FreeNAS 11.0 U2 server is experiencing issues.
FreeNAS 11.0 U2 server is experiencing issues.
I'll get straight to the point: my FreeNAS 11.0 U2 server won't boot from any of my USB drives. The issue started when I tried accessing the Web GUI via HTTPS, but it kept looping in the BIOS without actually starting FreeNAS. I switched to a different USB port and it worked perfectly. When I replaced the working drive with the faulty one, it still wouldn't boot. After removing the faulty drive and plugging in the backup, it functioned fine. I then tried connecting the backup to the original boot device, but it failed. Now neither USB port seems to be the problem since both worked on another USB stick that ran Linux Mint 18.2. The drive also worked when connected to my laptop and gaming PC. There are still two USB devices detected, though Windows is preventing me from opening them for formatting. In short: what's going wrong? How can I fix it? And if a fresh installation is needed, how do I recover my data, SMB settings, users, and groups? Thanks for your help!
Hello lal12, it's tough to pinpoint the issue just from the details you shared. Theoretically, your USB drives might be defective. FreeNAS isn't built to boot directly from a USB stick; it writes to its initial media, which behaves differently than a standard Live CD used for Linux Mint. These writes are usually limited, but many shorten the lifespan of a USB drive because they restrict write cycles per cell in flash memory. Still, this seems unlikely given you've tested multiple drives.
If you're still unsure, try another stick. Another chance could be incorrect BIOS settings—perhaps adding photos of your boot menu and settings would help us investigate further. Also, verify that the partitions on your USB media have correct boot flags.
If you run a Linux workstation and use `sudo parted -l /dev/sd*` as output, the listed device node is your USB media. You can check details like partition structure and flags using commands such as `lsblk` or Windows Partition Manager. Let me know if you need more guidance!
Hey lal12! Thanks for sharing, but the fix happened on Level1Techs Forums (https://forum.level1techs.com/t/freenas-...ead/118493). I’m not sure what exact issue occurred, but swapping out my USB sticks resolved it. The original ones failed after just a week, so they probably didn’t handle enough writes. FreeNAS should work fine with a USB stick since it loads into system memory. The site lists it as the minimum boot device (http://www.freenas.org/hardware-requirements/). BIOS settings weren’t the cause—they only mattered after FreeNAS refused to start. I also formatted the sticks using Rufus with FAT32, MBR for Legacy BIOS or UEFI, and a 8192 KB cluster before installing. I ran Rufus to scan for errors, but none appeared. My new sticks seem to boot now, and I’m hoping that stays consistent!
I also recreated the problem with fresh USBs. It looks like either my mirroring method isn’t ideal or there’s a bug in FreeNAS 11.0 U2 when mirroring USB devices. I’m planning to use just one USB stick after reinstalling FreeNAS 11.0 U2 for the second time. Who needs mirroring anyway? *laughs nervously*
Edited August 25, 2017 by reftyuy
Speaking too soon