Determine Netgate 4200 Firmware Type

The Netgate® 4200 Desktop Firewall Appliance has two variations which are primarily differentiated by the platform firmware.

Note

Though UEFI platform firmware is not technically a “BIOS” in the traditional sense, it is still commonly referred to as a “BIOS” in practice since end users are familiar with that term.

The two firmware variants are:

  • AMI

  • Slim Bootloader (SBL)

Note

SBL boots much faster than AMI. Connect to the console before booting the device to ensure the console receives all possible output.

Dashboard Widget Method

Log into the pfSense® Plus GUI and check the BIOS section of the System Information Dashboard widget. The contents of that widget section contain information which identifies the hardware variant.

Netgate 4200 devices running AMI firmware will appear as follows:

../_images/netgate-4200-fw-id-ami.png

System Information Dashboard widget on Netgate 4200 device with AMI firmware

Netgate 4200 devices running SBL will appear as follows:

../_images/netgate-4200-fw-id-sbl.png

System Information Dashboard widget on Netgate 4200 device with SBL

Boot Output Method

When the device boots, the first output from the firmware informs users how to enter the firmware setup, among other information. This output is different on each type of firmware.

Netgate 4200 devices running AMI firmware will appear as follows:

Version 2.22.1285. Copyright (C) 2024 AMI
BIOS Date: 02/01/2024 15:18:05 Ver: 2AZRT81
Press <DEL> or <ESC> to enter setup.

Netgate 4200 devices running SBL briefly show initialization output followed by a prompt.

SBL initialization appears as follows:

Intel Slim Bootloader
SBID: VAL-SL00
ISVN: 001
IVER: 001.000.002.000.00001
BOOT: BP0
MODE: 1
BoardID: 0x09
Memory Init
Silicon Init
MP Init
PCI Enum
ACPI Init
VBT not found 80000003

The SBL boot prompt appears as follows:

F2 or Down      to enter Setup.
F7              to enter Boot Manager Menu.
ENTER           to boot directly.

Firmware Configuration Screen

The firmware setup screen is much different for each firmware type. When the console displays the setup screen, the two types can be differentiated by comparing against the following images:

Netgate 4200 devices running AMI firmware will appear as follows:

../_images/netgate-4200-fw-setup-ami.png

Firmware Configuration Screen on AMI firmware

Netgate 4200 devices running SBL will appear as follows:

../_images/netgate-4200-fw-setup-sbl.png

SBL Firmware Configuration Screen

Hardware Sticker Method

Each device has a unique Serial Number (SN) printed on a sticker on the underside of the hardware. The serial number value can differentiate between firmware types as follows:

  • Serial numbers starting with 2008 or higher values (e.g. 2008xxxxxx) contain SBL firmware.

  • Serial numbers starting with lower values, such as 2003 (e.g. 2003xxxxxx) contain AMI firmware.