh2.so.1" in Unknown on line 0
                      [23-Oct-2017 07:25:34 Europe/Berlin] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library '/usr/local/lib/php/20131226/ssh2.so' - Shared object "libssl.so.7" not found, required by "libssh2.so.1" in Unknown on line 0
                      [23-Oct-2017 07:25:36 Europe/Berlin] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library '/usr/local/lib/php/20131226/ssh2.so' - Shared object "libssl.so.7" not found, required by "libssh2.so.1" in Unknown on line 0
                      [23-Oct-2017 07:25:36 Europe/Berlin] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library '/usr/local/lib/php/20131226/ssh2.so' - Shared object "libssl.so.7" not found, required by "libssh2.so.1" in Unknown on line 0
                      [23-Oct-2017 07:25:37 Europe/Berlin] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library '/usr/local/lib/php/20131226/ssh2.so' - Shared object "libssl.so.7" not found, required by "libssh2.so.1" in Unknown on line 0
                      [23-Oct-2017 07:25:37 Europe/Berlin] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library '/usr/local/lib/php/20131226/ssh2.so' - Shared object "libssl.so.7" not found, required by "libssh2.so.1" in Unknown on line 0
                      [23-Oct-2017 07:25:43 Europe/Berlin] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library '/usr/local/lib/php/20131226/ssh2.so' - Shared object "libssl.so.7" not found, required by "libssh2.so.1" in Unknown on line 0
                      
                      No FreeBSD crash data found.
                      
                      
                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • P
                        PiBa
                        last edited by

                        Installing acme package from system\packagemanager and then removing it 'should' be a safe action to take..

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • E
                          echu2016
                          last edited by

                          I got crazy to with 4 PFSense VMs…..
                          After a day, I realized the way to go...
                          The problem begins when following the suggestion "Major OS blahblah..." and installing pkg again.... Because, it installs FreeBSD 11 pkg package.
                          So, to make the upgrade work again, and not to deal with a manual upgrade what I did (worked) was:

                          cat /usr/local/sbin/pkg-static > /usr/sbin/pkg
                          

                          This is, switching back (manually) to pkg-static version.
                          After issuing this command, upgrade should be done automatically as usual.
                          Try to issue a pkg -v before and after the command I wrote here, notice de difference.
                          Regards,

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • ?
                            Guest
                            last edited by

                            we converted a NanoBSD into a full 64b installation using the procedure from the wiki (boot slices, script).

                            Netgates Blog - pfSense version 2.4.0 is here

                            Important Information
                            _A few noteworthy items about running or upgrading to pfSense 2.4:

                            • 32-bit x86 and NanoBSD have been deprecated and are not supported on pfSense 2.4.
                              Hardware capable of running 64-bit images should be reinstalled with a 64-bit version.
                            • 32-bit x86 hardware can continue to run pfSense software version 2.3.x, which will receive
                              security updates for at least a year after pfSense 2.4.0-RELEASE.
                            • NanoBSD installs on 64-bit hardware must be changed to run a full installation. This can be
                              accomplished by reinstalling or by following the manual upgrade procedure to convert NanoBSD to a full installation.
                            • To use ZFS, a reinstall of the operating system is required. It is not possible to upgrade in-place from UFS to ZFS at this time.
                            • Wireless interfaces must be created on the Wireless tab under Interfaces > Assignments before they are
                              available for assignment
                            • Some hardware devices may not boot pfSense 2.4.0 installation images, for example, due to UEFI compatibility changes.
                              These are primarily BIOS issues and not issues with the installer images. Upgrading in place from pfSense 2.3.x typically
                              allows affected hardware to run version pfSense 2.4.x. In some cases, manually adjusting the installer images can allow
                              the hardware to boot._

                            A clean, fresh and full install was causing only ~30 minutes with a configuration play back!
                            I was choosing to install and use ZFS and so it was a "must be" with the fresh install but
                            without any problems, the upgrade from 2.4.0 to 2.4.1 was also not a nice trip here,
                            and I mean this really, so once more again I was installing fresh, and full and now I
                            am staying here on 2.4.1 so long as I can do it!

                            We ran the update, which failed due to timeouts during package download 2 or 3 times.

                            Deinstalling all packages and reinstalling all packages will be needing the same time to do a clean, fresh and full
                            install and play back the config.

                            After reboot, the GUI still shows version "2.3.4-RELEASE-p1 (amd64)".

                            Try out a fresh and full install against all other things, it not really popular but faster then all other methods
                            brings you fully ZFS support and you get not into trouble with IPSec VPN too likes much other users.

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • F
                              felix.wolfsteller
                              last edited by

                              Thanks everybody. Updated the issue and marked as solved. I was able to have a (for now) stable box without a fresh install.
                              I think it remains very important that updates are possible (think of remote hardware) and the devs and users should know where updates are tricky - to solve issues and improve behaviour in the future.
                              Of course fresh installations might be easier and faster and thanks god export and import of the configuration works.

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • T
                                talon4x4
                                last edited by

                                @felix.wolfsteller:

                                Steps to resolve

                                1. Cleaned up link-mess in /var/cache/pkg

                                $ ls -lha /var/cache/pkg 
                                lrwxr-xr-x  1 root  wheel    24B Oct 21 02:27 /var/cache/pkg -> ../../root/var/cache/pkg
                                
                                

                                2. Delete an ".empty" file in /usr/local/share/pfSense/keys/pkg/revoked/ (check below for other key-issues)

                                3. Installed packages via pkg-static and upgrade

                                pkg-static update -f
                                pkg-static install -f pkg
                                pkg-static install -y pfSense pfSense-base pfSense-repo pfSense-kernel-pfSense pfSense-rc pfSense-repo pfSense-upgrade
                                
                                pkg-static unlock pfSense-kernel-pfSense
                                pkg-static upgrade -f
                                pkg-static lock pfSense-kernel-pfSense
                                
                                pfSense-upgrade -d
                                

                                4. Installed and Removed acme package via GUI to get rid of crash reports

                                Just wanted to thank everyone for sharing this fix.  It worked perfectly and I'm now upgraded to v2.4.2

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • A
                                  AllGamer
                                  last edited by

                                  Thank you OP, this was a nice learning experience.

                                  Well worse case scenario, I only had to re-install from media, then restore the config xml file. as I've done in previous failed major version upgrade.

                                  but is good to learn how to re-cover from a bad upgrade.

                                  Almost every major version upgrade like this 2.3.4 to 2.4, or 2.x to 2.3, and all previous major number changes, seems to have problem upgrading properly.

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • hecsaH hecsa referenced this topic on
                                  • First post
                                    Last post
                                  Copyright 2025 Rubicon Communications LLC (Netgate). All rights reserved.