Netgate Discussion Forum
    • Categories
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Users
    • Search
    • Register
    • Login

    PfSense keeps removing interface (Apple USB)

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General pfSense Questions
    5 Posts 4 Posters 1.4k Views
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • R Offline
      reece146
      last edited by

      I have a set up that is trying to use an Apple USB dongle for a DMZ interface.

      After initial boot I can configure, use the set up DMZ interface to reach the DMZ hosts, etc., etc.

      However, after an certain amount of time (i.e. checking in the next morning) the USB interface has disappeared from pfSense and I am not able to re-enable it. The USB interface does not appear in Interfaces -> Assign even.

      I'm a pfsense n00b so likely missing something obvious.

      Not sure if this is a red herring but the keyboard is connected to a USB KVM.

      Any pointers?

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • jimpJ Offline
        jimp Rebel Alliance Developer Netgate
        last edited by

        There should be some indication of what happened in the system logs.

        If the device disappears, it's because it disappeared from the USB port, meaning the OS lost contact with the device.

        Perhaps the device has some kind of built-in power save or similar that the driver isn't tickling properly.

        One of many reasons that USB NICs should be avoided at all costs.

        Remember: Upvote with the 👍 button for any user/post you find to be helpful, informative, or deserving of recognition!

        Need help fast? Netgate Global Support!

        Do not Chat/PM for help!

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • R Offline
          reece146
          last edited by

          Thanks.

          I'll check the logs when I get a chance tonight.

          The system in question is based on an old VIA EPIA M10000N board so there are not a lot of options since the mobo eth is internal and the one in the PCI slot is the ISP. It's just a cobble togther of a bunch of hardware I had lying around at home to replace an older Apple Airport Extreme.

          I guess I could try to find a low profile dual NIC for the PCI slot. USB NIC should work though, no?

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • GruensFroeschliG Offline
            GruensFroeschli
            last edited by

            Are VLANs an option to you?
            VLAN capable switches can be had quite cheap these days.

            We do what we must, because we can.

            Asking questions the smart way: http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • C Offline
              cmb
              last edited by

              I changed the verification post count from 2 to 1 so users only have to do the verification for their first post rather than first two posts. Sorry for the annoyance, spammers are a big problem with popular forums like this.

              USB NICs in general aren't great, regardless of OS. The FreeBSD drivers for some of them tend to be pretty unreliable. This might just be that your USB NIC isn't well supported in FreeBSD, though I wouldn't expect the NIC to completely disappear in that case. Usually when there are driver issues, the NIC still shows up, but it just doesn't work right or at all. That might be a general USB problem with your system. One thing you might want to check is if you have the latest BIOS on the system, sometimes that fixes weird issues along these lines.

              VLANs might be a good option instead.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • First post
                Last post
              Copyright 2025 Rubicon Communications LLC (Netgate). All rights reserved.