# Startup too fast?!



## kyrrin (Oct 22, 2012)

Fellow techies,

I just finished replacing one of my servers with newer hardware, and I've run into a bizarre issue. Specifically, FreeBSD (amd64 port, release 8.3) seems to be starting up faster than the NICs can come online. 

This is posing a nasty problem, particularly when the two entries I've got in /etc/fstab to mount a pair of Windows server-based shares come up. The result of said problem seems to be the machine thinks something is broken, and says it can't locate the OS shell file. Commenting out the two SMB-based shares in fstab eliminates the startup problem, but loses me said shares outside of manually mapping them from the console.

Question: Is there a way to put a temporary 'hold' or timed pause in the startup process, preferably after the network ports are enabled and before the portion of fstab containing the SMB shares is executed? I'd like to give the net ports about ten seconds to settle.

Alternatively: Is there a way to let the system start all the way up, EXCEPT for the two SMB shares, and then mount them after a few seconds pause?

Or -- Is there a Better Way I've not mentioned above?

Thanks much.


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## break19 (Oct 22, 2012)

make sure you have "late" in the options field for the smbfs mounts.

Also, are you using dhcp for the server?


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## Terry_Kennedy (Oct 22, 2012)

kyrrin said:
			
		

> I just finished replacing one of my servers with newer hardware, and I've run into a bizarre issue. Specifically, FreeBSD (amd64 port, release 8.3) seems to be starting up faster than the NICs can come online.


I think you want /etc/rc.d/netwait

Minimum config is:

```
netwait_enable="YES"
netwait_ip="192.168.1.1"
netwait_if="bce0"
```
The IP value is the address of something that should always be reachable on your local LAN. Your router is a good choice. The IF value is the name of the interface you use for your network connection.

netwait will wait for the IF to become UP, then will start pinging the IP, waiting until it responds (or netwait times out), and then exiting, allowing the startup to proceed.


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## Zare (Oct 22, 2012)

If you're using DHCP put 

```
synchronous_dhclient="YES"
```

in /etc/rc.conf


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## kyrrin (Oct 23, 2012)

My thanks to all who replied, particularly 'break19' and Terry Kennedy. 'netwait' worked as nicely as the 'late' option on the SMB mounts.

Happy tweaking.


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