Is the Tunable required for the C2550D4I/C2750D4I watchdog fix?

[Alan W. Smtih]

I built a FreeNAS system in 2014 using a C2550D4I motherboard. It's currently running 9.3.

While researching to see if those boards are still considered good, I found "Dead ASRock C2750D4I and poor customer service?" and the related "How to: Avoid dead ASRock C2x50 D4i boards by disabling the watchdog".

Checking my BIOS shows that (luckily), the watchdog was already disabled. I don't see anything in my build notes about changing it. So, I'm guessing it was that way out of the box.

I never added the Tunable mentioned in the HowTo (i.e. Variable:`watchdog_enable`, Value:`No`).

My question: Will it hurt anything if I don't add it?

(My reasoning is that I like making as few changes to my system as possible away from the defaults. Helps to reduce the risk of future surprises.)

 

[nojohnny101]

Instead of dealing with tunables, if you upgrade to the latest stable release of 9.10 then you will be covered. I don't recall what specific version of FreeNAS fixed the watchdog issue, but it has been in the last 6 months if my memory is serving me correctly.

 

[Arwen]

Either add the tunable, or upgrade FreeNAS to current stable.

Otherwise, you still have risk of failure.

 

[Alan W. Smtih]

Roger that. Thanks folks!

 

[Ericloewe]

The bug has been fixed in firmware. Feel free to be paranoid and do more, but make sure you're running the latest IPMI firmware.

 

[cods69]

Seconded to do the BMC. I've just updated my 2750 and no problems, so get on that right away.
EDIT: I did a clean flash and manually put all my settings back in. I don't trust upgrade "preserve configuration" stuff. JMHO.

 

[Arwen]

Seconded to do the BMC. I've just updated my 2750 and no problems, so get on that right away.
EDIT: I did a clean flash and manually put all my settings back in. I don't trust upgrade "preserve configuration" stuff. JMHO.

Do you remember what settings you customized?
Besides the IP related?

I have not yet done the firmware. Since my FreeNAS Mini has the work around, I was waiting for others to be the guinea pigs.

 

[cods69]

There was nothing specific for Watchdog in the BMC, only personal networky settings specific to my setup.
I just did a bunch of screen snaps and went back through it once the new BMC was on. Nothing special really.

EDIT: I did update the BIOS to 2.90 at the same time though, which did have a watchdog setting in there somewhere, but I have not looked at that since I've updated my Freenas to 9.10.2-U2 just afterwards (which apparently negates having to play much further in the BIOS, with the BMC updated).

 

[Arwen]

@cods69
Well, I did both BMC/IPMI and BIOS, after many hours of work. The stupid BMC update did not
perserve my IP as I asked, so that was problem 1. Next, the stupid Web GUI wanted to sit on an
interface that only had IPv6. Fought with that for more than an hour. Then the BIOS wanted to boot
from a NAS disk. So back to the BIOS setup and remove the NAS disks, leaving my 2 SATA DOMs
in the list.

All in all, exactly what I expected, hard work. Damn this should be so simple.

 

[cods69]

@cods69
All in all, exactly what I expected, hard work. Damn this should be so simple.

Indeed, but I've done it a few times now and some shortcuts help make it less painful, such as fixed mapping IP's for the BMC and volume server, as well as a record of reference for all the screens you may need to change in the BIOS and BMC. (screen snaps for instance, saves a lot of time)
Makes it a hell of a lot easier when the updates roll in, especially if you (like I like to) reset BMC and BIOS to defaults each time they are updated, as usually recommended.