Static IP endpoint entries
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Hello; I have a hand full of devices where I have set a static IP on the device it self; is there a way to see them all in pfSense? I checked the ARP table but i dont see them all in there.
Even tough they are set static on the device, should I be added static entries in the DHCP section as well? Or is there a better way to see them all so that I know what IPs I have already given out.
Thanks,
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@iptvcld if you do not see them in the arp table, then they have not talked to pfsense in the last 20 minutes. The default arp cache is 20 minutes. Ping the device from pfsense - if it answers, ie its on. Even if its host firewall doesn't answer ping - it would be in your arp cache.
Or go on the device and ping pfsense, or use the internet - if the internet works and its going through pfsense it would now be in your arp cache.
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@johnpoz is there not a better way to this? What if the device is offline and I am looking to assign a static IP? I might use the same IP and when that device comes online then I will have a conflict.
Any 3rd party apps that can help?
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@iptvcld you prob want to just set reservations for the device via dhcp so that it always gets that IP. And you will have a list of devices you have assigned that specific IP.
Common practice is to make your dhcp pool say only .10 to .254 vs .1 to .254 then you can assign static devices from .1 to .9 as static on the device or via a reservation.
Here is one of my networks
Notice my pool is very small for dhcp leases only .100 to .109, I have them reservations (static mappings) for all my devices. This is because the only time I need a random dhcp address is when I first connect a new device to my network. Once it has gotten and IP and working. And I am going to leave it on my network, I change it over to a reservation (static mapping)
Power cycle the device or release renew its dhcp on the device and validate it gets the new IP I assigned. Now even if that device is off I know not to reassign that IP to some other device.
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@johnpoz I have a similar setup with my ranges but some devices like my UniFi network gear, I set static directly from the device/controllor. Also my proxmox, I had set a static IP during install.
Seems like pfsense can’t show a nice list of used IPs without the device be online and showing some activity. Too bad..
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@iptvcld If you set the device static on the device then create the reservation anyway. So you know its assigned. Or create a spreadsheet or something or use IP management software..
Or setup arpwatch maybe - it will keep track of any mac and IP it sees and stores in the db.. which doesn't go away.
Arp cache and dhcp are not IP Management software.. PhpIPAM https://phpipam.net/ comes to mind, I know there is a docker you could run for that - there are many a choice when it comes to ipam software.
As to unifi gear, not sure why you can just use dhcp reservations.. the controller software would get its IP from the OS its running on which can just be a reservation. AP can get their IP from the dhcp server, again can be a reservation..
Really the only time you would need to set a static actually on the device is if its going to be a dhcp server on your network.. Or it doesn't support dhcp at all.. Which I don't recall ever seeing such a device..
As to your proxmox - if they they don't have a way in the gui to set it to dhcp or selection - seems you can just edit the conf file
https://forum.proxmox.com/threads/set-a-dynamic-address-to-pve.119847/
Been a while since I setup promox..
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@johnpoz thanks, I will review the options you mentions.