How to boot a FreeBSD VPS into rescue mode

If your FreeBSD VPS fails to boot, for example, due to a broken bootloader or kernel, you can enter rescue mode. The rescue mode can also be used to copy files from an infected VPS, reset passwords, and perform a variety of other tasks. 

When you boot your VPS into rescue mode, mfsbsd is launched, which can be used to reset passwords, resize partitions, and so on. Please keep in mind that the root password is empty. 

Booting into rescue mode 

To start your server in rescue mode, follow the steps below: 

1. Navigate to your server after logging onto your Tilaa account.
2. Click on the VPS which you want to boot into rescue mode. 
3. Under task, click Start in rescue mode. 
   
   
4. Click the “OK” button to begin the rescue mode.
   
   
5. When the server is fully operational and reachable in Rescue Mode, the state of the server will be changed to 'rescue mode.' 

Your VPS will start again, but this time, it will boot from the FreeBSD Live CD. You can view the boot progress from the Video Display. When your VPS has finished booting, you see the following on the Video Display:

Choose the shell option 

Configuring network and SSH 

1. Use the following command to obtain an IP address:

dhclient vtnet0

2. Make your /etc/ folder writable and set up your SSH configuration to allow root access.

3. Enable root acces through ssh. Change ‘PremitRootLogin NO’ to YES
4. Set a root password using the command:

passwd root

5. Start the ssh service:

service sshd onestart 

You will receive an output that looks a bit like:

Mounting partitions and copying files 

You can mount your freeBSD root partition, to copy files from it (using ‘scp’ or ‘rsync’):

Reset your password 

Once your root partition has been mounted, chroot into it and change your password.