Update to 22.7 failed: missing /usr/local/bin/php - but it ends well

[Christian]

After updating from 22.1 to 22.7 using the web browser, OPNsense failed to boot. On the serial console, I got the error message:

>>> Invoking early script 'carp'
CARP event system: Error (127)
Launching the init system.../usr/local/etc/rc: /usr/local/etc/rc.bootup: not found
Enter full pathname of shell or RETURN for /bin/sh:


After some head scratching, it turns out that rc.bootup is a PHP file and /usr/local/bin/php was AWOL as in simply not there (or anywhere else in the file system, for that matter.) 

Since I have daily config backups, I felt confident in trying a re-install. So I created a boot image on a USB stick and booted that.

It turns out there is an option to Import Configuration in the installer, which (spoiler alert) managed to import my entire configuration perfectly. 

So the installer ran through and re-booted. I then ran the updater again from the serial console since there was an update from 22.7 to 22.7.4 available. That installed just fine and my firewall is running as before now.

Unfortunately, I have no idea what went wrong, since I got no indication of a problem in the web installer. If there is a log file hidden somewhere, I'd be happy to provide it if someone can point me to it.

I guess I will go back to using the serial console for updates, if only to have a log in the rare case that something goes wrong.

I want to thank the OPNsense team for doing such a fine job with the installer (and OPNsense in general)! Things shouldn't - but they can - go wrong and the installer had my back. 

[franco]

Missing files can happen for different reasons (FS bug, disk issue, OS bug or disk/memory full issue during upgrade), but worst case is when files such as PHP interpreter are missing. In these cases even the recovery doesn't work and the image needs to be used.

Happy to hear you find the installer as handy as we put gradual efforts into it over the years even though not all agree on all aspects, but for us the live system and clone feature is very robust and effective.


Cheers,
Franco