Importing System Config File from Data Pool

[pratman2]

I recently had to replace my boot drive for FreeNAS 9.3. I have things back up and running but the last config file saved was from 2 years ago. I have imported it, but there are still a few settings and plugins missing that were installed after the backup. I understand a autobackup is installed on your data pool every night at 3:45am, which I've confirmed through the GUI which of my pools this is set to. From forum reading it looks like the files would be stored somewhere around here: /var/db/system/. How do I get to this to get the .db file to re-import it into the GUI? What software or method do I use? There's lots of talk about using the command line, but I haven't seen actual instructions that I understand. Can I get to this location from a Windows machine? I'm just looking for tangible steps as I just don't understand the "back-end interworkings" of the server enough to make sense of posts like this. I think once I have the file I shouldn't have any problem importing in through the GUI. Thanks for the help.

 

[Redcoat]

Take a look at posts 27 and 30 in this thread - https://www.ixsystems.com/community/threads/help-upgraded-to-11-2-can't-boot-up-server.75003/page-2#post-521155

Also some of the links there - this one, for instance https://www.ixsystems.com/community/threads/update-went-wrong.74084/page-2#post-514298

Hopefully the instructions on the use of mc will work for you. You can use MC from the shell, but I find ssh to be better.

So - you can get to that location from a Windows machine - using SSH that is built in to Win10 now, or with WinSCP, and others. Judging from your statements, though, I think you may find mc easier.

 

[pratman2]

Thanks for the help, I'll give this a shot and report back

 

[pratman2]

So I was able to get into my server with pretty easily with WinSCP, but I have not been able to find a config file of any kind. In the GUI I have the System Dataset set to one of my data pools. This was the setting from the 2 year old config backup I made and I have not changed since. In theory I should be able to see config backups here /mnt/"datadrive"/. The only thing I see is folders that contain my files, documents, music, etc. What's puzzling is why I do not see a new config file there since I re-installed FreeNAS last week, the backup location hasn't changed and the server has ran over night. Looking in other locations, there is a config folder here: /var/db/system/, but it's empty. So is my server running 9.3 actually backing up config file at all? Using WinSCP I have done a search for any ".db" but have turned up nothing. At this point I'm at a loss. Is this just a 9.3 issue?

 

[Yorick]

At this point I'm at a loss. Is this just a 9.3 issue?

Might be. You expect /var/db/system/config-SOMENUMBERS/FreeNAS-VERSION/DATE.db

At this point, get back to where you were manually, and set an automatic config backup via cron job. And consider moving up: 9.10 -> 11.1 -> 11.2U1 ->11.2Ulatest -> 11.3

 

[pratman2]

Thanks, may have to try that.