SG-2220 broken after config restore

[soul710]

My SG-2220 arrived just yesterday, but I'm having some issues with it. What I did:

1. create fresh config backup from my existing pfsense box (I will check the version when I'm back home, but its some 2.0.x or 2.1.x if that helps)
2. connect to the SG-2220 via LAN, power it up
3. get IP assigned (192.168.1.100), connect to web-gui (192.168.1.1), finish the wizard
4. select the previously created config backup and start the restore process
5. after config restoring I get asked to reinstall packeds. 1 package is installed after the confirmation
6. I swiftly check if the config was successfully restored by navigating to IPSec settings - looks good, my tunnel config is there
7. I try to go to the LAN interface to change the IP adress of the box to 10.0.0.1 - the web gui hangs

After 7), I was not able to ping the box anymore, and obviously unable to connect to the web gui. I thought it could be because the config restore also restored the LAN address to 10.0.0.1, but after pulling the plug and restarting the box I get no IP address via DHCP (my existing box had DHCP enabled).

Next attempt was to press the reset button. I pressed it for about half a minute, with no effect. Box remains in this unusable state.

I then tried to connect via serial console following this guide: https://portal.pfsense.org/docs/manuals/reference/sg-series-serial-console.html

I installed the USB driver on my Macbook (Mac OS 10.11), and searched for a suitable terminal program (I could not find out how to use cu). I picked http://macwise.com/ since the recommended ZTerm looks way outdated. In MacWise, I selected serial/modem, found the USB driver port showing up, selected it, and selected the correct baud rate, bits and flow control. Connecting to the box seemed to work (I get no error from MacWise), but I just see plain nothing on the screen. I also tried to restart the box and reconnect via USB while powering up, no change.

What should I do? :( ???

[jimp]

Register the device and drop us a note via the support system or call in and someone can help you out. Odds are the serial console would get it sorted quickly (maybe the NICs didn't get remapped properly) and it may just be a matter of getting your serial connection going.

You can use "screen" at a standard terminal prompt to work with that, the instructions are in the same guide you linked and https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Connecting_to_the_Serial_Console#Screen

Something like:

screen /dev/cu.SLAB_USBtoUART 115200

You should at least have some output from the BIOS during the boot process.

[soul710]

Done.

I also managed to connect using the screen command, however after the boot menu the output will freeze, and I cannot see the box booting or even log in.

[jimp]

Looks like there may be an issue in the installer yet, if you haven't contacted support yet, drop us a line through the ticket system and someone can help you get it running again if you still have issues.

[gglockner]

I'm having nearly the exact same issue:

1. Purchased a SG-2440 to replace some custom-built hardware
2. Applied my old configuration file - box is now bricked
3. Connected via terminal, and it hangs at this:

Press F12 for boot menu.

F1  pfSense

F6 PXE
Boot:  F1

I can reinstall from a fresh memstick and unbrick the SG-2440. Then I reapply the configuration file, and it bricks again.  I can successfully restore parts of the configuration by selecting the Restore area, but I cannot apply an entire configuration file.

I don't want to post my configuration file publicly so I'll open a private ticket with it.

[Guest]

2. Applied my old configuration file - box is now bricked

From which version of pfSense to another version you where changing?
From what custom built hardware you were changing? I mean this is the exactly point
why they sell now there own hardware, that this behavior will not be reality.

I can reinstall from a fresh memstick and unbrick the SG-2440.

Then please take the ADI version of pfSense and not the community version.

Then I reapply the configuration file, and it bricks again.  I can successfully restore parts of the configuration by selecting the Restore area, but I cannot apply an entire configuration file.

But this is not the problem made by pfSense or the SG-2240 unit, it is more pointed to the custom
hardware built by your own.

I don't want to post my configuration file publicly so I'll open a private ticket with it.

It is the best what you could do in that case. But what should they tell you in that case?
Re enter the whole config by hand and all is fine for you.

[gglockner]

I contacted pfSense support directly and they noticed that the configuration file set the serial speed to 9600.  I changed the value of serialspeed to 115200 in the XML configuration file and it works perfectly now. Hopefully this will help others in a similar situation.