9.2.1.7 to 9.10 - WebGUI upgrade or USB/ISO?

[Nerevarine]

Like the title says I just want to know what I should do here, I currently have version 9.2.1.7 installed, and want to upgrade to the latest stable release. Not sure if I should do a USB/ISO upgrade, use the upgrade firmware in WebGUI or even do a fresh install and backup/restore my configuration database?

Which would normally be the best and least problematic option?

 

[BigDave]

I hate to answer a question with a question, but is your hardware ready for 9.10?
Have you done a complete backup of your data?
If you can answer YES to both of those, a fresh install is faster.
You still may have some issues either way...
There are plenty of posts about this, how big of a hurry are you in?
Biggest caution would be importing your pool once you have 9.10 installed,
DO NOT attempt anything (importation) from the CLI without asking FIRST!!!

 

[m0nkey_]

Your upgrade path should be as follows: 9.2.1.9 -> 9.3.1 -> 9.10. Make sure that you update to the latest before moving on to the next.

Also, your hardware has to be 64-bit in order to upgrade past 9.2.1.9. As of 9.3, FreeNAS is only 64-bit. As always, ensure you have a good working backup of your data and configuration.

 

[Nerevarine]

I shouldn't have tried. I first tried to get 9.3.1 installed via the WebGUI, which was successful until it was time to restart my NAS, and it stalled my boot process before it even began kind of, stalled on full screen logo boot screen (which I seemed to have for once left on). After some quick troubleshooting I found it stalled only with the FreeNAS USB drive attached, and worked without it (but had nothing to boot to ofc).

I then tried my USB stick with the 9.10 iso on it just to see if I had any luck. But no, same issue. It installed, but couldn't boot. This is a 64bit system btw, my old 9.2.1.7 was 64bit as well, no issues there.

I eventually ended up installing 9.2.1.9 and got it to boot once more, only to have it crash on rebooting when restoring my config database backup. This is when I started to get a little bit frustrated and thinking this was doomed and would never work. I did a wipe of the USB once more and installed 9.2.1.9 again and tried the auto import volume thing and for once got lucky and had everything safely imported and up and running again within a few minutes. It basically took me hours of different failures to finally upgrade from 9.2.1.7 to 9.2.1.9, and I won't be trying for 9.3 or 9.10 any time soon. Seems I might need a new motherboard or something, not for not meeting the requirements as such, but more for compatibility with newer USB boot thingies apparently. I'm already at the last bios for that motherboard, and it's probably just too old, unless it's some setting in bios I didn't find.

Legacy USB is on for my USB keyboard to work (don't even have a PS/2 anymore), could that cause a modern USB boot to fail? There is also stuff like legacy USB storage and such..

Oh well, if I try again with new info later it's gonna be on a new USB drive, with my current working install safely unplugged at that time, no upgrades will be attempted. Unplugging the working USB install and trying a fresh install, would be completely safe right, as long as I don't mess with the drives themselves or start messing with new volumes once I got it working? I could always just plug the old USB in again and be up and running where I left it if the new installations fail or something..?


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[gpsguy]

If you have a free SATA port and room for a SSD, I would buy a small one and install FreeNAS on it.


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[Nerevarine]

If you have a free SATA port and room for a SSD, I would buy a small one and install FreeNAS on it.


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Not a bad idea, I'll look into that. Thanks! :)