X86 Migration plan to 2.3

junicast · Apr 1, 2016, 1:17 PM

Hi,

I have a couple of installations running with 2.2.6 on common x86 hardware, partially virtualized. Those are my own but also customer environments I manage.
Now I'm planing to go to 2.3 soon. For some environments I want to risk testing 2.3 RC even if there might be some bugs.

For these systems going from 2.2.6 to 2.3 RC, what do I need to consider and what to do to upgrade? Just do a plain installation and then restore full backup from 2.2.6? What if 2.3 becomes stable. Can I go from those 2.3 RC installations to 2.3 stable? How?

For the systems I plan to upgrade to 2.3 stable coming from 2.2.6, what are the steps to do here?

Thank you for this brilliant pfSense software!

heper · Apr 1, 2016, 1:21 PM

just restore the config.xml

phil.davis · Apr 1, 2016, 2:23 PM

And just use update from GUI or console menu to go from 2.3-RC to 2.3-RELEASE and beyond as those versions come out.

jimp · Apr 1, 2016, 4:34 PM

You can upgrade in-place without much drama. Especially if you uninstall your packages first, then upgrade, then manually add them back. Along the way to 2.3 we have tested that on a number of occasions.

If you need to switch architectures, you can take a backup and then reinstall using the "Rescue config.xml" option on the installer's main menu, followed by a quick install. That saves the step of having to restore the config manually, but still take a backup in case you have to restore it some other way.

junicast · Apr 1, 2016, 6:29 PM

Thank you for your help @all. I would like to give something back as good as I can by summarizing my actions. It might be of help to someone else.

full backup WebGUI

uninstall packages

another full backup WebGUI

connect to console, choose: 13) Upgrade from console

1) Update from a URL

pasted this https://snapshots.pfsense.org/amd64/pfSense_RELENG_2_3/updates/pfSense-CE-Full-Update-2.3-RC-amd64-latest.tgz (Source: https://snapshots.pfsense.org/)

Warning about the image not being signed. Well this one made me unsure about what to choose, but since I downloaded via HTTPS I said

Do you want to install this image anyway at your own risk [n]? y

After file was downloaded it took less than 5 minutes to finish.

Hit the WebGUI 8) 8) 8)

Install packages

having a menu corpse in Services -> OLSRD Package wasn't installed just before update. Now I cannot reinstall, because there isn't such pacckage available any more.

vlan configuration is fully functional

he.net 6in4 tunnel still fully functional

Received notification about a Layer 7 shaping that has been removed. I actually was not aware that I used this function :-[

In the end I actually didn't need the backup files at all.

To me it feels like if the system has gotten much more responsive. I like it [b]very much ;D so far. The old GUI had gotten too retro lately.

cmb · Apr 1, 2016, 10:45 PM

@pmisch:

Received notification about a Layer 7 shaping that has been removed. I actually was not aware that I used this function :-[

[/quote]

You weren't if you weren't aware of it. The empty config tag was probably removed in that case.

sos · Apr 2, 2016, 12:30 AM

Don't you love it when impatience gets the better of you?

Upgrading now, thanks to the clear & present instructions of pmisch above. Wish me luck….

UPDATE: Wow. That was quick & painless. All up an running inside 5 minutes, with all my old configs, including cron and pfBlockerNG all imported automagically.

Also loving the slick, light interface :)