[SOLVED] Install issue with serial port image

[seamus]

I'm trying to install the latest distribution (OPNsense-18.1-OpenSSL-serial-amd64.img.bz2) on a PCEngines APU2. I am able to boot successfully from the USB I created using "Etcher". Everything seems to be going OK until immediately after I log in as “installer”. At that point, the data presented over the serial port (still configured at 115200, per OPNsense docs) is (virtually) illegible. At any rate it’s not displayed correctly.

Any ideas on what the issue might be?

FWIW, here's what I see at my serial terminal:

----------------------------------------------
|      Hello, this is OPNsense 18.1          |         @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
|                                            |        @@@@         @@@@
| Website:      https://opnsense.org/        |         @@@\\\   ///@@@
| Handbook:     https://docs.opnsense.org/   |       ))))))))   ((((((((
| Forums:       https://forum.opnsense.org/  |         @@@///   \\\@@@
| Lists:        https://lists.opnsense.org/  |        @@@@         @@@@
| Code:         https://github.com/opnsense  |         @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
----------------------------------------------
.[1;24r.[m.[?7h.[?1h.=.[H.[J.[23B.[H.[23B.[HF10=Refresh Display.[4;47H@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@.[5;46H@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@.[6;46H@@@@@.[6;71H@@@@@.[7;50H@@@@@.[7;67H@@@@@.[8;47H@@@@@@@@@@@       @@@@@@@@@@@.[9;52H\\\\\.[9;66H/////.[10;46H))))))))))))       (((((((((((.[11;52H/////.[11;66H\\\\\.[12;47H@@@@@@@@@@@       @@@@@@@@@@@.[13;50H@@@@@.[13;67H@@@@@.[14;46H@@@@@.[14;71H@@@@@.[15;46H@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@.[16;47H@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
.[8BWaiting for backend....[5;46H                 .[6;46H     .[B.     .[8;47H           .[B......     .[10;46H            .[B......     .[12;47H           .[13;50H     .[14;46H     .[B.....                 .[16;47H                .[20;19H.[5;19H.(0.[1mlqqqqqqqqqqqqu.(B OPNsense 18.1 .(0tqqqqqqqqqqqqqk.(B.[m.[6;19H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m.[6;62H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m.[7;19H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m Welcome to the OPNsense 18.1 installer!  .(0.[1mx.(B.[m.[8;19H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m.[8;62H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m.[9;19H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m Before we begin, you will be asked a     .(0.[1mx.(B.[m.[10;19H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m few questions so that this installation  .(0.[1mx.(B.[m.[11;19H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m environment can be set up to suit your   .(0.[1mx.(B.[m.[12;19H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m needs..[12;62H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m.[13;19H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m.[13;62H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m.[14;19H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m You will then be presented a menu of     .(0.[1mx.(B.[m.[15;19H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m items from which you may select to       .(0.[1mx.(B.[m.[16;19H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m install a new system, with or without    .(0.[1mx.(B.[m.[17;19H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m importing a previous configuration.      .(0.[1mx.(B.[m.[18;19H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m.[18;62H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m.[19;19H.(0.[1mx.(B.[m.[19;32H.(0.[1m.(B< Ok, let's go. >.[19;62H.(0x.(B.[m.[20;19H.(0.[1mmqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqj.(B.[m
.[4B.(0.[1m.(B.[mSet up the installation environment and continue.[5A.[24;1H
.[?1l.>The installation was aborted.

[seamus]

The issue must have had something to do with my choice of serial terminals. Someone recommended an app called "CoolTerm", so I tried it. It worked fine until the boot process reached the point where the installer logs in to install. After that, a lot of trash appeared, which I guess is due to the way the "little boxes" are formatted and sent over the serial port from OPNsense. I switched to "screen" (native to Mac), and the trash disappeared.

[franco]

Hi seamus,

Yes, these are the raw characters for the installer console menu with colours and all. Looks a bit like the matrix.


Cheers,
Franco