Install pfSense 2.0 RC3 Full on a Soekris

[MageMinds]

Hi,

I want to install 2.0 RC3 full (not the embedded kernel) onto my Soekris net5501-70. First, I know that it destroy the CF, but I have a laptop HDD so I don't have to worry about that. That said here what I've done.

I installed the LiveCD using an other computer and then I enabled the serial console from the WebGUI. I assigned an IP address temporarily to do that. I chooses the uniprocessor kernel.

Then I took the HDD and installed it into the Soekris and I connect the nullmodem to my pc and fire putty in serial mode. I can see the Soekris BIOS, but as soon as FreeBSD start to boot all I can see is the green cursor going nuts in putty putting a lot of blank lines. Since I can't reassign the NIC to the "new" ones I'm stuck in the dark.

I read a lot on informations about how to make it work, but everything is more than 2 years old.

I want to use the full version to be able to gitsync into the ipv6. I wish I could do it with nanobsd, but git doesn't install.

MageMinds

MageMinds

[jimp]

Make sure your serial client is set for 9600/8/N/1.

What you describe should work fine, though you may have to adjust the hdd slice device name in /etc/fstab - I believe that's covered on the doc wiki. (I know it's in the book, but I think it's somewhere on the wiki as well)

[MageMinds]

My serial client is set correctly…

I can see the BIOS go, but as soon as pfSense start to boot the screen fill with blank... The green cursor in putty moves rapidly like it's writing stuff, but it doesn't.

It usually works with the nanobsd.

I can even imagine what it is drawing and I can clearly see that it is booting at some point, because I can see it "draw" the booting selection with the 3 second count down to boot default. But again, everything is blank, from that point I can't say that it is booting or not, and even if it is booting I have no wait of assigning nics.

There must be something that I need to do to completely disable the VGA and make the default console the serial port.

[jimp]

@MageMinds:

My serial client is set correctly…
I can see the BIOS go, but as soon as pfSense start to boot the screen fill with blank... The green cursor in putty moves rapidly like it's writing stuff, but it doesn't.

That usually means your serial client is set to the same speed as your BIOS – that does not mean it's set to the speed that the pfSense kernel is using. :-)

@MageMinds:

It usually works with the nanobsd.

I can even imagine what it is drawing and I can clearly see that it is booting at some point, because I can see it "draw" the booting selection with the 3 second count down to boot default. But again, everything is blank, from that point I can't say that it is booting or not, and even if it is booting I have no wait of assigning nics.

There must be something that I need to do to completely disable the VGA and make the default console the serial port.

Using the embedded kernel should be enough, it wouldn't be printing anything to do with VGA to the serial port unless your BIOS has some kind of build-in redirection which can typically be disabled.

[LostInIgnorance]

I had noticed this issue way long time ago, but there was no consistency with what caused it other than a fresh install on the HD.  Every time I would initially boot, no text would show up, but the cursor would move about the page like it is typing text.  The copy of the serial output from putty (logging) does show output.  I think it might be something with text color on the embedded system.  The text is there, but black.

[MageMinds]

Oh thanks, I'll look into that also!