ATT Internet AIr
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Hopefully one of you guys are around -- I was still trying to experiment and get an understanding of why things wouldn't work
(also noticed some pretty long reboots - weird behavior)NOW THE BOX IS UNACCESSIBLE
It's been so long since I set it up. I have it out of the rack setup and on the bench. Only one cable connected.to LAN. No access.
It will be a disaster if all my setup is gone (spent hours settting up Wireguard VPN, and even more hours setting up HaProxy stuff) - but I have no backup!! dumb I get it
Whats best way to troubleshoot and hopefully save something
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@ahole4sure Hmm, try connecting a WAN cable to see if that helps. I'm not sure but I think I have seen that happen when it's disconnected. Also, check your IP settings in the PC you are using. Does it have an IP in the correct subnet?
BTW, I think the long boot time may be due to it waiting to see if WAN is there, so there is a pause in the boot process...
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@Gblenn Was able to get an HDMI connected and here is the error -- looks like a disater
I ordeered a new box on Amazon at 330 amBut if I have lost all my config the I am SUNK
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@ahole4sure Check if there is something in this thread that can help you?
https://forum.netgate.com/topic/185312/config-xml-empty-subsequent-inability-to-restart-properly-and-what-i-did/2
In particular that he was able to log in via console (SSH?) and replace the empty file with another one. I guess though that if you don't have any backup at all, it will be really tough if it is empty. It is /cf/conf/config.xml that you are looking for.
I "consoled" in and did some snooping.
The error I saw was a PHP stack trace that ultimately pointed at config.xml being empty (pasted after my closing)
I looked and saw that...it was an empty file (zero length)
I found a recent backup that was non-empty (the latest was empty) and copied that into place.
I then rebooted and things returned to normal. -
@Gblenn I guess I don't know how I would console in since it looks like I have no access via the ethernet ports
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But using a keyboard directly can you bring up the menu? Or just a prompt?
That looks like either filesystem damage or a failed upgrade. Was is hard powered off?
If it's running UFS try running FSCK frm single user mode:
https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/troubleshooting/filesystem-check.html#manual-filesystem-check -
@stephenw10
Did fsck 5 timesHere is the same error after reboot
And yes I am a dumb_ss - I think it might have been hard powered off -- I was distracted with comething else on another screen and I think I held the power button longer than normal
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What are my options??
Is there anyway to find a config file anywhere in the pfsense OS?
Or do I have to reinstall? Will a re-install possibly find a backup? -
Yes you should be able to access the config file in /cf/conf/config.xml and the previous 30 files in /cf/conf/backup if you can get a command prompt.
You can access it from single user mode but your options for copying it off are limited from there.
If you can get a prompt after allowing it to boot normally you can try to scp it to some other device.
If you have a serial console you can always just copy/paste it directly if required.
You can insert a fat formatted USB stick (or use the fat partition on the installer image) mount that and copy the config file to it.
But, yes, reinstalling should give you the option to recover the config file.
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@stephenw10
So I have downloaded the pfsense latest version and I am flashing to USB nowRe-install shoul give an option to restore?
And do you agree that is basically my best option now? I don't think I still have the serial cable -- I am using HDMI and a keyboard
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@ahole4sure And it is not responding if you try to SSH into it?
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@Gblenn no I cannot get any port to respond to ssh
Am i doing nything wrong -- just connect ethernet to prior LAN port?
It is not allowing any communication that way -
If you're using the Net Installer it shows you the config it has recovered and will use so you can know it worked.
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@ahole4sure said in ATT Internet AIr:
Am i doing nything wrong -- just connect ethernet to prior LAN port?
Probably not, it should respond if it gets that far during boot. But I suppose you should also see the menu on the screen (via HDMI). So I think you have to rely on the installer that stephen10 mentions.
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You didn't have Auto Config Backup enabled?
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@stephenw10 not sure
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@stephenw10
So for thee reinstall it does ask for rescue from a config.xml file. Then asks me where - I click on ada0 disk. and click ok and it immediately goes baack to thei main install screenI first tried ZFS but the end it said I only had one disk, not enough disks for mirror
I went back to look at UFS install and it gets to a point that it asks if I want to partition the disk and it says it will wipe the disk ....
Wonn't that then erase my config file ??
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@ahole4sure Sounds like you are in fact looking at a complete reinstall unless you have a backup somewhere? Is it possible you have downloaded some config at some point? It would be in your Downloads folder and is named like : config-pfSense.something-date.xml
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Which installer are you using? The Net Installer will ask you where to recover the config from and then shows you that it has recovered a config.
For ZFS you should choose stripe not mirror if you have just one disk.
