HEADS UP: Default config.xml NICs changed from vr(4) to em(4)

[jimp]

This changed a while back but might surprise some people now that we have moved 2.2 to Release Candidate status:

The default config.xml interface assignments have changed from vr(4) to em(4).

The default NICs have been vr(4) for quite some time, but the time has long since passed for them to be updated to a more common default. The new default NIC type in config.xml is em(4), with em0 as WAN and em1 as LAN.

The biggest impact this will have is that ALIX systems will no longer Just Work after writing an image for a fresh install or after a factory reset. The interfaces must be assigned using the serial console (115200/8/N/1, null modem adapter, etc). On the flip side, many more systems that used to require manual reassignment will now work without extra effort for a fresh install or factory default.

This only affects those running pfSense downloaded from our site. Custom hardware-specific images from vendors such as the m1n1wall images from Netgate or  VK-2D13 from the pfSense store will continue to contain a hardware-specific default config.xml with the expected NICs for that hardware.

If a serial console is not available, the image file can be modified manually using a separate system, as explained here:
https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Modifying_Embedded