topic Re: Upgrade and XFS filesystem in Firewall and Security Management

Upgrade and XFS filesystem

Wolfgang — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 08:28:09 GMT

Will be there a chance to get XFS filesystem without install via LOM / USB ?

We have to upgrade some remote gateways from R80.30 to R81.10. Does Upgrade or fresh install with blink-image for R81.10_Jumbo_take_87 changes the filesystem to XFS ? It's hard to go onsite, we are looking to do the update from remote with a change of the filesystem to XFS.

Re: Upgrade and XFS filesystem

G_W_Albrecht — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 09:29:56 GMT

The sk141432 seems to tell us that a in-place upgrade with CPUSE neither Disk Partitions nor File System is changed (only kernel). I am not fully sure as i saw that a new partition was created, upgrade export / import performed and snapshot of old partition saved in CPUSE upgrade.

In sk120193, there is fresh install for blink where the old partition also is saved as a snapshot - looks like you will get XFS here...

Re: Upgrade and XFS filesystem

_Val_ — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 09:37:18 GMT

No switch to XFS, you need to perform a clean install. Upgrade in place will leave you with the older file system.

Re: Upgrade and XFS filesystem

Wolfgang — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 10:03:54 GMT

Does clean install via GAiA-GUI and blink-image switch filesystem to XFS ? Or maybe a clean install from USB or LOM will be needed ?

Re: Upgrade and XFS filesystem

PhoneBoy — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 15:16:34 GMT

This cannot be done via CPUSE, must be done from USB or LOM.

Re: Upgrade and XFS filesystem

RamGuy239 — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 23:34:50 GMT

Sadly the wording is somewhat misleading. Using CPUSE/Blink, the "clean install" option doesn't mean anything other than the running Gaia configuration getting wiped. You are not doing a "clean install", per se. The only way to get a proper clean install is by using ISO/USB/LOM.

The only way to get the new XFS filesystem is by doing a proper clean installation using ISO/USB/LOM. This is the only way to get the 4k alignment introduced with R81.20 as well. Things such as the new default for most deployments being user-space firewall, not kernel-mode firewall is not being changed when doing CPUSE/Blink installations either. You have to do a proper clean installation or make the change from KMFW to USFW manually afterwards. Things like NIC firmware upgrades do not seem to happen unless you do a proper clean installation either. The amount of things requiring a proper clean installation is starting to add up. I'm striving to do proper clean installations using ISO/USB/LOM every time I move from one major version to another.

I don't think Check Point is doing a very good job detailing what you are missing when upgrading compared to a proper clean installation. It would be beneficial for the R81.20 upgrade and installation guide to detail everything you will miss by not doing a proper clean installation.