Config lost after reboot

[the_jest]

I'm running FreeNAS-9.10.2-U3. It's more than powerful enough for my basic tasks, and I'm using mirrored boot drives. My system has been running more or less fine for weeks, but I never actively saved a system config file, because I was still doing some adjustments.

While doing some unrelated work on my network, I accidentally powercycled the FreeNAS box, and when it came back up, I thought it vanished; in fact, it merely rebooted to some state where it lost all the configuration info, so it got a different address via DHCP. I logged into it on the GUI, and did enter my actual password, but apart from that, it looks like it's from a fresh install--no config is there, no users, no volumes, no jails, no nothing. I do apparently have the ability to import my ZFS volumes, but I didn't do this yet.

I did manually reboot once more on the GUI, and it's the same thing--took my password but nothing else is there.

Is there anything I can do to restore this? I don't even know where to look. I'm glad that the data is still there, but I had done enough config that it would be a real pain to recreate it all.

Thanks for any ideas.

 

[Ericloewe]

That sounds extremely unusual. What hardware are you using?

The config file doesn't just disappear, so something is definitely going on. There may be a backup in the .system dataset that you can grab, but I'm not sure about the timings of that task.

 

[the_jest]

It's my own build, but using things recommended in the docs and reviewed at length on this forum. What would be most helpful to know?

There seems not to be a backup in the .system dataset, if I'm looking at it correctly--the only config thing there is something from this afternoon. I was able to import my ZFS volumes successfully, and it all seems to be there, but redoing all the config (esp for the jails) will be a PITA.

Thanks.

 

[Ericloewe]

What would be most helpful to know?

RAM, mostly.

 

[the_jest]

32 GB, which felt like four times more than I need (this is basically a single-user system, with light requirements). 4 4TB WD Reds in a mirror.

 

[Ericloewe]

Well, that's plenty. To be honest, I'm out of ideas.

You didn't happen to boot into the original-install environment, did you? That one probably has default settings only.

 

[the_jest]

God, that was it! Thank you, I wasn't even aware of that possibility.

There's some problem with a plugin that I'll figure out later, but for now things are all up and running.

Saving config now. Whew!