CHAPTER
SEVEN
REINSTALLING PFSENSE
1.
can log in to their
and download the appropriate factory installer image:
pfSense-netgate-memstick-serial-2.4.3-RELEASE-p1-amd64.img.gz
If you no longer have an active portal subscription, please
to re-enable access to the image free
of charge.
Note:
The pfSense factory version is the version that is preinstalled on units purchased from Netgate. The
factory image is optimally tuned for our hardware and contains some features that cannot be found elsewhere,
such as the AWS VPN Wizard.
2. Write the image to a USB memstick. Locating the image and writing it to a USB memstick is covered in detail
under
3. Connect to the console port of the pfSense device.
See also:
Connecting to the console port. Cable is required.
4. Insert the memstick into an open USB port and boot the system.
5. After a minute the pfSense loader menu will be displayed that contains options to
Boot Multi User
,
Boot Single
User
,
Escape to loader prompt
,
Reboot
, select a non-default kernel or configure boot options. Either allow
the menu to timeout and boot on its own, or press
1
to boot normally. The factory images of pfSense already
have appropriate console port options.
6. The installer will automatically launch once the boot process completes and offer the choice of a Quick/Easy
Install, Custom Install, and several other options. Select
Quick/Easy Install
and press
Enter
. Another screen
will prompt for confirmation. Select
OK
and press
Enter
to continue.
7. pfSense will be installed to the first available disk in the system. If the system contains an optional SSD storage
disk, it will be chosen. Otherwise, the onboard eMMC will be used. It will take a couple of minutes to copy all
of the files to the target disk. When the files have finished being copied, the installer will prompt to select either
the
Embedded Kernel
or
Standard Kernel
. Select the
Embedded Kernel
and press
Enter
.
8. If you are on the factory version, the installer will then prompt to choose the type of system being installed,
which pre-configures device-specific defaults. Choose the option that exactly matches the unit being reinstalled.
If the model is unknown, check the sticker on the bottom of the unit.
9. The installer will then prompt to Reboot the system. Select
Reboot
and press
Enter
. The system will reboot.
10. Remove the USB drive from the USB port. pfSense will restart automatically. If the USB drive remains attached,
the system will boot into the installer again because by default the system firmware is configured so that a device
plugged into the USB port will be booted with a higher priority.
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