Pf Configuration Incompatible With Pf Program Version Fixed

The PF developers do not guarantee binary compatibility across versions. Theo de Raadt has noted: "I think we never guarantee this level of compatibility. Correct. It is a binary supplied with the kernel. We pay attention if it is inconvenient". This means that a pfctl compiled for OpenBSD 6.5 will likely not work with a kernel running OpenBSD 6.6. The internal structures change, and the new kernel rejects the old commands.

Fix "PF Configuration Incompatible with PF Program Version" Error

freebsd-version -kru

The most common cause is upgrading the operating system (e.g., updating OpenBSD or FreeBSD) without updating the pf.conf file to match new syntax requirements. As PF evolves, older syntax is deprecated and eventually removed. 2. Migrating Configurations Between OS Versions

There are three primary reasons this incompatibility happens: 1. Operating System Upgrades pf configuration incompatible with pf program version

If you are running FreeBSD and used freebsd-update , ensure you have completed the entire update process. FreeBSDs upgrade process requires two separate steps: installing the kernel updates, rebooting, and then installing the userland updates. If you missed the second half, run: sudo freebsd-update install Use code with caution.

load it. If it returns no errors, your configuration is compatible with your current program version. 3. Consult Version-Specific Man Pages

pfctl -d pfctl -F all echo "pass out all" > /tmp/mini.conf pfctl -f /tmp/mini.conf pfctl -e

If you recently updated your operating system via a package manager or source tree, ensure that you completed the final reboot step to initialize the new kernel. A system running an old kernel with new userland binaries will trigger this exact incompatibility error. 3. Identify and Update Deprecated Syntax The PF developers do not guarantee binary compatibility

This error occurs on (or other systems using PF, like FreeBSD) when the current running PF kernel module (the “pf program version”) expects a certain syntax or feature set, but the configuration file ( /etc/pf.conf ) uses rules or options from a different PF version.

sysctl net.inet.pf.version net.inet.pf.version = 1.9

Before changing any configuration files, you need to verify where the mismatch lies. You can check the version and compilation data of your userland pfctl tool and compare it against your system's current kernel state. Run the following command to check your pfctl details: pfctl -V Use code with caution.

While the error explicitly points to a program version mismatch, it can occasionally be triggered if your /etc/pf.conf file contains deprecated syntax from a much older version of PF, confusing the modern parser. It is a binary supplied with the kernel

cd /usr/src/sys/modules/pf make clean && make && make install kldunload pf kldload pf

If the error started happening after a system update, your upgrade sequence may be incomplete.

Resolving the "pf configuration incompatible with pf program version" Error