Fresh install for 24.03 (wrong image?)

[anthonys]

Wished to do a fresh install of 24.03 (on a SG-1100).
Requested installation image (now via netgate shop), where I saw no other option but to request ARCH64 Memstick.
But, this has served up what appears to be a BETA release firmware (pfSense-plus-installer-24.02-BETA2-aarch64-20240312-0600).
I'm OK to wait and try again for GA 24.03 in a day or 2, but I am very surprised that the support channel for production firmware to be serving up a Beta version.

[NogBadTheBad]

@anthonys I also noticed that with the AMD64 release as I wanted to change to ZFS.

I'm guessing that most people don't do a fresh install when each release comes out.

[kprovost]

@anthonys The installer is a beta version, but it'll happily install the 24.03 release version.

[bigsy]

@anthonys Here's a link to the blog posting from end of February which explains how the new installer for CE/Plus works. As posted elsewhere in this thread, it's the installer that is beta but it should download the correct image for your appliance.

[stephenw10]

Yup, that's the Net Installer image. We are renaming/numbering it to reduce confusion!

It's officially in beta but I've been testing it for months and haven't seen any significant error recently. None in that image.

It will install the correct 24.03-RELEASE version. It can also install other versions using the same boot image you just choose it from the menu.

Steve

[johnpoz]

@stephenw10 I ran into this where I was downloading the beta2 from the shop..

Your saying I can just use this and it will install the correct 24.03... Tac tried unmarking beta on my profile, but still downloaded the beta2 intstaller.

They ended up sending me a direct link to

pfSense-plus-memstick-serial-24.03-RELEASE-amd64.img.gz

They say its the correct one for my 4860, but images I had used before mentioned ADI in them, for example the 23.09 was

pfSense-plus-memstick-ADI-23.09-RELEASE-amd64.img

[stephenw10]

The current Net Installer image is beta2. That can install 24.03-REL to a 4860.

The memstick-ADI image is no longer built. The memstick-serial image can now detect the old ADI devices and apply the required loader variables without needing a separate image.

Both Net and legacy images should work fine on a 4860 and result in the same 24.03-REL install.

[johnpoz]

@stephenw10 I will try the beta installer then.. And if something goes wrong I have the old school installer to fall back too.

Thanks!

But might be a good idea to change the name of the net installer, sure other users will have questions/concerns that it lists 24.02-beta2 on it as well.

[stephenw10]

@stephenw10 said in Fresh install for 24.03 (wrong image?):

We are renaming/numbering it to reduce confusion!

Hence ^.

[anthonys]

@stephenw10 said in Fresh install for 24.03 (wrong image?):

The memstick-ADI image is no longer built.

My ISP requires PPPoE (and also needs it presented on a VLAN).
But from the doco Online Network Installer

No support for PPP-based WANs such as PPPoE,

What to do?

[johnpoz]

@anthonys can you just click upgrade? If you need to install - tac sent me the image.. You can prob reach out to tac and say you need the non netinstaller because you have ppoe isp.

[stephenw10]

@anthonys said in Fresh install for 24.03 (wrong image?):

What to do?

You can still open a TAC ticket and get the legacy installer.
https://www.netgate.com/tac-support-request

[SwissSteph]

Yesterday, I had an exchange with the support team. And the only answer I got was like this.

It seems that other people have had better luck than me in getting a 24.03 image to burn onto a USB stick as in the past.

My English is not good, maybe that's an explanation for not having also had a direct link like “johnpoz”...

For me, only "pfSense-plus-installer-24.02-BETA2-amd64-20240312-0600.img"

[stephenw10]

Hmm, what problem are you actually seeing?

You have downloaded the Net Installer image and cannot flash it to USB?

[SwissSteph]

@stephenw10

I have the “net” file, but I didn't put it on my USB key instead of the 23.09.1 image.

What bothers me is the fact that you need a network connection to “just” install an image completely.

My email exchange with support made me understand this, and no other solution was proposed (no direct link to the right image).

I think the idea of being able to obtain an image from your account is an excellent one. This way you don't bother support just for the image, and doing it yourself is practical. When support explained to me that I had to do this from my account, I did it straight away. It was only afterwards that I realized that it wasn't the image for my device alone, which was followed by an exchange of emails, to end up with only the “net” version.

[stephenw10]

If you have an install that cannot currently use the Net Installer (pppoe, arvm7, air-gapped etc) you can still get the legacy installer.

But there are a number of advantages with the Net Installer so I would use that if you can.
You can install Plus directly on custom hardware.
You can install several different Plus versions from the same installer image. Which you don't need to download a new recovery image at each release.
It can restore configs from several locations and automatically finds and offers them to you during the install.

[SwissSteph]

@stephenw10

I understand what you're saying, and if this is the “fashion” now, I'll follow “everyone else”.

Thank you for your intervention.