No VGA console menu

rhammond

We do not get a menu on the VGA console after boot. After pfSense loads, the screen stops at Trying to mount root from /dev/####
The GUI is accessible over the LAN, but no menu on the VGA console or the serial console for that matter. Serial console is enabled in the configuration.

Any ideas?

stephenw10

If you are running the NanoBSD image then this is expected, once the kernel had loaded the console switches to the serial port.
Most likely you have a problem with the serial connection. Wrong speed? Wrong emulation? Wrong port? Wrong cable?

Steve

Edit: From your post history it looks unlikely you'd be running Nano in which case: more hardware/setup detail needed.

rhammond

This is a full install on an Iron Systems server. The serial console scrolls much of the same data as the VGA console, but neither shows the menu once pfSense is up and running, like one can get through a telnet session.

craigduff

What options did you select when you did the install?

stephenw10

Is this a fresh install or has it just started happening?

Steve

rhammond

I wasn't the one that originally did the install, so I'm not sure of the options selected.
This was not a fresh install, but an upgrade from 1.2.3

Rog

jimp

Does changing the serial console enable/disable allow it to get a menu on VGA?

Stopping at that point is expected if the serial console is active as the boot log messages can only go to one console, and if serial is enabled, they go there. The menu would also be on serial as well.

stephenw10

One possibility is that your predecessor set the serial port speed to something other than 9600. You are seeing the bootloader output, which is always at 9600, and then it switches baud rate.
What do you have /boot/loader.conf or /boot/loader.conf.local?

Steve

jimp

The serial speed change would kick in way before then. It kicks in before the boot prompt, not that late.

stephenw10

You're right of course. :-[
I must read more carefully.
Interesting though. The so far unexplained vanishing menu when running an older Firebox can be worked around by setting the serial speed to something other than 9600. Might be worth trying.

Steve