Hi all - I'm sure I'm missing a very simple console setting, but I just did a reload, and now I'm having serial console trouble.
Step 1) Install 25.7 via amd64/vga image
Step 2) Install default dec2752 settings from https://docs.opnsense.org/hardware/defaults.html
Step 3) Patch up to 25.7.10
Step 4) Restore my prior configuration (minus tunables - that is what I'm trying to get "clean" ...)
What is occurring:
Console works fine from BIOS to boot loader to console output. But once boot finishes and I should be getting the login details, it stops providing output or accepting input right here:
>>> Invoking start script 'openvpn'
>>> Invoking start script 'sysctl'
Service `sysctl' has been restarted.
>>> Invoking start script 'beep'
Root file system: zroot/ROOT/default
Tue Jan 13 15:21:37 EST 2026
*** dmurphy-gw.home: OPNsense 25.7.10 (amd64) ***
DMZ (vlan0.77) -> v4: 10.77.0.1/24
FIOS (igc0) -> v4/DHCP4: 1.2.3.4/24
v6/DHCP6: fe80::ffff:aaaa:bbbb:cccc%igc0/64
GUEST (vlan0.99) -> v4: 172.16.100.1/24
LAN (ax0) -> v4: 172.16.0.1/22
Tailscale (tailscale0) ->
WINTENDO (vlan0.91) -> v4: 172.16.91.1/24
HTTPS: SHA256 83 AA EC BB 3D CC DD 0C EE 27 FF 0D AA 7A BB 6F
CC DD EE FF AA BB BCC1 EF E0 60 05 0A AA BB CC DD
SSH: SHA256 PfdajklfdljkfgakvjczkzckHadfjkfdajfasjdcxxQ (ECDSA)
SSH: SHA256 PfdajklfdljkfgakvjczkzckHadfjkfdajfasjdcxxQ (ED25519)
SSH: SHA256 PfdajklfdljkfgakvjczkzckHadfjkfdajfasjdcxxQ (RSA)
Now if I do something that kicks out a kernel message (i.e. reboot) - I WILL see that output here.
So what setting am I missing? In System -> Settings -> Administration, the Console settings are as such:
Console driver: "Use the virtual terminal driver (vt)" - Yes
Primary Console: Serial Console
Secondary Console: None
Serial Speed: 115200
USB-based serial: "Use USB-based serial ports" - Yes
Console menu: Password protect the console menu
EDIT: Forgot to mention, I did make sure "UART 0 Legacy" is disabled in the BIOS.
Setup Utility –> AMD CBS –> FCH Common Options –> UART Configuration Options –> UART 0 Legacy Options
I think this is wrong, remove that checkbox:
USB-based serial: "Use USB-based serial ports" - Yes
Quote from: Monviech (Cedrik) on January 13, 2026, 09:42:11 PMI think this is wrong, remove that checkbox:
USB-based serial: "Use USB-based serial ports" - Yes
You're the best!! That took care of it. Working like a champ now. Counter-intuitive since the console IS a USB port, but happy with the win. :)
So next up ... any performance tuning suggestions for the 10gb ax0/ax1 ports? I made some tuning adjustments in /boot/loader.conf.local, but iperf3 throughput to another network node on the same LAN switch (US-XG-16) still tops out around 4gb/sec or so.
(I can move to a new thread if that's more appropriate. Thanks!)
kern.ipc.maxsockbuf=16777216
machdep.hyperthreading_intr_allowed=1
net.inet.rss.bits=3
net.inet.rss.enabled=1
net.inet.tcp.recvbuf_max=4194304
net.inet.tcp.sendbuf_inc=65536
net.inet.tcp.sendbuf_max=4194304
net.inet.tcp.soreceive_stream=1
net.isr.bindthreads=1
net.isr.defaultqlimit=2048
net.isr.dispatch=deferred
net.isr.maxthreads=-1
Quote from: dmurphy on January 13, 2026, 10:04:04 PMCounter-intuitive since the console IS a USB port, but happy with the win. :)
How do you come to that conclusion? Are mixing up UART with USB? Or because the connector is USB? If the second, there are quite a few USB (Mini, Micro, C) and even a RJ45 (Cisco-style) serial connector. They are only the physical connector, probalby because they take up a lot less space then the original serial connector.
Modern devices with a serial console adapted to the fact that most modern laptops don't have a serial port, anymore.
So inside the device there is a serial interface (UART) connected to e.g. the ISA bus and used by the running OS as COM1 or similar. But instead of a DB-9 serial connector outside of the case a USB to serial "converter" (e.g. some Prolific chip) is wired directly to that interface. And the USB side is led to the outside.
You plug in your laptop via USB, the laptop OS sees "hooray, a USB serial port on my internal USB hub" and you can use that new serial port with your terminal program without carrying a dedicated USB to serial converter everywhere.
There are only a handful of chipsets and Windows, Mac OS and Linux & BSD & friends all support them out of the box.
That's why there is a USB port on your Deciso appliance but it's not a "USB serial" from OPNsense's/FreeBSD's point of view.
Now if you plugged a dedicated USB to serial converter into the USB port of your appliance, *that* would be "USB serial".
HTH,
Patrick