# Update from 11.1 to 11.2 results in "can't load kernel"



## DaveQB (Sep 25, 2018)

A picture in a thousand words? Well anyway, these photos explains where I am at.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/vQv2DDCXYPoJ8dz39

I am enjoying FreeBSD but I haven't built up my skills to where I would like them to be (long time Linux Admin).

The OS file system looks fine. This minimal environment can see the folder structure of / and it can list contents of some directories like /usr and /root but not /boot and a few other directories. I can't see any pattern to what it can read and can't read. Booting a 11.2 installer and dropping to a shell, I can mount the OS disk and browse all files, including /boot/

Any help appreciated.
Thanks.

PS I may end up installing a clean 11.2 (would rather not) but I still want to learn what the issue was or at least what I can do in future to solve investigate this better.
Thanks.


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## DaveQB (Sep 25, 2018)

Oh also, I mounted the OS disk and chroot into it. freebsd-version said it was 11.1. I started a 'freebsd-update' in the chroot. It was going for quite awhile and then I realised I hadn't also mounted /usr into the chroot (it's a zfs), so I cancelled the update.


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## SirDice (Sep 25, 2018)

Was the original install on an encrypted disk? Normally /boot is not a separate filesystem.


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## DaveQB (Sep 26, 2018)

SirDice said:


> Was the original install on an encrypted disk? Normally /boot is not a separate filesystem.



Not encrypted. Not a separate file system.


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## DaveQB (Sep 26, 2018)

Thanks for the response *SirDice*.

I am going to go ahead and install 11.2 clean; I need this server up (one of jails hosts mail for many people, including a company). I am glad I designed it so all important data is in the zpool (raidz2).

Still interested in replies. Should I have tried again with the freebsd-update in the chroot of the OS disk? Or freebsd-update rollback? Or done something with the kernel.old directory?

Thanks.


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## SirDice (Sep 26, 2018)

DaveQB said:


> This minimal environment can see the folder structure of / and it can list contents of some directories like /usr and /root but not /boot and a few other directories.





DaveQB said:


> Not encrypted. Not a separate file system.


Those don't add up. The only reason why you wouldn't have a /boot is when it's a separate filesystem. Otherwise it would simply be a directory on the root filesystem and be there.


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## DaveQB (Sep 29, 2018)

SirDice said:


> Those don't add up. The only reason why you wouldn't have a /boot is when it's a separate filesystem. Otherwise it would simply be a directory on the root filesystem and be there.



The /boot directory is there and trying to ls it gives a no such file or directory error, not an empty directory. It felt more like fs corruption but using the 11.2 boot USB I was able to mount this partition/slice and list all the files on /boot without issue. The files looked right to my eyes too.


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