Booting FreeBSD into Rescue Mode (mfsbsd)

If your FreeBSD VPS fails to boot (e.g., kernel panic or lost root password), you can boot into Rescue Mode. For FreeBSD, Tilaa uses the mfsbsd live image, which runs entirely in RAM.

Step 1: Activating Rescue Mode

1. Log in to the MyTilaa Dashboard.
2. Select your FreeBSD VPS.
3. Under Tasks, click Start in rescue mode.
4. Once the status changes to Rescue Mode, open the Video Display.

You will see the FreeBSD boot prompts. Select Shell (or wait for it to drop to the command prompt).

Step 2: Configuring Network & SSH (Optional)

Working via the Video Display console can be cumbersome. We recommend enabling SSH access to the Rescue environment so you can work comfortably from your own terminal.

1. Enable Network:
Request an IP address for the VirtIO network interface:

dhclient vtnet0

2. Configure SSH Access:
Allow root login for this temporary session:

echo "PermitRootLogin yes" >> /etc/ssh/sshd_config

3. Set a Temporary Password:
Set a password for the Rescue environment (this does not change your actual server password yet):

passwd root

4. Start SSH Service:

service sshd onestart

You can now connect via SSH: ssh root@your-vps-ip.

Step 3: Mounting your Disk

Your actual data is located on the hard disk, which is currently not mounted. You need to mount it to access files or reset passwords.

1. Identify the partition:

gpart show

Look for the largest partition (usually vtbd0p2 or similar for UFS, or a ZFS pool).

2. Mount the filesystem (UFS):

mkdir /mnt/recovery
mount /dev/vtbd0p2 /mnt/recovery

Step 4: Resetting the Original Root Password

Now that the disk is mounted, you can change the password of your actual installed system.

1. Chroot into your system:

chroot /mnt/recovery

2. Change the password:

passwd root

3. Exit and Reboot:

exit
reboot

Don't forget to switch the server back to Normal Boot in the Tilaa dashboard (Tasks -> Stop Rescue Mode) if it doesn't happen automatically.