Unable to check for updates, Package Manager not working

CheeMG

Thank you gertjan for the response.

I cannot reboot to single user mode to do fsck as per the youtube video as I am remote.
However, I had already done a Reboot with Filesystem check under Diagnostics->Reboot and it didn't help.

Is it safe to do this?
pkg install pfSense pfSense-base pfSense-default-config pfSense-kernel-pfSense pfSense-rc pfSense-repo pfSense-upgrade
Do you know if this command can bring the firewall? The pfSense-default-config will reset to factory defaults (we don't this)? Our firewall is production live and we cannot risk any downtime.
Got the above command from the link below:
https://forum.netgate.com/topic/109945/error-it-was-not-possible-to-identify-which-pfsense-kernel-is-installed/22

This is our production firewall and we bring it down long for too long to do a reinstall. Also cannot risk running commands that can bring the firewall down. Probably have to get a replacement...

Gertjan

@cheemg said in Unable to check for updates, Package Manager not working:

However, I had already done a Reboot with Filesystem check under Diagnostics->Reboot and it didn't help.

Diagnostics->Reboot ?
That's the GUI.

I was not talking about the GUI access.
The CONSOLE access !!!!!!!!!!!
Only with that access you can, like any other PC type device on planet earth, choose, during boot, which boot device is used to boot.
Normally, like a PC (pfSEnse/Netgate isn't actually any different here), it boots "from the internal hard disk" During re installation, you should override this, so the system boots from the USB key.
See manual.

The console access is also needed to do a file system check.

CheeMG

@gertjan
Thank you gertjan.
I know it's Console Access. As mentioned, I am remote and thus cannot do this. Will have to wait.
Guess the "Reboot with Filesystem check" isn't as good as fsck at console during reboot to single user mode?

Gertjan

@cheemg said in Unable to check for updates, Package Manager not working:

Guess the "Reboot with Filesystem check" isn't as good as fsck at console during reboot to single user mode?

Good question....
I never tried it.
I do so now.

edit :
I followed the boot process on the VGA screen : it did check 5 times the file system.

can you do this :

and hit the Execute button ?

Do you find this in the list :

if not, don't try to install base packages by hand.
Whenever you can - when you're on site, re install. That's the 5 minutes procedure that will give a guaranteed clean solution.

CheeMG

@gertjan
Thank you gertjan

Yes, pkg-static info shows the pfsense packages.
Yes, guess we have no choice but go to site to install a fresh OS from the ISO and restore from backup config.

Thank you once again.

pfSense-2.5.0                  Meta package to install pfSense required ports
pfSense-Status_Monitoring-1.7.11_3 pfSense Status Monitoring
pfSense-base-2.5.0             pfSense core files
pfSense-default-config-2.5.0   pfSense default config
pfSense-kernel-pfSense-2.5.0   pfSense kernel (pfSense)
pfSense-pkg-freeradius3-0.15.7_29 FreeRADIUS 3.x package for pfSense
pfSense-pkg-openvpn-client-export-1.5_5 pfSense package openvpn-client-export
pfSense-rc-2.5.0               pfSense rc script and rc.initial shell
pfSense-repo-2.5.0_1           Setup pfSense pkg(8) repositories
pfSense-upgrade-0.92           pfSense upgrade script

faust

Hi!
I have the exact same problem on a XG-7100 (21.05-RELEASE).

Reinstalling is not an option for the moment.
Is there anything that I could try to resolve this problem?

[21.05-RELEASE][admin@pfSense.home.arpa]/root: pkg-static update -f
pkg-static: Invalid ABI
pkg-static: Warning: Major OS version upgrade detected.  Running "pkg bootstrap -f" recommended
No active remote repositories configured.
[21.05-RELEASE][admin@pfSense.home.arpa]/root: pkg bootstrap -f
The package management tool is not yet installed on your system.
Do you want to fetch and install it now? [y/N]: y
Bootstrapping pkg from pkg+http://pkg.FreeBSD.org/ALTABI=/latest, please wait...
pkg: Error fetching http://pkg.FreeBSD.org/ALTABI=/latest/Latest/pkg.txz: Not Found
A pre-built version of pkg could not be found for your system.
Consider changing PACKAGESITE or installing it from ports: 'ports-mgmt/pkg'.

Regards,
Faustin

faust

So, I may have found a solution.

Files in /usr/local/share/pfSense/pkg/repos where all empty, so I have just recovered those files from another exact same pfSense version (and model).

And everything seems OK now.

vtjungle

@faust Thank you so much, this saved my bacon! We had a remote firewall out in the field with this issue and reinstalling the OS was not possible due to the lack of physical access. We were able to take another 3100 running on a much older version, update it it to 21.05.1, then copy the files over to the broken firewall and ran a refresh with the following:

pkg-static clean -ay; pkg-static install -fy pkg pfSense-repo pfSense-upgrade

UI instantly showed an update available and it went through fine.

faust

@vtjungle great that it helped you! I know that feeling when you manage to regain access to a remote equipment with nobody on site :)

ariban99

@faust said in Unable to check for updates, Package Manager not working:

So, I may have found a solution.

Files in /usr/local/share/pfSense/pkg/repos where all empty, so I have just recovered those files from another exact same pfSense version (and model).

And everything seems OK now.

this was the fix for me as well. good thing we had a similar netgate 3100 elsewhere!