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    pfsense is shutting down or hang randomly

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General pfSense Questions
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    • stephenw10S
      stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
      last edited by

      If it shutsdown completely without logging anything that's probably a hardware issue.

      If it's still powered on is anything shown on the console?

      Do you ever see a crash report on the dashboard after you reboot it?

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        chicknbread @stephenw10
        last edited by

        I have attached a monitor to it, so I can see what's going on.

        When it's still powered on but frozen, the console is black and the pfsense shell menu disappeared. But that's because the Monitor doesn't get any signal for display, and therefore the monitor goes black...but the pfesense "hardware" it's still powered on, because I can see the light of the Power-Button and the Ports too. And in this state, I can't ssh into it anymore.

        I never saw a crash report after/during the reboot process.

        What I did in the meantime was a backup of the configuration, reset it to "manufacturing" status and reloaded the configuration.

        Since then (yesterday evening) it did not crash or shutdown anymore. I will do a iperf3 test today to see if it's stable.

        I'l let you know how it plays out Stephen.

        Thanks for your time, much appreciated.

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        • stephenw10S
          stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
          last edited by

          That sounds like a hardware error. You should still output on the local VGA console if the device is running in any way. You would normally still see output even if the OS crashed hard.

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            chicknbread @stephenw10
            last edited by

            Jup, I changed the VIDEO Cable now to VGA instead of HDMI.
            Who knows, maybe I see something on VGA? §8-)

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            • stephenw10S
              stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
              last edited by

              Maybe. The VGA port is often the default/primary output.

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                chicknbread @stephenw10
                last edited by

                And here's the end of the odyssey §8-)

                I found out, that it's definitely a hardware problem.
                I tried to install Pop!OS, which I run as my daily driver.
                During the setup process it crashed 5 times in a row.
                And just to be sure, I tried Ubuntu & FBSD too.

                And that's the end of the crappy buy.

                Now, I grab a coffee, jump on my couch and see if I'l buy a Protectli or a Netgate appliance.

                What are you using yourself, or would you recommend to use?
                My internet speed is fiber (1GB).

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                  rcoleman-netgate Netgate @chicknbread
                  last edited by

                  @chicknbread said in pfsense is shutting down or hang randomly:

                  Netgate appliance.

                  Right now we have the 4100, 6100 and 8200 shipping with a free 6-month subscription of TAC Professional (email based support for software configurations)

                  With 1Gbps service a 4100 should be a perfect fit but your other needs might push you to the 6100. What else are you hoping/planning to do with your firewall?

                  Ryan
                  Repeat, after me: MESH IS THE DEVIL! MESH IS THE DEVIL!
                  Requesting firmware for your Netgate device? https://go.netgate.com
                  Switching: Mikrotik, Netgear, Extreme
                  Wireless: Aruba, Ubiquiti

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                    chicknbread @rcoleman-netgate
                    last edited by chicknbread

                    Hi Ryan

                    Thanks for your suggestions.

                    I only need it for my home office where max. 5 clients are connected. The Fiber connection I have here is a little overkill for what I need. So, maybe even the 2100 would be a good fit for this little infra here.

                    Unfortunately I live in Switzerland and the shipping costs versus the product costs are quite a bit...

                    However, I want to give a huge thanks to @stephenw10, who was helping me here. Thanks very much, and I for sure take this into my thoughts when I buy a new product.

                    Cheerio you both & have a wonderful happy new year.

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                      rcoleman-netgate Netgate @chicknbread
                      last edited by rcoleman-netgate

                      @chicknbread said in pfsense is shutting down or hang randomly:

                      Unfortunately I live in Switzerland and the shipping costs versus the product costs are quite a bit...

                      We might have a partner by you with the hardware, but the TAC offer is only for purchases from our store.

                      Ryan
                      Repeat, after me: MESH IS THE DEVIL! MESH IS THE DEVIL!
                      Requesting firmware for your Netgate device? https://go.netgate.com
                      Switching: Mikrotik, Netgear, Extreme
                      Wireless: Aruba, Ubiquiti

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                        chicknbread @rcoleman-netgate
                        last edited by

                        Ryan, I ordered directly from netgate.
                        Thanks all.

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