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    Question on WAN Failover

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Routing and Multi WAN
    24 Posts 4 Posters 3.5k Views
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    • S
      sstretchh
      last edited by

      can I skip setting up the load balacning ? I don't care to use it. I just want to use the fail over ability.

      if it makes it easier, I can change the 192.168.1 network on one of the devices to be 192.168.2

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      • DerelictD
        Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
        last edited by

        You can do whatever you want.  Set your primary to Tier 1 and your secondary to tier 2 and you'll have failover.

        Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
        A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
        DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
        Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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        • S
          sstretchh
          last edited by

          Ok, thank you just wanted to make sure that would work.

          I wasn't sure if the load balancing had to be part of it for the fail over to work. I didn't think it needed to be, but thought I would ask since every tutorial I have seen shows the loadbalacning part in with the failover part

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          • DerelictD
            Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
            last edited by

            And even without a failover event you are always free to policy route out the secondary link should you have the need.  You can still set the destination on a route or rule to the gateway itself instead of the failover group.  You can also set up a failover group with tier 1 and tier 2 reversed and policy route out that group too.  You would then simultaneously have both circuits in use, with both failing over to the other if one goes down.

            Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
            A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
            DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
            Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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            • S
              sstretchh
              last edited by

              ahhh that is good to know. I thought about routing all the kids devices out the microwave connection.

              so basically If I am understanding you correct, I could set up the Failover rule. But also set up all the kids devices to route out the slower connection.

              Is it easier to set up a 2nd DHCP scope to accomplish this.  I currently have DHCP static reservations on everything in the house

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              • DerelictD
                Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                last edited by

                If you have one subnet/LAN then static reservations is the way to go.  I'd pick a spot on a subnet boundary, say 192.168.1.192/26. Set your kids devices to DHCP assignments from 192.168.193 - .254

                Then, on LAN, down at the bottom pass any any rule that policy routes to the gateway group, right above it place a rule that routes with a source of 192.168.1.192/26 dest any to the microwave gateway (or the gateway group with the microwave as tier 1).

                If they're smart they can circumvent it with a static IP but…

                Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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                • S
                  sstretchh
                  last edited by

                  How do I set which WAN I want to be the primary to start with and when the primary WAN comes back online how do I fail back over to the primary ?

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                  • DerelictD
                    Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                    last edited by

                    In your gateway group Tier 1 is primary and Tier 2 is secondary.  Fail back is automatic.

                    gateway-groups.png
                    gateway-groups.png_thumb

                    Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                    A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                    DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                    Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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                    • S
                      sstretchh
                      last edited by

                      Yeah I have been trying to rack my head on how to read that. In my screen shot, did I make OPT1 (FTTC)primary ?

                      I want the OPT1 (FTTC) to be the primary WAN interface

                      GW2-groups.JPG
                      GW2-groups.JPG_thumb

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                      • DerelictD
                        Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                        last edited by

                        @sstretchh:

                        Yeah I have been trying to rack my head on how to read that. In my screen shot, did I make OPT1 (FTTC)primary ?

                        I want the OPT1 (FTTC) to be the primary WAN interface

                        For that route to OPT1failoverWAN1

                        Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                        A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                        DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                        Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • S
                          sstretchh
                          last edited by

                          You Lost me there, Where do i do that at ?

                          This is what i have so far. At this point I want to make sure I am set up to Failover from OPT1 (FTTC) to WAN1.

                          And if I understand what you said earlier it should auto fail back

                          Attached is what I have done so far.

                          GW2-groups.JPG_thumb
                          GW2-groups.JPG
                          FW-LAN-GW.JPG
                          FW-LAN-GW.JPG_thumb

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                          • DerelictD
                            Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                            last edited by

                            Right there in the firewall rules.  Get rid of the second one. It will never be matched (it matches the same traffic as the rule above it so it will never be hit by matching traffic..)

                            Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                            A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                            DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                            Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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                            • S
                              sstretchh
                              last edited by

                              get ride of the WAN > OPT1 Rule ?

                              FW-LAN-GW_d.JPG
                              FW-LAN-GW_d.JPG_thumb

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                              • DerelictD
                                Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                                last edited by

                                Yes.  it is unnecessary and will never match any traffic.

                                Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                                A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                                DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                                Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • C
                                  chidgear
                                  last edited by

                                  ninjaneer, This worked for you? I'm Kind of stuck here (trying to do my first failover on pfsense), so I am guiding myself with your post (I'm not so good with Firewall/NAT rules when it comes to forward traffic). Please, if something worked for you, let us know.

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                                  • DerelictD
                                    Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                                    last edited by

                                    I'm not so good with Firewall/NAT rules when it comes to forward traffic

                                    You should probably figure that out before tackling more advanced topics like multi-wan and the policy routing it entails.

                                    Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                                    A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                                    DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                                    Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • C
                                      chidgear
                                      last edited by

                                      Can you suggest me some topic(s)? I think I expressed myself in the wrong way, I meant, "I'm not so good with Firewall/NAT rules when it comes to forward traffic on pfSense, because I got lost very easily with the interface" (Too many options at once) I'm still searching on the forum and the documentation, but it gets confusing because, or only a few people are having the problems that I have, or maybe I'm looking on the wrong direction (I'm thinking this is the main reason…)

                                      Thanks in advance!

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                                      • DerelictD
                                        Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                                        last edited by

                                        https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Firewall_Rule_Basics

                                        https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Firewall_Rule_Processing_Order

                                        https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Firewall_Rule_Troubleshooting

                                        https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/How_can_I_forward_ports_with_pfSense

                                        https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Port_Forward_Troubleshooting

                                        Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                                        A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                                        DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                                        Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

                                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • S
                                          sstretchh
                                          last edited by

                                          @chidgear:

                                          ninjaneer, This worked for you? I'm Kind of stuck here (trying to do my first failover on pfsense), so I am guiding myself with your post (I'm not so good with Firewall/NAT rules when it comes to forward traffic). Please, if something worked for you, let us know.

                                          I understand your frustration, having the links to the DOC's don't help everyone. I am a visual learner so the DOCs are nice if you want to understand a setting but doesn't help explain exactly what goes where.

                                          I used this link (below) in the beginning, but I didn't care about the load balancing part. Then I start this post and derelict posted and helped me out. In the end it worked for me. If OPT1 fails, it switchs to my WAN port. Once it detects the my OPT1 is up again it auto switches back.

                                          https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php?topic=28121.0

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                                          • S
                                            sstretchh
                                            last edited by

                                            childgear, if this helps you here are screenshots of my final configuration. I think with the groups I only needed the OPT1failoverWAN1 group, I don't think i needed to have the one that starts with WAN. Its still there because I was following instructions from another post and I believe its needed if you continue on to do the load balancing part

                                            this guys youtube video is pretty good also, if you comment with questions he replies pretty fast

                                            DUAL WAN ON PFSENSE 2
                                            Youtube Video

                                            Edited to add youtube link

                                            FW-LAN.JPG
                                            FW-LAN.JPG_thumb
                                            gateawys.JPG
                                            gateawys.JPG_thumb
                                            groups.JPG
                                            groups.JPG_thumb

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