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    L3 switching with pfsense

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved L2/Switching/VLANs
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    • C
      coxhaus
      last edited by

      So I have a question with pfsense 2.8 which I really like now that I have run it. My gateways are much faster with lower RTT times. I think you did a good job on the code.
      I run all my vlans in my Cisco L3 switch including DHCP which hands out gateway IP addresses for clients. There are no vlans defined on pfsense. So my setup is pfsense which has an IP address on a class C network between my L3 switch and pfsense. When I assign an IP address to pfsense for the LAN side should I add a gateway pointing to my layer 3 switch? My L3 switch then routes it back to pfsense at layer 3. All my clients on the connecting network between pfsense and my L3 switch have a gateway pointed to my Cisco L3 switch. I route from my L3 switch to the LAN pfsense IP address. It works and is very fast not adding a gateway for pfsense on the LAN side. I guess it works because they are directly connected, so maybe a gateway is not needed.

      Great work on 2.8.

      johnpozJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • johnpozJ
        johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @coxhaus
        last edited by johnpoz

        @coxhaus said in L3 switching with pfsense:

        All my clients on the connecting network between pfsense and my L3 switch have a gateway pointed to my Cisco L3 switch.

        there should not be any devices on a transit/connector networks - this leads to asymmetrical flow..

        pfsense-layer-3-switch.png

        An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
        If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
        Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
        SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.8, 24.11

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        • C
          coxhaus @johnpoz
          last edited by coxhaus

          @johnpoz I think a transit network sucks donkey dong. I tried it once and hated it. If you understand networking it should not be problem to by pass it.

          If they make software changes to force that than I am out and I will find other software.

          johnpozJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • johnpozJ
            johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @coxhaus
            last edited by

            @coxhaus yeah you do you dude with your asymmetrical flow. Without a gateway, or your downstream router doing nat - how does pfsense even send traffic back to networks off downstream router.

            Have fun with that nonsense..

            Your setup sounds like a real mess..

            An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
            If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
            Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
            SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.8, 24.11

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            • C
              coxhaus @johnpoz
              last edited by coxhaus

              @johnpoz My core big Cisco L3 switch had it for 15 years back before I retired. It is called networking.

              I don't know why you are even replying to this as you run your Cisco switch as layer 2.

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              • C
                coxhaus @coxhaus
                last edited by

                @coxhaus What a waste of a thread. I feel like pfsense let me down. I was considering plus but not now. I want to wait and see what happens.

                johnpozJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • johnpozJ
                  johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @coxhaus
                  last edited by

                  @coxhaus sorry you did networking like for 15 years.. Sorry I call BS - nobody that has clue one would setup an asymmetrical mess like that..

                  What your doing is not networking.. My home switch is in L3 mode, I could route on it if I wanted to - I just have zero need too.. It would make my network less useful.. When I can have pfsense route and firewall between my segments..

                  As to why I am replying - I don't know 30 some years doing this.. Having been a network engineer for a fortune 100 company, a major MSP, and currently running a global network as my main gig..

                  But yeah ok - you do you.. And point some clients on what is your transit network to your downstream router.. Have fun with that.

                  An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
                  If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
                  Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
                  SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.8, 24.11

                  C 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • C
                    coxhaus @johnpoz
                    last edited by coxhaus

                    @johnpoz You just don't get the different in working on layer 3 and layer 2. It is why you have default gateways and default routes and they are different. ThAT SEEMS TO BE OVER YOUR HEAD. Your firewall to the world is going to be layer 3. You are lost in pfsense and you can't see the forest for the trees.
                    Go away John please do not reply to my threads. I will try not to post any more here.

                    And yes I ran a small team of network people a long time ago. I had over 4000 PCs and around 50 locations so get over it.

                    You ran me off last time and I went back to Cisco over pfsense. Look back in the threads years ago.
                    Plus pfsense was having routing issues or slowdowns on routing as I was doing layer 3 back then at home. Version 2.8 is fast now which is good. Having a connection of 10gig reduces your latency whether you run full 10gig or not. I have 1 gig of data on a 10gig connection. I think this is best you can do now for home. I have a Cisco 10gig layer 3 switch I plan to install soon. So I can push the extra data bandwidth.

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