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    Backup Node Normal Behavior

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved HA/CARP/VIPs
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    • V
      viragomann @CaptainKeyboard
      last edited by

      @CaptainKeyboard said in Backup Node Normal Behavior:

      For example, pfSenseA is x.y.z.201, pfSenseB is x.y.z.202, and the CARP I created between them for WAN1 is x.y.z.200. CARP status shows master/backup status correctly. WAN1's ISP said that gateway is x.y.z.199. On each pfSense's WAN interface, that is the gateway set.

      So both should have access to the gateway.

      I also have an outbound NAT entry to send all outbound traffic via CARP (x.y.z.200).

      Did you set this also for 127.0.0.0/8?

      Firewall rules on WAN1 have entry to allow access from LAN1 and LAN2.

      The WAN interface should not see traffic form LANs. So this rule wouldn't make any sense.

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        CaptainKeyboard @viragomann
        last edited by

        @viragomann Very Interesting....

        I removed the unecessary firewall rules. I thought it was necessary to allow LAN to have internet access.

        127.0.0.0/8 is part of Automatic Rules.

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          viragomann @CaptainKeyboard
          last edited by

          @CaptainKeyboard said in Backup Node Normal Behavior:

          I removed the unecessary firewall rules. I thought it was necessary to allow LAN to have internet access.

          Firewall rule have to be added to the interface, where the traffic is coming in.
          So to allow internet access for LAN devices, you need a rule on LAN.

          127.0.0.0/8 is part of Automatic Rules.

          This is correct. So each node use its interface address, e.g. its WAN address to access to WAN gateway.

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            CaptainKeyboard @viragomann
            last edited by

            @viragomann I'm not sure how to troubleshoot this.

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              CaptainKeyboard @viragomann
              last edited by

              @viragomann When I do packet capture on both pfSense units for the duration of ping. I see packets leaving from CARP IP. Could that be a problem? Maybe the response to all traffic from pfSenseB is leaving from CARP and returned to pfSenseA, which in turn discards it?

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                CaptainKeyboard @viragomann
                last edited by

                @viragomann After changing the Outbound NAT to not have "any" for Source, that improved the situation. Not pfSenseB can ping the WAN gateway and access the web. It still cannot ping pfSenseA's WAN IP or CARP IP.

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                  viragomann @CaptainKeyboard
                  last edited by

                  @CaptainKeyboard said in Backup Node Normal Behavior:

                  When I do packet capture on both pfSense units for the duration of ping. I see packets leaving from CARP IP. Could that be a problem?

                  If you ping from one pfSense node to the other, the source should be the interface address, not the CARP.

                  After changing the Outbound NAT to not have "any" for Source, that improved the situation.

                  Yeah, you must not use any here. Manual rules override automatic rules.

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                    CaptainKeyboard @viragomann
                    last edited by

                    @viragomann I needed outbound traffic to go through WAN CARP as public facing domains would be pointing to that IP, which is why I had the NAT rule for outbound NATing outgoing traffic to CARP. I disabled it for now. There is no change in behaviour. pfSenseB and A can ping WAN gateway and the web, but not eachother. I'm pretty sure this used to work until I set up CARP on WAN and set up Gateway Group for Load Balancing outgoing traffic across WAN1 and WAN2.

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                      viragomann @CaptainKeyboard
                      last edited by

                      @CaptainKeyboard
                      Yes, special outbound NAT rules are needed, when running HA.

                      We usually set the outbound NAT into manual mode.
                      pfSense then converts all automatic rules into manual.
                      This ends up, that you have a separate rule for each network you've defined on any internal interface and for pfSense itself (127.0.0.0/8), each one rule for ISAKMP and one for the rest.

                      Then you have to chance all rules for your internal networks to CARP VIP, but keep the 127/8.

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                        CaptainKeyboard @viragomann
                        last edited by

                        @viragomann Ah, ok. I had NAT rules set in Hybrid mode. I changed it to Manual just now and saw pfSense merge them to Automatically generated rules. It won't let me ping the other pfSense. It does let me ping the WAN gateway so that's good. At least the second unit is no longer offline.

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                          CaptainKeyboard @viragomann
                          last edited by

                          @viragomann It's working now. I added a Firewall Rule to allow ICMP traffic and that fixed it! I can't believe I forgot that.

                          Thanks a lot for your help in troubleshooting this. I greatly appreciate it!

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                            viragomann @CaptainKeyboard
                            last edited by

                            @CaptainKeyboard
                            The hint to consider rule was in my first post.

                            But glad, that's working now.

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