how to recover using an old configuration?

[nero355]

It sucks that we can't automatically store the config on an ftp server or send it by email at least once daily when it has been changed.  If that were possible I would have set that up and I'd have the current config now.

Wrong statement: There are several plugins that provide configuration backup service. I personally use 'os-sftp-backup' and works perfectly. You even have 'os-git-backup', so you can trace every single modification in a git server.

[TL:DR] Do no blame others for your own lazyness/lack of knowledge.

Apart from that, you should always make a backup before any upgrade, so your last config would be on the last-1 version. Plus you should also take a snapshot, assuming your system uses zfs, which it's the recommended.

Make a backup before and after you make important changes. It can also help to find which change was wrong by just making a 'diff' between them.
Gonna play with firewall rules? Have a backup before just in case you even get to lose connectivity with the machine. It will take almost no time to go back.

If you follow those well-known basic advices, you won't have any problem recovering from even the total disaster. Of course, everyone is free to not make regular backups, snapshots before upgrades, or any prevention measure at all, but must be conscious of the risk it implies and don't cry if/when sh*it hits the fan.

Last but not least, being polite with the people usually gets best results when asking for help.

AMEN! :)

It's soo easy to Export all sorts of Configuration Backups in OPNsense these days that it's a real shame not to use them!

- Configuration itself : config.xml
- Static DHCP Mappings : .CSV file
- Firewall Rules : .CSV file
- NAT Rules : .CSV file

Just to name a couple of big ones :)