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[SOLVED] Install on serial-only device
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Topic: [SOLVED] Install on serial-only device (Read 21461 times)
emilio.b
Newbie
Posts: 20
Karma: 1
[SOLVED] Install on serial-only device
«
on:
June 13, 2016, 03:52:29 pm »
Hello i'm really need some advice on install opnsense onto a serial-only device (no VGA).
I already read the manuals and tried out some of the available .img file to no avail.
The device is a miniITX board with only a usb/serial adapter.
TIA
«
Last Edit: June 28, 2016, 08:10:14 am by franco
»
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chemlud
Hero Member
Posts: 2454
Karma: 112
Re: Install on serial-only device
«
Reply #1 on:
June 13, 2016, 06:17:33 pm »
Hy!
You could copy the nano image to a USB stick and run from there or you can install to a SATA device with a full image copied to a USB stick. Choose your weapon! :-D
In both cases you can use the serial console to control the machine...
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kind regards
chemlud
____
"The price of reliability is the pursuit of the utmost simplicity."
C.A.R. Hoare
A router is not a switch - A router is not a switch - A router is not a switch - A rou....
emilio.b
Newbie
Posts: 20
Karma: 1
Re: Install on serial-only device
«
Reply #2 on:
June 14, 2016, 09:19:18 am »
Hi and thanks for your answer.
Unfortunately this method seems to fail with both nano and serial images (already tried to download from different mirrors to be sure).
The USB sticks begin to boot but at kernel boot it stops to show anything on serial console:
https://forum.opnsense.org/index.php?topic=3189.0
What is the method to transfer the .img files to usb stick? Simple copy, dd with tools like rufus, or other?
TIA
emilio
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chemlud
Hero Member
Posts: 2454
Karma: 112
Re: Install on serial-only device
«
Reply #3 on:
June 14, 2016, 09:35:27 am »
Hi!
Details see here:
https://opnsense.org/users/get-started/
;-)
I use Win32diskimager for Windows, works great.
With which baud rate do you start your serial console? Should be 115200 to follow the opnsense boot process...
I have never seen this "boot screen" as given in the screen shot of your cross post. Should look completely different, in my opinion...
In my Atom (openvox) board you have to set in BIOS (advanced options) "Reedirection after BIOS post" from "always" to "Boot loader". Maybe you should have a look at the BIOS options if you can find a related option...
«
Last Edit: June 14, 2016, 09:42:48 am by chemlud
»
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kind regards
chemlud
____
"The price of reliability is the pursuit of the utmost simplicity."
C.A.R. Hoare
A router is not a switch - A router is not a switch - A router is not a switch - A rou....
emilio.b
Newbie
Posts: 20
Karma: 1
Re: Install on serial-only device
«
Reply #4 on:
June 15, 2016, 01:30:30 pm »
Hi,
unfortunately it seems that access to bios settings of my board is protected in some way. So no access to bios redirection settings or the like.
I've tried out also win32diskimager to no avail - same behaviour (se my previous screenshot).
The board is used actually with a pfsense and with pfsense the boot process is ok from there so i can get both the 1st boot screen and all the kernel boot from serial. So i think the bios console redirection should be ok here.
With opnsense img files during boot, i can see the boot menù, then the loading proceeds until i get the word 'Booting' in vertical sticking there. So i can see the 1st part of the booting process from serial, only the second one stops show throught it.
Noticed also that the regular 'asterisk' which should be the loading icon, on my console appears as a vertical stream instead of a sequence of symbols in the same place. Maybe some wrong putty settings?
Any idea?
TIA
emilio
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chemlud
Hero Member
Posts: 2454
Karma: 112
Re: Install on serial-only device
«
Reply #5 on:
June 15, 2016, 01:57:48 pm »
You can't enter the BIOS? Even if it's unrelated to this issue I would not use such a board... Reflash the BIOS and/or update to latest BIOS and then retry ;-)
PS: Can you provide some details (maker, series) of this strange mobo?
«
Last Edit: June 15, 2016, 02:01:26 pm by chemlud
»
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kind regards
chemlud
____
"The price of reliability is the pursuit of the utmost simplicity."
C.A.R. Hoare
A router is not a switch - A router is not a switch - A router is not a switch - A rou....
chemlud
Hero Member
Posts: 2454
Karma: 112
Re: Install on serial-only device
«
Reply #6 on:
June 15, 2016, 02:13:05 pm »
PPS: The same putty settings work fine for current pfSense and opnsense here. Same with minicom on Linux. So this should not be a problem...
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kind regards
chemlud
____
"The price of reliability is the pursuit of the utmost simplicity."
