Reinstalling pfSense Plus Software¶
This guide uses the Netgate Installer to install pfSense® Plus software on a Netgate 8200 device.
Note
pfSense® Plus is preinstalled on Netgate appliances. It is optimally tuned for Netgate hardware and contains features that cannot be found elsewhere, such as ZFS Boot Environments, OpenVPN DCO, Built-in IPFIX Export, and the AWS VPC Wizard.
Download Installation Media¶
The Netgate Installer can be downloaded from the Netgate Store using a Netgate Store Account.
See also
For a more detailed walkthrough of the download process, see Download Installation Media in the pfSense Software Documentation.
The image to download for this device is:
netgate-installer-amd64.img.gz
Prepare Installation Media¶
Next, write the installation image to a USB memstick.
See also
Locating the image and writing it to a USB memstick is covered in detail under Writing Flash Drives.
Connect to the Console¶
The installation process is interactive and utilizes the console. Follow the directions under Connect to the console to configure and use the console.
Boot the Installation Media¶
Insert the memstick into an open USB port and boot the device.
Note
If the device does not automatically boot from USB, restart the device again
and press F2 when prompted to start the boot selection menu, then select
the USB drive.
Determine Target Drive¶
During the installation process the installer will prompt to select a target drive. The installer will then write pfSense® Plus to the chosen drive. In most cases a device will have only one potential target drive.
On devices with only MMC storage, the only choice is
mmcsd0.On devices with only NVMe storage, the only choice is
nda0.On devices with multiple drives, such as MAX variants, take care to choose the correct intended target. The correct choice is always going to be the NVMe storage (
nda0).
Install pfSense Plus Software¶
The installer will automatically launch and present several options. On Netgate
appliances, choosing Enter for the default options will complete the
installation process in most cases.
Tip
There are options on the Welcome screen of the installer which can recover configuration data from a previous installation or from a USB drive.
See also
For a complete walkthrough of the installation process, see Installation Walkthrough.
When the installation is complete, remove the USB drive from the USB port.
Important
If the USB drive remains attached, the device may boot into the installer again.
See also
For information on restoring from a previously saved configuration, go to Backup and Restore.