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    Weird behaviour with an Intel i350-T4 Controller pfSense 2.2

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    • stephenw10S
      stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
      last edited by

      Hard to say. The fact that it initially had a bad nvram doesn't inspire confidence.
      Check the sysctl error counters for anything that looks odd compared to the working interface. I forget exactly where they are off-hand, I usually just grep for them on the few occasions I had to look, I think you'll see them with:

      sysctl dev.igb
      

      You can narrow that down.

      Steve

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      • B
        bitsmurf
        last edited by

        @stephenw10:

        Hard to say. The fact that it initially had a bad nvram doesn't inspire confidence.
        Check the sysctl error counters for anything that looks odd compared to the working interface. I forget exactly where they are off-hand, I usually just grep for them on the few occasions I had to look, I think you'll see them with:

        sysctl dev.igb
        

        You can narrow that down.

        Steve

        Grepping through sysctl didn't reveal any transmission errors or strange behavior.

        Disabling flow-control is a complete no-go and forcing the kernel to use MSI interrupts made the controller unstable.
        I did however raise the num_queues from 1 to 2.
        Hardware TSO and LRO is disabled through the checkboxes in the WebGUI.

        However, until now as of writing, the connection between the pfsense box and the switch has been kept at 1000base-T full-duplex auto-negotiated for 6 hours now.

        I'll keep investigating the issue..

        ./Glenn

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        • stephenw10S
          stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
          last edited by

          @bitsmurf:

          Disabling flow-control is a complete no-go and forcing the kernel to use MSI interrupts made the controller unstable.

          You mean as opposed to MSI-X or regular interrupts? I would expect it to operate without MSI-X OK.

          Is this a real i350-T4 or one of those coming directly from China at huge discount?

          Spontaneously re-negotiating a new connection speed without being disconnected is something happening at a low level.

          Steve

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          • B
            bitsmurf
            last edited by

            @stephenw10:

            @bitsmurf:

            Disabling flow-control is a complete no-go and forcing the kernel to use MSI interrupts made the controller unstable.

            You mean as opposed to MSI-X or regular interrupts? I would expect it to operate without MSI-X OK.

            Is this a real i350-T4 or one of those coming directly from China at huge discount?

            Spontaneously re-negotiating a new connection speed without being disconnected is something happening at a low level.

            Steve

            Yes, I reverted back to MSI-X interrupts. Must admit I haven't tried regular interrupts yet.

            Before buying the controller I did read about the Chinese knockoffs here at the forum, so I ended up buying the card from Germany through ebay. (this listing actually: http://www.ebay.com/itm/111442450246?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT) as I shaved off 50% of the price compared to those in Denmark.

            Indeed, I know the negotiation is happening in the NICs firmware at the physical layer :)

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            • stephenw10S
              stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
              last edited by

              Hmm, I don't see 'Intel' on the PCB at all in that Ebay listing. Is it on the board you have? Also the Ethernet PHY ICs look wrong. Not looking good to be honest.  :-\

              Steve

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              • B
                bitsmurf
                last edited by

                @stephenw10:

                Hmm, I don't see 'Intel' on the PCB at all in that Ebay listing. Is it on the board you have? Also the Ethernet PHY ICs look wrong. Not looking good to be honest.  :-\

                Steve

                Nope, no Intel logo, only the sticker on the back as shown in the listing.

                I'll guess it's a Chinese knockoff then? :/

                ./Glenn

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                • stephenw10S
                  stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                  last edited by

                  That would be my guess. Not that that's necessarily a problem, as you've probably read there are quite a few positive reviews here on the forum. However in light of the link issues I think I would be returning that ASAP.

                  Steve

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                  • D
                    doktornotor Banned
                    last edited by

                    @bitsmurf:

                    I'll guess it's a Chinese knockoff then? :/

                    Kinda suggested there:

                    Herstellungsland und -region (Country of origin): China

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                    • stephenw10S
                      stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                      last edited by

                      Aren't the real cards also built in China?

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                      • B
                        bitsmurf
                        last edited by

                        Steve, guess you're right, it's better RMA the product.
                        Looking through other listings I've noticed that proper NICs has the intel logo silkscreened on the pcb near the ethernet connectors.

                        Doktornotor: I did notice that before ordering. The genuine cards are build in China too.

                        ./Glenn

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                        • ?
                          Guest
                          last edited by

                          A little bit to late, but it solved the problem well out for me and other here in the pfsense forum
                          If you get your new  Intel i350-T4, and this will be an original, please do a firmware update to the
                          latest version, and all will be running fine. Perhaps also for others how find this thread over Google
                          and owns the same problem.

                          D 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • D
                            Dan 1 @Guest
                            last edited by Dan 1

                            I confirm that a firmware upgrade resolve the problem. Thank you.

                            P 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • P
                              perlenbacher @Dan 1
                              last edited by

                              How to spot a fake card:

                              https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/comparison-intel-i350-t4-genuine-vs-fake.6917/

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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