C.A.R. Hoare
A router is not a switch - A router is not a switch - A router is not a switch - A rou....
emilio.b
Newbie
Posts: 20
Karma: 1
Re: Install on serial-only device
«
Reply #7 on:
June 15, 2016, 04:20:08 pm »
Hello Chemlud
the device/board is this:
https://store.pfsense.org/SG-2440/
(internally it's an ADI board from adiengineering.com)
already read tha manual to search a method to access the bios to na avail :-(
Thanks for any further ideas
emilio
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chemlud
Hero Member
Posts: 2454
Karma: 112
Re: Install on serial-only device
«
Reply #8 on:
June 15, 2016, 04:47:49 pm »
...hmmm, maybe some "custom" BIOS avoiding proper boot of other OS? Would contact
pfsense
netgate service or board manufacturer (nothing at its homepage, apparently) for a clean/open copy of the BIOS, if you are determined to change the software.
For me personally, it is totally unthinkable to use a security appliance when I cannot see/change the BIOS on my own in year 2016...
«
Last Edit: June 15, 2016, 05:02:54 pm by chemlud
»
Logged
kind regards
chemlud
____
"The price of reliability is the pursuit of the utmost simplicity."
C.A.R. Hoare
A router is not a switch - A router is not a switch - A router is not a switch - A rou....
chemlud
Hero Member
Posts: 2454
Karma: 112
Re: Install on serial-only device
«
Reply #9 on:
June 16, 2016, 05:42:20 pm »
Hi!
Any news, good or bad? Interestingly, I (!) was contacted by pfsense in the meantime, unfortunately I don't know why...
Interesting times, these days.
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kind regards
chemlud
____
"The price of reliability is the pursuit of the utmost simplicity."
C.A.R. Hoare
A router is not a switch - A router is not a switch - A router is not a switch - A rou....
chemlud
Hero Member
Posts: 2454
Karma: 112
Re: Install on serial-only device
«
Reply #10 on:
June 17, 2016, 01:15:22 pm »
Hi emilio, best wishes from pfsense/netgate, they are willing to help you through the issue, but not on this forum.
I offered to post the replies, but apparently they don't want to post here anything other than this offer to help...
Hope this helps, although in 20 years of internet use I have never encountered something as strange as this....
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kind regards
chemlud
____
"The price of reliability is the pursuit of the utmost simplicity."
C.A.R. Hoare
A router is not a switch - A router is not a switch - A router is not a switch - A rou....
emilio.b
Newbie
Posts: 20
Karma: 1
Re: Install on serial-only device
«
Reply #11 on:
June 23, 2016, 03:50:39 pm »
Hello Chemlud and thanks for your support.
I've sent netgate a message days ago in order to get some support to sort the issue to no avail - apparently they didn't reply to my email...
Any further advice on this?
Any way to reach them (netgate) directly (some real person)?
TIA
emilio
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chemlud
Hero Member
Posts: 2454
Karma: 112
Re: Install on serial-only device
«
Reply #12 on:
June 23, 2016, 04:24:21 pm »
Hi emilio!
I decided to leave the pfsense forum alone (at least for a while), I don't feel really comfortable there anymore, although I had funny times and met helpful people there. Maybe the only way would be to register there and start a thread, they are pretty aware of this thread here
https://twitter.com/gonzopancho/status/743374459516518400
Hope that helps and have fun with opnsense! :-)
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kind regards
chemlud
____
"The price of reliability is the pursuit of the utmost simplicity."
C.A.R. Hoare
A router is not a switch - A router is not a switch - A router is not a switch - A rou....
franco
Administrator
Hero Member
Posts: 17484
Karma: 1589
Re: Install on serial-only device
«
Reply #13 on:
June 23, 2016, 05:38:33 pm »
Er, wow, ok.
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franco
Administrator
Hero Member
Posts: 17484
Karma: 1589
Re: Install on serial-only device
«
Reply #14 on:
June 23, 2016, 05:58:04 pm »
Hi Emilio,
The question that you should be asking is whether this boots on a stock FreeBSD 10.2, and if not if it boots on a stock FreeBSD 10.3.
If it boots with 10.2, then we broke something.
If it boots with 10.3, then 16.7 will help.
If both do not boot ask support what operating systems and versions are supported and how to achieve a successful boot.
Or you can try your luck with opnsense-bootstrap:
https://forum.opnsense.org/index.php?topic=3116
Cheers,
Franco
«
Last Edit: June 23, 2016, 06:03:58 pm by franco
»
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[SOLVED] Install on serial-only device