Always ensure that you have a recent backup of your configuration. This doesn't directly involve the serial number but is crucial for disaster recovery and setting up a new system.
If your system doesn't show a traditional serial number, it will show a Netgate Device ID (NDI) pfsense serial number
But how? The power supply was fried. No, she realized. The reported power supply failure. The logs had said “PSU undervolt.” But what if that was a lie? What if the hardware had faked its own death? Always ensure that you have a recent backup
A: No. pfSense CE is completely open-source and does not phone home. Only pfSense Plus and AutoConfigBackup services transmit the serial (over encrypted TLS). The power supply was fried
Mira leaned back in her worn-out desk chair, the glow of three monitors painting her face in pale blue light. The office was silent except for the low hum of the server rack in the corner. On her main screen, the pfSense web interface stared back at her—a dashboard of green lights and clean, satisfying graphs. The network was perfect.
After reboot, pfSense will re-hash the hardware and report the correct physical serial number from the new device.
From the Shell (Option 8):