pfSense

this isn't true, most all configs have the sysctl items and the code that sets them reads their default value and sets it accordingly.

            if($tunable['value'] == "default")
                $value = get_default_sysctl_value($tunable['tunable']);

which works as it should. I enabled logging of all sysctl commands on a system with an upgraded config containing all the sysctl items and it never once used "default" as the sysctl value.

Pretty sure this is bunk, but there could be some edge case I'm not seeing. You have a way to replicate this?

to replicate this, first copy the sysctl section from the attached config file to a 2.1.5 config file and then upgrade that machine to 2.2 and keep a close watch in the console window as the system tries to apply the value as default and the errors come in console but not for all but a few of the entries, so better use as is the section i provided in the config file.

secondly if the value is default, 2.1.5 would actually show the default value whereas 2.2 doesnt but i guess u patched it soon after i opened the bug report.

the system i tried this on was a alix, nanobsd but i guess it would be same for all systems.

I loaded that on nano and full, 32 and 64 bit, both on 2.2 and on 2.1.5 then upgraded to 2.2, and it never tries to set a sysctl to "default". The only thing from that config snippet that triggers an error is hw.bce.tso_enable which must be set in loader.conf(.local), and is harmless. I also can't find any release version we've ever put out that included that tunable, guessing it was there temporarily in a snapshot at some point maybe. Regardless, it's harmless. The issue as described doesn't exist.