Install gets stuck asking to mount root

[Chug]

Have to admit to being a complete amateur wwhen it comes to linux and command lines.

I got FreeNAS up and running ok, ran into some issue which I can't even remember now and decided to start again.

Now it gets stuck asking me to mount root and does not even get to the installer.

I have tried a bit of googling, stopped using the usb 3 port, disabled fast boot, couldn't see any xchi options. Tried formatting the SSD, even a long format, changing sata ports. No luck.

At a bit of a loss what to do now.

If hardware makes a difference it is a Celeron G1840, 16gb of ECC Udimm ram, 16gb SSD and H87WS-DL.

I have a 5 x 3tb green drives with data from a windows server and 2x 6tb reds. What would be the best way to migrate the data over? Was tempted to sell the 3tbs and replace with 6's.

 

[dlavigne]

Which version are you trying to install?

Which version was installed before?

What utility did you use to burn the installation image?

Have you tried burning the installer to a different USB stick?

 

[Chug]

Thanks for the reply. I'm using the latest stable version. This was the same version that installed before, and with the same usb stick.

Used Rufus to make the usb stick, and I've tried burning it again, but not another usb stick. Will give that a go, although it worked previously.

 

[wblock]

I'm using the latest stable version.

Please give a version number. These are sometimes misunderstood.

 

[Chug]

FreeNAS-9.10.1-U4

Cheers

 

[Chug]

New USB stick, and it loaded up, got it installed, great.

Then I remembered why I reinstalled in the first place. It just seems to cut out without warning, I can be in the browser on another computer, go to change a setting, it thinks about it for a long time, and says an error occured, then I can't get into anything on the browser.

I can see the console setup menu on the NAS, and can restart from there.

Sometimes when I boot it won't boot at all, claiming not to see the SSD where freenas is installed. A restart sometimes fixes this.

I've tried a new sata cable, and new sata positions on the board and still get the same issue. I suppose the next thing is to try a new SSD.

Going to hazard a guess at faulty SSD/motherboard, or maybe something as simple as a bios setting change. What I do notice is the flashing lights on the intel nic pcie card go out when it looses connection.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Chug]

New SSD and it has the same issue.

Monitor on NAS shows the console screen, shows the IP address, but I can't connect to it from the other computer.

Sometimes I'll restart and it'll work for a period of time.

 

[wblock]

Now there are two utterly different problems being discussed in one thread, one of them not even mentioned in the subject.

The mountroot problem can be caused by a number of things, including low-quality USB boot devices.

The "it just goes away" problem sounds very much like a networking problem, not with the FreeNAS system but the network it is on. Usually this is a router providing DHCP that has never been configured. It might give the FreeNAS system a different IP address than the one it had yesterday, or might dynamically give another system the static IP address being used by the FreeNAS system. When that happens, neither of the two systems with the same address will work.

It could also be hardware problems, including network cable, AC power, power supply, or a router/switch/hub power supply failing.

 

[wblock]

New SSD and it has the same issue.

Which one? There are two. Well, at least two.

Monitor on NAS shows the console screen, shows the IP address, but I can't connect to it from the other computer.

Sometimes I'll restart and it'll work for a period of time.

We need more information on your network setup. Do you have the FreeNAS system set to a static IP address outside of the DHCP range from the router?

 

[Chug]

Thanks for the help, I'm pretty keen to get this going. Never know whether its the right/wrong thing to start another thread with another problem on a newish forum.

Mount root issue seems to have been solved, it would load the usb stick, but not give me the blue install screen with the 4 options and go to mount root. Read about some usb 3 issues, so I found a usb 2 stick, loaded the iso, and it worked. Although it worked from the same usb stick previously.

Now, it will load up to the console screen, I can get into the browser and get asked to fill out the time zone and keyboard, at which point the it won't save them, stops responding and looking at the nas, the lights have gone out on the nic.

Restart, and it seems to last slightly longer this time. Both orange and green lights are flashing, then the orange goes out, green flashes slow a few times, goes out and thats when the browser control cuts out.

Is there anyway to check why it is doing this? A log of some sort?

Cheers

 

[wblock]

Thanks for the help, I'm pretty keen to get this going. Never know whether its the right/wrong thing to start another thread with another problem on a newish forum.

To get good answers, it's always better to start a new thread for a new problem. People will be looking at the thread titles for things they can help with, and carrying on in an old thread limits responses to just those people who have already responded.

So for now, start a new thread, with a title that tells what is happening, like "New FreeNAS system quickly stops responding". In the first post, describe the hardware being used, and also your network, which router it has, how the FreeNAS system is connected to it, what settings are configured in the installer and exactly what happens. Say what happens when it goes away, whether the console still works, everything like that you can think of. I'm convinced we can get it working.

 

[Chug]

Fair enough.

Ok, to summarise for anyone else reading. Mount root error, solved with a different usb stick, no idea why, as the other stick previously worked doing the same install on the same hardware, could be linked to the SSD dropping out issue. Which I think is/was down to a faulty sata cable.

The network dropping out I seem to have solved, I enabled the onboard nic, and it hasn't dropped out yet. Possible faulty intel nic.

Cheers