11.2 Installer Loop -> Can access Shell, but Install Loops Back

[Vlody]

NB: I thought of bumping on this thread https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...an-access-shell-but-install-loops-back.72343/, but as it was tagged Solved and didn't help my case... I thought it would be cleaner to create my own.

Fresh build fresh install, and as mentioned in the subject, currently stuck at the console setup menu...
Where when I click on 1. Install/Upgrade, it just "refresh" the screen.
All other options (2/3/4) work fine though.

Software/Hardware is:
- FreeNAS-11.2-RELEASE-U1.iso
- Xeon e3-1230v2
- SuperMicro X9CSM-F
- 3*8 Go DDR3 PC3-12800E (the 4th is in RMA as it produced errors during the memory burnin phase)
- Dell PERC310 crossflashed to LSI-9211
- some WD Red 4To connected to the Dell/LSI card
- Sandisk Cruzer Fit 32Go (Install target)
- Corsair Flash Voyager 8Go (USB installer)

What I tried so far which always ended on this install loop:
> Mounting the iso through IPMI, and running the installer with or without the "Serial Console" option
> Flashing the Corsair 8Go from a UEFI booted W10 with Rufus 3.4 (no dd option seen in that version)
> Flashing the Corsair 8Go from a UEFI booted W10 with Win32DiskImager

Also as mentioned in the other thread, I had a look at the X9CSM-F bios, and "Legacy USB Support" is Enabled.

Any ideas/suggestions where to go next?

 

[Chris Moore]

With this,

SuperMicro X9CSM-F

you do NOT need

Corsair Flash Voyager 8Go (USB installer)

You can use the IPMI remote management console to boot directly from the ISO file and no installation media need be created or used. It is likely that the installation media is the problem.

Do not use UEFI, use legacy set it in the system board BIOS and use that installation method.

Here is a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPv_ikws7A0&t

 

[Vlody]

You can use the IPMI remote management console to boot directly from the ISO file

I already tried once this method!
Same result, option 1 loops on itself.

But thanks for the video link, very clear explanations ! (even though Chrome still refuses to have that java thing working for me... thank god there's IPMI View)
Trying not to be obtuse, I redid a test, following the same steps as you... and landed again on that install/setup screen loop.

At this point, a couple of things worth noting I suppose:
> I (re) checksumed the Freenas iso file, and confirmed it's the same as on the dl page.
> While watching your video, I noticed your BIOS version was way higher than mine.
It actually comes from the fact we don't have the same model, but nevertheless, mine is not running the latest version.
Currently in 2.0a, when a 2.3 is available from Supermicro site.
> When running the iso from the IPMI, the console setup background screen was a "lighter shade of blue" ? (compared to the "dark blue" we can see in your video, or when I run it from usb)

And apologies, but I'm confused with this uefi/legacy bios part :/
Might be easier with a screenshot of the current config?

 

[Vlody]

Update, FreeNAS 11.2 is installed on my system!
Not exactly as I intended...

Fair warning, I know that I could have been a bit more "methodological" in my approach...
Nevertheless, below steps were performed:
- Downloaded pfSense iso, loaded it in the IPMI cdrom, successfully started an install on the Sandisk usb key (didn't let it complete)
- Downloaded different older versions of Freenas (11.1 U7, 11.0 Release), loaded them in the IPMI cdrom, got stuck again in the install loop at the console setup screen
- Moved the Sandisk usb key from the back usb port to the "onboard usb" port, and retried without success FreeNAS installation
- Downloaded the 11.2 FreeBSD iso, loaded through IPMI, and successfully started an install on the Sandisk usb key
>> As I wanted to burn-in the WD disks, I decided to keep on with it for at least starting the badblock tests while figuring out why FreeNAS wasn't working on my system
>> But... even though the install process went flawlessly, after reboot I was greeted by the BIOS with "disk not bootable" (or whatever the exact message is) basically telling me that nothing usable as a system was on the Sandisk usb key

Taking the hint from Chris' comment, I (finally) figured out the X9CSM-F was maybe not handling USB correctly. So... Despite my initial reluctance:
- Decided to flash its BIOS to the latest 2.3 version
>> Short version: except for some new beeps during the boot sequence and an overall "slowness" of the motherboard... it changed nothing to the results of the previous tests!

This is where I decided to remove the USB aspect from the picture.
- I plugged a 150Gb WD Raptor (why? because it was lying around on my desktop) to the SATA0 of the MB, removed any usb key, loaded FreeNAS 11.2 through IPMI, aaaand... installation started !
>> Process was especially slow through the virtual cdrom and I must have left it stuck at "random unblocking device" message for more than an hour... But when I finally came back to have a look, it was saying something along the lines "all good, please reboot"
>> And I rebooted to be greeted again by the BIOS with a "disk not bootable" message...

That IPMI install was so long, that it motivated me to burn again the FreeNAS 11.2 iso to a usb key, and retry the install on the WD Raptor from it
>> Almost to my surprise, 10/15min later I had a FreeNAS server up and running!


Overall, it didn't solve my "specific" problem (OS installed and booting from usb), but I'm now able to play with FreeNAS.
Next steps I'm looking at:
- Downgrading the BIOS to 2.2
>> According to the 2.3 changelog, the only modification was for coping with Spectre/Meltdown and I highly suspect it isn't innocent on the motherboard/ipmi slowness I noticed since the flash upgrade
- Replacing the WD Raptor by a SSD
>> the Raptor is noisy, old, sata2 and take a slot in the hd bay!
>> I was quite happily surprised to see ssds like the WD Green 120Gb could be found for less than 30€ nowadays
- Understanding why I'm not able to usb boot this system
>> Reading the forum, it definitely doesn't come from the hardware itself... I just haven't figured out (yet) which setting(s) I should be fiddling with