Serial console login disabled after RC snapshot update

[pvoigt]

I am currently evaluating 2.2-RC (2G nanoBSD) on an ALIX.2D13 with MiniPCI WLAN adapter. My first impression is very good. In the current development state I do not use it as a firewall but more as a LAN member thus not beeing able to fully test the system.

I have detected one smaller issue that I would like to address. I am using the GUI updater to install latest 2.2-RC snapshots. After installation of a new snapshot the serial console is accessible again without login protection. When checking the settings they turn out to be correct, e.g. the serial console should be password protected. I figured out the password protection will be back only after explicitly pressing the "save" button on the "System -> Advanced" page of the webGUI. I strongly suppose this is not the expected behavior.

Regards,
Peter

[phil.davis]

After the upgrade is complete, if you then do another reboot, do you get the console password protected?

If so, then I guess it is "just" the implementation of that setting on-the-fly after doing upgrade code that has gone wrong somewhere.

[pvoigt]

@phil.davis:

After the upgrade is complete, if you then do another reboot, do you get the console password protected?

I will check this with the next snapshot update.

Regards,
Peter

[pvoigt]

@phil.davis:

After the upgrade is complete, if you then do another reboot, do you get the console password protected?

If so, then I guess it is "just" the implementation of that setting on-the-fly after doing upgrade code that has gone wrong somewhere.

I have just upgraded to the latest snapshot:

pfSense (nanobsd) 2.2-RC i386 Mon Dec 22 01:04:10 CST 2014

Directly after the upgrade the serial console is no longer password protected in spite of the settings in the webGUI. The situation does not change after a further reboot. Only an explicit "Save" under "System -> Advanced" brings back password protection again.

Regards,
Peter

[phil.davis]

I have confirmed this issue.

1. Select "Password protect the console menu" from System->Advanced, Admin and press Save. The console now prompts for login in real time.
2. Reboot to confirm the setting is preserved - yep, all good - the console prompts for login at the end of the boot output.
3. Upgrade to latest snapshot.
4. Console is no longer password protected. (but config.xml has <disableconsolemenu>correctly in it)
5. Reboot (any number of times) - console is never password protected.
6. Go to System->Advanced, Admin and press Save. Now the password protect is implemented.

The underlying cause seems to be that pfsense-utils.inc/setup_serial_port() is only called by config.lib.inc/reset_factory_defaults() and directly from system_advanced_admin.php

setup_serial_port() modifies /etc/ttys to implement the required settings on the appropriate tty entry/s.

On a nanoBSD upgrade, that needs to be done to the new /etc/ttys on the new slice. But there does not seem to be any code that does it during or after the upgrade. I looked on 2.1.5 also, and it looks like there is nothing there either and that an upgrade from an earlier version to 2.1.5 might have this same issue.

I do not know about a full upgrade - perhaps /etc/ttys will be overwritten by the upgrade file, or perhaps it will be left in place and thus will work.

Bug ref: https://redmine.pfsense.org/issues/4140</disableconsolemenu>