<![CDATA[Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade]]>I tried Netgate firmware upgrade from the UI. The on-screen instructions were to power-cycle the unit.

After I turned the power on, the most left LED is amber. The device is not displaying any messages in the serial console and doesn't boot from either internal storage or Net Install USB.

Does anyone have any idea how to fix this or the device is bricked?
Please see the attached image with the "successfull" upgrade message before I turned the unit off for more information.Screenshot 2024-09-18 at 8.59.01.png

Thanks!

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/topic/190160/amber-light-after-netgate-4100-firmware-upgradeRSS for NodeSun, 13 Sep 2026 11:29:27 GMTWed, 18 Sep 2024 06:32:38 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Fri, 14 Feb 2025 17:53:38 GMT]]>@smartcall Will do.

At present, given multiple young but out of warranty Netgate hardware of mine that are becoming unrecoverable the only reason I was buying Netgate hardware in the first place is no the case.

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1206514https://forum.netgate.com/post/1206514Fri, 14 Feb 2025 17:53:38 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Fri, 14 Feb 2025 17:36:55 GMT]]>@arri Unfortunately I haven't been able to solve the issue on my end so far. So now I have an expensive appliance sitting in my drawer.
I'd appreciate if you post a solution in case you ever find one.

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1206512https://forum.netgate.com/post/1206512Fri, 14 Feb 2025 17:36:55 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Fri, 14 Feb 2025 16:08:22 GMT]]>Same here, a 4100 Base where the eMMC wore out. The power was probably pulled on it by unknowing techs as well. I was able to boot from USB installer once to verify I could. After purchasing an appropriate NVMe and trying again to boot the installer I got nothing. No console, just the same leds on the board as above and an orange circle of death.

It just won't post now. I tried leaving the cmos battery out for a day to no avail.

Long pressing the power button will get the board mounted led's to do a little dance with the reset light but it always ends up back in this same state with no console output.

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1206498https://forum.netgate.com/post/1206498Fri, 14 Feb 2025 16:08:22 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Sat, 21 Sep 2024 13:56:04 GMT]]>@NOCling No, It doesn't show any BIOS/boot related messages in the serial console. Just a black screen.

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185402https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185402Sat, 21 Sep 2024 13:56:04 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Sat, 21 Sep 2024 08:34:42 GMT]]>Do you try to remove the SSD and use the eMMC Flash?

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185382https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185382Sat, 21 Sep 2024 08:34:42 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Thu, 19 Sep 2024 12:12:49 GMT]]>Hmm 😞

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185163https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185163Thu, 19 Sep 2024 12:12:49 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Thu, 19 Sep 2024 12:10:54 GMT]]>@stephenw10 I left it overnight - nothing

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185162https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185162Thu, 19 Sep 2024 12:10:54 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Thu, 19 Sep 2024 12:04:14 GMT]]>Hmm, not a hardware power problem then.

If you just leave it powered does it eventually do anything?

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185160https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185160Thu, 19 Sep 2024 12:04:14 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Thu, 19 Sep 2024 11:59:38 GMT]]>@stephenw10 It looks like the one on your image
IMG_2360.jpeg

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185158https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185158Thu, 19 Sep 2024 11:59:38 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Thu, 19 Sep 2024 11:46:13 GMT]]>The board has some internal diagnostic LEDs near the console port. If it is powering up correctly it should look like:
cordoba-diag-leds.jpg

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185157https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185157Thu, 19 Sep 2024 11:46:13 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Thu, 19 Sep 2024 05:58:06 GMT]]>@stephenw10 I tried this already

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185139https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185139Thu, 19 Sep 2024 05:58:06 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Thu, 19 Sep 2024 00:47:28 GMT]]>Try running pkg clean and pkg update and pkg upgrade on command line

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185123https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185123Thu, 19 Sep 2024 00:47:28 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Wed, 18 Sep 2024 22:16:29 GMT]]>If you haven't already try removing the CMOS battery.

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185098https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185098Wed, 18 Sep 2024 22:16:29 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Wed, 18 Sep 2024 19:25:15 GMT]]>@Gertjan TAC support's verdict was "Terminal harware failure". Seems like I can use the power supply and the SSD for something else. That's what's left.

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185083https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185083Wed, 18 Sep 2024 19:25:15 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Wed, 18 Sep 2024 16:25:31 GMT]]>You should be able to reboot it by pulling to power at that point. If you do the next time it boots it would be running the new microcontroller code and would update the BIOS (Blinkboot) before booting into the OS. That can take a few minutes. But it would show on the console output.

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185047https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185047Wed, 18 Sep 2024 16:25:31 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Wed, 18 Sep 2024 15:37:57 GMT]]>@smartcall said in Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade:

I pulled the power at the point where it said that the FW upgrade was successful. Maybe that was my mistake.

