6100 unreliable
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This is my experience with 6100.
Purchased 3/3/2023
Received 3/5/2023
Installed 3/7/2023
Unit worked until 3/15/2023
Paid IT support and down time until 3/30/2023.
3/30/2023 Requested RMA
3/31/2023 Purchased a replacement to be sent out.
Paid IT to install and program new unit 4/4/2023.
4/12/2023 Continued problems and IT support paid to work with Netgate on the issues.
4/14/2023 Unit back up and operational.
4/28/2023 More port problems. Removed Netgate and installed competitive firewall. More IT support.
12/24/2023 Office closed. Tried to get Netgate working during this time to minimize downtime.
1/2/2024 Netgate back operational after significant IT support.
1/15/2024 More port issues and IT support.
1/23/2024 Opened ticket 2291918995 for port issues. Continued IT support to diag problems. Unit down.
2/1/2024 Requested RMA.
2/6/2024 Netgate verified problem and returned new unit.
New unit never installed. I feel the above shows that the unit is unreliable.Response from Netgate:
We experience no downtime unless an upstream provider is at fault which is out of our control.
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NOTE:
I do not have, nor have I ever had a 6100, but I do have a SG2440, a 2100, a 5100 and a 4100 so a sample size of 1 across different platforms.
Following are my opinions only.@dkledgerwood said in 6100 unreliable:
New unit never installed. I feel the above shows that the unit is unreliable.
To me it shows your sample size of 1 has hardware issues, it is not statistically significant to say "all the 6100 ever built are garbage".
The old SG-2440 had a run where there was a build issue, I wound up with a unit showing the problem, it was RMA just in time and the replacement was rock solid.
Port issues, especially at higher speeds can be buggers to track down because you can have a bad cable, you could be just at max cable length, you could have bad power, there could be a build issue (resistor or cap at wrong value).Could you have gotten a defective unit? Sure.
Is it enough to imply that all 6100s ever built are garbage? My opinion no.
If you still have the new unit why not put it into a test situation and see how it behaves? -
@mer because I have sent the unit back multiple times to be repaired or replaced. So I fought with the unit for 11 months, returned multiple times, spent money on IT support, and had significant down time. I mean how long should I fight with this firewall? What do you feel is a reasonable number of months the unit should perform without repair?
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@dkledgerwood
You state you never tried the replacement unit.
So if there was a build issue on the original unit and you were sent a new unit for replacement that you never tried I maintain you are basing on a sample size of one.My one SG-2440 worked fine until it didn't (red light on boot issue). RMA and replacement unit works fine 100%.
"Unit worked until 3/15/2023" Not having access to any internal databases, you've not said what broke.
"More port problems" What kind of problems?
"...port issues..." What issues?All I am saying is you are implying all 6100 ever built are garbage based on a single unit and you've never tried the replacement you were sent.
"All Ford F150's are garbage because the one I got was a lemon" is what I hear you saying and that's not statistically valid.That's all I'm saying.
I'm not trying to convince you otherwise, you have your experience with a product, I have mine, but I have trouble understanding exactly what your problems were. -
@dkledgerwood
umm....ok... -
Netgate units are usually pretty stable. They do fail and in our experience it is when they do its something outside that has caused it.
We have several stories , A client of ours had bought a 7100 and it was apparently dead of arrival, they had it replaced and the second one was dead too, at that point they contacted us and we went in for a look to find that it wasn’t dead per-say it just didn’t have any activity on the internal switch. So it was replaced a third time and we went in again to install it this time, checking it in stages and all was looking good , internet connectivity to a locally connected lappy etc. then as soon as the 7100 was connected to their patch which then connected to their network infrastructure the internal switch died again.
It turned out to be a combination of two problems, miss labelling of network patch and PBX patch and that the installer had used the T568A wiring standard instead of the T568B which is the usual here in the UK.
If you know the difference between the standards you already know the problem and what caused it. Regular network cable testers that just blink lights and show continuity wont show the issue, It needs a more comprehensive tester like the flukes or netallays etc.
What was happening was that the PBX presents a voltage to power the VOIP handsets and this combination of using standard 568B patch cords with a 568A wired patch moved the voltage onto the data pins and was damaging the switch inside the 7100.
Two days later correcting the wiring, we repaired the 7100 in house this time all was well.
The moral of the story is, check everything, you might be dealing with someone else’s oversight.
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@EngineerSB Well that may be true, but the firewall I am using now does not seem to have the problem.