Solved! Thwarted by ASRock H77M-ITX mb + TrueNAS 13 Core & Scale

[wittend]

A new user to TrueNAS/FreeNAS, I have been trying to install TrueNAS Core 13.0 U2 (and alternately TrueNAS Scale 13.0 22.02.4) on an unlovely but heretofore reliable ASRock H77M-ITX motherboard.

This board hardware setup is as follows:

(Readinfg from UEFI Setup Screen)
UEFI H77M-ITZ P1.10
CPU: Intel Core i7-2700k CPU @3.50 GHz
CPU speed: 3500 Mhz
Microcode Update: 206A7/25
Cache Size: 8192 KB

DDR_A1: 8196 MB (DDR-1333)
DDR_B1: 8196 MB (DDR-1333)
Total DDR3: 16384 MB with265 MB Shared memory and 2MB GTT Memory

Intended Boot volume: Crucial 126 GB Crucial SSD (Sata IF)
Intended Storage volumes: 3 (for testing) or 4 (in the end) WD4003FFBX 'NASware' 4 TB Red Pro 7200 rpm drives

Installing from memory stick image.

I have tried to be systematic, and spent 2.5 days patiently (sort of) changing BIOS parameters one at a time and rebooting with what seems to me to be every possible combination allowed.

I have tried USB PMAP and USB UEFI-PMAP. USB 3 and especially USB2
I've tried both HardDisk Driver and Solid State Drive options where I can. Enabled and disabled external SATA. options.
I have diddled and re-diddled the boot order options.
I have changed everything that can be changed, I think.

In all cases the system expands the installation image but then cannot find some essential component

I have tried to 'Instant Flash' (Image not found) or 'Internet Flash' (total system lock up every time) with the latest available approved and beta BIOS images.

I recognize that this is an old, unlovely motherboard designed and tested for Windows desktop use by a manufacturer who has little regard for other OS's.

But it installs Mint (Ubuntu) (including ZFS option) without fail.

Is there anything else that I can do?

-dave

 

[wittend]

OBTW,

No problem installing FreeBSD 13.1 from same USB drive.

-dave

 

[mav@]

In all cases the system expands the installation image but then cannot find some essential component

It is difficult to debug anything without having reliable input. If you have installation problem on that system, you could install TrueNAS on any other system and then just move the boot device. TrueNAS has very little ties to specific hardware.

 

[wittend]

Thanks for the response!
Since FreeBSD 13.1 installed so easily (using ZFS), I am going to continue my efforts. I really don't have another system that I can tet the installation on, but perhaps I can borrow something.

-dave

 

[mav@]

TrueNAS 13.0 uses mostly vanilla FreeBSD 13.1, so I guess it is something in installer image, which is quite different, your system does not like. That is why I proposed to install on some other system. But as you wish.

 

[wittend]

Solved!

You were right about the installer image - it wasn't set up quite right.
My bad. Not having some of the image flashing tools recommended at hand, I was trying to use the gnome-disks tool to write to the USB stick. Guess I got bit. Wanting to avoid dd, I tried "USB Stick Formatter" (=== 'mintstick -m format') followed by "USB Image Writer" (=== 'mintstick -m iso') and those worked a charm!

Now I'm up and running and quite pleased with what I see so far.

Thanks!

-dave