2.1 Interfaces: ppp0 device not being created (3G/4G)

freezetreasures · Sep 20, 2013, 2:39 PM

Hi all,

I'm using 2.1-RELEASE (amd64).

I purchased a Pantech UML290 which is working under Windows just fine. My intent was to install it as a failover WAN device in pfSense. However I can't get past "go".

The device is detected by the kernel and a cua is created:
dmesg:

ugen3.2: <pantech, incorporated=""> at usbus3
umodem0: <pantech, 2="" incorporated="" pantech="" uml290,="" class="" 0,="" rev="" 2.00="" 0.00,="" addr=""> on usbus3
umodem0: data interface 1, has CM over data, has no break
ls -l /dev/cua*
crw-rw----  1 uucp  dialer    0, 111 Sep 20 09:49 /dev/cuaU0
crw-rw----  1 uucp  dialer    0, 112 Sep 20 09:49 /dev/cuaU0.init
crw-rw----  1 uucp  dialer    0, 113 Sep 20 09:49 /dev/cuaU0.lock</pantech,></pantech,>

I followed the "Configuring 3G modems" page at https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Configuring_3G_modems

After the "Enable the PPP Interface" I went to "Check the interface status" Status->Interfaces. It shows:

OPT1 interface (ppp0)
Status down

The Status->System logs only show this related to those actions:

Sep 20 09:58:35	check_reload_status: Syncing firewall
Sep 20 09:58:47	dhcpleases: Could not deliver signal HUP to process because its pidfile does not exist, No such process.
Sep 20 09:58:49	check_reload_status: updating dyndns opt1
Sep 20 09:58:52	php: /interfaces.php: Creating rrd update script
Sep 20 09:58:52	check_reload_status: Reloading filter

The system.log on the other hand shows this:

Sep 20 09:58:44 gw php: /interfaces.php: The command '/sbin/ifconfig 'ppp0' inet6 -accept_rtadv' returned exit code '1', the output was 'ifconfig: interface ppp0 does not exist'
Sep 20 09:58:47 gw dhcpleases: Could not deliver signal HUP to process because its pidfile does not exist, No such process.
Sep 20 09:58:49 gw check_reload_status: updating dyndns opt1
Sep 20 09:58:49 gw php: /interfaces.php: The command '/sbin/ifconfig 'ppp0' -staticarp ' returned exit code '1', the output was 'ifconfig: interface ppp0 does not exist'
Sep 20 09:58:49 gw php: /interfaces.php: The command '/usr/sbin/arp -d -i 'ppp0' -a > /dev/null 2>&1 ' returned exit code '1', the output was ''
Sep 20 09:58:52 gw php: /interfaces.php: Creating rrd update script

So I can only conclude that… somewhere the ppp0 device isn't getting created properly. I haven't used *BSD since FreeBSD 2.1 days but pfSense looks like a great tailored solution for what I want. Now, how to get it working... :)

stephenw10 · Sep 20, 2013, 11:54 PM

The system won't be able to do anything IP related until the connection is established.

Look in the PPP log for evidence of it trying to connect.

Steve

freezetreasures · Sep 21, 2013, 1:45 AM

That's the thing… The ppp.log is completely empty.

Having been away from *BSD for so long I'm not sure if the current logging level is all I can get. But there's not much that appears to be helpful in there right now.

stephenw10 · Sep 21, 2013, 10:36 AM

Hmm, that doesn't look good then. :(

I don't use a 3g modem regularly. I tested one a while back and it "just worked". The trouble is that 2.1 is so new (though it's been in beta for ages) there isn't a good database of error messages in the forum to search. If you were seeing those errors under 2.0.3 I would think some thing is very wrong but under 2.1 that may or may not be expected. A lot more is logged in 2.1, a lot of things went by in the background in 2.0.3.

If this is a test box then I would recommend, just as a test, trying that modem under 2.0.3.

I assume you've read this: https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Verizon_UML290

Also I see this is a 4G device. Often they appear as an ethernet device rather than a traditional modem. Does it show any devices other than the umodem0 you've show in the log when it's plugged in.

Steve

freezetreasures · Sep 23, 2013, 1:40 PM

@stephenw10:

Hmm, that doesn't look good then. :(

Agreed! I'm not sure where to start figuring out what the problem is. I started at the Verizon_UML290 link you referenced and learned quite a bit more about configuring it from there. But what's going on under the hood isn't apparent to me so I'm left with the logs which haven't been helpful.

@stephenw10:

If this is a test box then I would recommend, just as a test, trying that modem under 2.0.3.

Would love to but I'm now thousands of miles away from the combination. If there's something I can do remotely I'd definitely give it a go.

@stephenw10:

Also I see this is a 4G device. Often they appear as an ethernet device rather than a traditional modem. Does it show any devices other than the umodem0 you've show in the log when it's plugged in.

The only log (and dmesg) messages I see I had already posted. There's only a umodem0 device, nothing else. I've spend hours reading about how modems can additionally come up with mass storage devices, Ethernet, etc but that doesn't appear to be the case here. The only thing I haven't tried is forcing it into 3G mode - but the rationale for that was getting a public IP address, not basic connectivity.

stephenw10 · Sep 23, 2013, 2:20 PM

A bit far then!

So you did try the specific recommendations here?
https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Verizon_UML290

Steve

freezetreasures · Sep 24, 2013, 11:07 PM

@stephenw10:

A bit far then!

So you did try the specific recommendations here?
https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Verizon_UML290

Sure did. That's where I started. But from the logs it doesn't look like we're getting anywhere near close to even dialing which is what that page is mostly about.