23.01 installation-minimal console output,no keyboard input.

PoisedRegent · Mar 9, 2023, 8:32 PM

@NGUSER6947 I'm using screen on Mac. Speed set to 115200. So I don't know I'm very green to all this. Thanks for your reply

NGUSER6947 · Mar 9, 2023, 8:33 PM

@poisedregent try turning flow control (probably set to xon/xoff) off. There's a similar thread here someplace that mentions it.

PoisedRegent · Mar 10, 2023, 1:17 AM

Flow control has no effect. I'm 100% stuck. No idea what to do. I'm guessing a recovery image wouldn't help. Is there anything i can do from gui to try to figure it out ? Maybe some sort of diagnostics that I could post here ? Thanks

Gertjan · Mar 10, 2023, 8:34 AM

@poisedregent

Using a MAC ? And 'screen' ?
See the - mentionned above - thread https://forum.netgate.com/topic/178577/console-display-missing-letters-u-and-l?_=1678437025092

so it works.

Still, I would like to prefer that you check the pfSense documentation, and use a good known terminal (& SSH) client : Putty.

Btw : the console access is important. Your device, as most router etc, have no HDMI/VGA so the serial console is the most important interface.
True : when you 2100 has been set up, you won't be needing that interface anymore.

@poisedregent said in 23.01 installation-minimal console output,no keyboard input.:

I connect to console I get minimal output.

What is this minimal output ?

PoisedRegent · Mar 10, 2023, 9:38 PM

@gertjan "screen" is native serial terminal on MAC . Min output .. I get blank screen and only shows menu if I wait a min then hit enter, after that zero keyboard input. Tried the flow control on/off in previous thread, didn't work.

PoisedRegent · Mar 10, 2023, 9:42 PM

I'm thinking that It is going through the normal process at first I'm just not seeing it. So I tried waiting and then hit 6 (halt system) on blank screen instead of enter (to show menu) and it did indeed halt system giving me the system halted message or whatever on the screen. However like before I have zero keyboard input after that initial option/command. When I remove power and insert USB and reboot it does display all booting info but I'm unable to interrupt the booting process, no keyboard input after that first and only selection (6 Halt system)

NGUSER6947 · Mar 10, 2023, 9:41 PM

@poisedregent Have you tried using puTTY?

PoisedRegent · Mar 10, 2023, 9:50 PM

@NGUSER6947 I have not. Screen has always worked for me before. Was thinking about grabbing another serial cable even though this is the one that came with device and is practically brand new. Oh ya and my action icons on GUI have reappeared somehow. No more blank squares.

jimp · Apr 24, 2024, 5:33 AM

Try disabling flow control.

screen <dev> 115200,-ixon or maybe even screen <dev> 115200,-ixon,-ixoff

stephenw10 · Mar 12, 2023, 4:15 PM

I would also try a different USB cable. We have seen some oddly behaved cables in the past.

PoisedRegent · Mar 20, 2023, 5:07 PM

So after trying flow control again, no change. New cable, no change. I still can't see or interact with Console. I was able to install the recent 23.01 update netgate sent out and I am now able to install packages. Action icons are back to squares although they do appear every so many resets only to disappear again. 100% stuck. Too green to know what to do.

stephenw10 · Mar 20, 2023, 5:08 PM

You have a screenshot of the 'icons as squares' just for clarity?

wblanton · Mar 22, 2023, 5:12 PM

I'm seeing very similar issues. After the upgrade and the system reboots, the console a login screen that looks like a typical linux (and I assume BSD) login. It literally just says "login:" and then "password:" after you enter the username. After I rebooted it, it boots up normally.

When it finally booted up, I had 4 PHP errors with the following message:

PHP ERROR: Type: 64, File: /usr/local/pkg/squid.inc, Line: 852, Message: Array and string offset access syntax with curly braces is no longer supported

Gertjan · Mar 22, 2023, 5:42 PM

@wblanton said in 23.01 installation-minimal console output,no keyboard input.:

/usr/local/pkg/squid.inc

You didn't remove the packages before you upgraded pfSense ?

What probably happened : the squid package was written, with PHP 7.4 in mind.
During pfSense upgrade, that PHP 7.4 was removed, and PHP 8.x was put in place.
Or, during upgrade, the packages - which, officially, see upgrade procedures - shouldn't be there as they can mess up the upgrade process, the installed packages are not upgraded.
That's done after the reboot. And can take some time.

What happened is that during startup some squid code was already executed.
And not compatible.

Doing nothing now is probably the best method, as squid will get updated as a final 'after pfSEnse upgrade process'. The error will be gone.

Btw : See, for example : pfSense Plus Software Version 23.01 is Now Available for Upgrades

Below Tips on Upgrading you will find :

Do not update packages before upgrading. Remove all packages or update packages after the upgrade.

The thing is : this time, there was a PHP upgrade.

That's like the building company that comes over to redo your house foundation.
You were thinking : should I remove the walls first ?
You said : Naaaaaaa, we'll see.

You saw it ;)

stephenw10 · Mar 22, 2023, 7:10 PM

@wblanton said in 23.01 installation-minimal console output,no keyboard input.:

/usr/local/pkg/squid.inc, Line: 852

That's a known issue but it can be ignored if you rebooted and it fully booted after that:
https://redmine.pfsense.org/issues/13680

But that's a different issue to what's being discussed in this tread. You should start a new thread if you need to discuss further.

Steve

toggenation · Apr 24, 2024, 5:33 AM

@jimp Thankyou!

I have an M1 macbook and I could see the console menu but could not input anything. I tried multiple different USB-C Male to USB-A Female convertors with the supplied Netgate 2100 cable and no change.

To get out of the stuck screen session:

Ctrl-a, Ctrl-\

This works on my Macbook Pro M1 ~circa 2020 running Sonmoa 14.4.1

screen /dev/cu.usbserial-110 115200,-ixon