I don't think so.
When you saw :
2b036715-3f3c-44c8-8349-a34d06245e0e-image.png

the files were in place that initiate the BIOS (firmware) upgrade.
It's during the next 4100 startup, during BIOS testing, the at the presence of special "bios upgrade files" are detected, and if so, it will upgrade the bios.
It's during this phase that the situation is critical.
As the bios upgrade can take some time,
And during this phase pfSense didn't startup - as the device is doing other things like 'upgrading the firmware',
It is during this moment the console cable is very important .... because what would I do if my 4100 takes 'way to long' to startup ? I would be waiting way beyond the normal startup delay. Nt normal I would say ... (already forgetting that the BIOS upgrade now takes place - and I can't see a thing as I have no console cable hooked up )
Right ... I gave it a power reboot .... and that's the moment you break the BIOS as it was 'half way' upgrading.

All this implies, for me : when I upgrade what so ever : I activate the console cable first, and then watch the show from a GUI perspective, and console view, and I have the console logged to a file for catastrophe analyses, if needed.

All this said, with some luck, the BIOS has maybe an initial 'pre boot' mode, where it will scan USB devices for firmware - pfSense or BIOS - the will force install a new BIOS.
@stephenw10 can surely tell you more about this.
As said : go TAC ^^

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185028https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185028Wed, 18 Sep 2024 15:37:57 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Wed, 18 Sep 2024 14:55:33 GMT]]>@Gertjan I pulled the power at the point where it said that the FW upgrade was successful. Maybe that was my mistake.
I have opened a ticket. Initial response was a copy/paste instructions to reimage the device, which is obviously not possible. Waiting for another reply.

Thanks!

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185020https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185020Wed, 18 Sep 2024 14:55:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Wed, 18 Sep 2024 13:26:46 GMT]]>Hmm, the status LED changing from Amber to Blue initially is done in low level firmware when it changes the power state from standby to run.

Did you reboot it after the firmware update or just pull the power at that point?

It shouldn't make any difference there but would indicate if the issue is in Blinkboot or the microcontroller code.

Do you have a TAC ticket open for this?

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185004https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185004Wed, 18 Sep 2024 13:26:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Wed, 18 Sep 2024 13:12:51 GMT]]>@smartcall

Hummm. Bummer.
I was really hoping there would be 'something'.

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185000https://forum.netgate.com/post/1185000Wed, 18 Sep 2024 13:12:51 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Wed, 18 Sep 2024 11:45:56 GMT]]>@Gertjan I have connected with the serial console same as I do to other Netgate appliances and unfortunately there is nothing there. Not even a BIOS message. Just a black screen.

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1184983https://forum.netgate.com/post/1184983Wed, 18 Sep 2024 11:45:56 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Wed, 18 Sep 2024 11:28:20 GMT]]>@smartcall said in Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade:

I can't curently look at the console output, because the unit can not boot anymore.

Still, I really advice you to take the cable that came with it, and hook it up - see the Netgate 4100 user manual.
Maybe there is a message waiting for you at boot time .... at that moment, the system doesn't know yet it is a 'pfSense' and can use Ethernet ports ...

@smartcall said in Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade:

2+ years now and I only unboxed it yesterday

Wow .. ^^
I get it now.

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1184981https://forum.netgate.com/post/1184981Wed, 18 Sep 2024 11:28:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Wed, 18 Sep 2024 11:25:05 GMT]]>@Gertjan I can't curently look at the console output, because the unit can not boot anymore.
And yes, it's old - has been lying around for 2+ years now and I only unboxed it yesterday. So, no big issue with lost config, etc. I just want to put it back to working order.

Thanks!

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1184980https://forum.netgate.com/post/1184980Wed, 18 Sep 2024 11:25:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Wed, 18 Sep 2024 11:20:40 GMT]]>@stephenw10 yes they do

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1184977https://forum.netgate.com/post/1184977Wed, 18 Sep 2024 11:20:40 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Amber light after Netgate 4100 firmware upgrade on Wed, 18 Sep 2024 11:15:57 GMT]]>@smartcall

You are looking at the console output ?

As this is a 'BIOS' update, I would really pick the moment to do so, and even make sure my UPS works well.
A power down during BIOS upgrade, is ... well ... not good.

Btw : I have a 4100 also.
This :

b5746730-f5bb-4b46-84ff-1578be9f5431-image.png

didn't change for .... I can't remember if I ever upgraded it (last year or two).
Why would your 4100 do so now ?
It's old ?

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/1184975https://forum.netgate.com/post/1184975Wed, 18 Sep 2024 11:15:57 GMT