[SOLVED] pfSense 2.1 NanoBSD img fails to boot!

[zenny]

I downloaded pfSense 2.1 NanoBSD image from July 3 build and burnt it onto 1GB usb stick.

dmesg  shows following error:

ugen4.2: <cbm>at usbus4
umass0: <cbm 0="" 2="" flash="" disk,="" class="" 0,="" rev="" 2.00="" 1.00,="" addr="">on usbus4
umass0:  SCSI over Bulk-Only; quirks = 0x4100
umass0:0:0 Attached to scbus0
da0 at umass-sim0 bus 0 scbus0 target 0 lun 0
da0: <cbm flash="" disk="" 5.00="">Removable Direct Access SCSI-2 device
da0: 40.000MB/s transfers
da0: 990MB (2028032 512 byte sectors: 64H 32S/T 990C)
GEOM: da0s1: geometry does not match label (16h,63s != 64h,32s).
GEOM: da0s2: geometry does not match label (16h,63s != 64h,32s).</cbm></cbm></cbm>

I used dd in linux to burn it with oflag=direct and conv=sync,notrunc flags. Simply freezes while booting.

[wallabybob]

I think you should treat the does not match geometry messages as information rather than fatal errors. At least on a recent memstick install on a VM I saw such messages and it didn't impede the boot.

@zenny:

I used dd in linux to burn it with oflag=direct and conv=sync,notrunc flags. Simply freezes while booting.

I have not ever found a need for flags in the Linux dd command when writing USB sticks for pfSense.

Is the freeze a real freeze (keyboard indicator lights such as Num Lock and Caps Lock don't respond to the corresponding key presses) or a period where nothing seems to happen for a while?

If you haven't already done so, I suggest you disable unused devices (audio, parallel port, etc) in the BIOS.

[zenny]

@wallabybob:

I think you should treat the does not match geometry messages as information rather than fatal errors. At least on a recent memstick install on a VM I saw such messages and it didn't impede the boot.

@zenny:

I used dd in linux to burn it with oflag=direct and conv=sync,notrunc flags. Simply freezes while booting.

I have not ever found a need for flags in the Linux dd command when writing USB sticks for pfSense.

Is the freeze a real freeze (keyboard indicator lights such as Num Lock and Caps Lock don't respond to the corresponding key presses) or a period where nothing seems to happen for a while?

If you haven't already done so, I suggest you disable unused devices (audio, parallel port, etc) in the BIOS.

Yep, it is a real freeze, had to cold reboot. I dd'ed the image once again to the same usbstick and selected option 3 (boot from a USB device) and it booted.

About flags in dd, it seems like ubuntu bug in my laptop. It works fine in my slack desktop without any flags.

Thanks for you suggestion.

[zenny]

Update:

Please find a screenshot.

It halts and never reboots (though outputs that 'reboots in 15 seconds') and pressing any key does not work. It is when I try to boot with the first and second option in boot loader (default and acpi disabled). Boots when I choose 3rd option: Boot from a USB device.


[wallabybob]

The lines beginning da0 output after the mountroot> prompt indicate the OS detected the USB flash drive AFTER it attempted to mount the root file system. It is not uncommon that USB devices are a bit slow to be recognised by the OS.

Is there a reason why you haven't chosen the Boot from a USB device option when you are booting from a USB device?

I don't know how Boot from a USB device differs from the default boot but suspect there is a startup delay (set by loader variable kern.cam.boot_delay) in the Boot from USB device option.

[zenny]

@wallabybob: Thanks for the pointer.

I included the bootdelay kernel parameter in loader.conf. I have not yet rebooted the machine and believe that it shall help.

[zenny]

UPDATE: Adding boot delay parameter (after mounting the fs in rw mode from Diagonstics>>NanoBSD menu) didn't help. Have to choose option 3 in bootloader every time.

However, I found the solution here: http://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Boot_Troubleshooting#Booting_from_USB

#echo "kern.cam.boot_delay=10000" > /boot/loader.conf.local

which is equivalent to option 3. Great option! Thanks to developers.