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    VPN tunnels massively slows down if high network traffic

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General pfSense Questions
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    • P
      paoloest
      last edited by paoloest

      Hey guys,
      unfortunately I have some problems with using vpn. In my config I route all network traffic through vpn except amazon prime and Netflix.

      since a few weeks I have massive latency drops in the vpn connection (see picture). If that happens I have to switch all network traffic back to wan interface and it works again - also the tunnel latency gets back to normal.

      If you have any ideas to help me I would very much appreciate it
      Thanks a lot!!!

      VPN provider: Nordvpn - OpenVPN config (https://support.nordvpn.com/Connectivity/Router/1089079142/pfSense-2-4-3-setup.htm)
      Hardware: mini pc: Intel atom e3845, 8 gb ram, 64 gb ssd

      0_1551692988623_IMG_0059.jpeg

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • GertjanG
        Gertjan
        last edited by

        Hi,

        Keep in mind that the loss concerns ICMP requests. These are dropped if the queue is 'loaded'.

        Also : your are using shared resources at the NordVPN side. They could have "busy hours" as any other service.

        Btw : I would use another IP as the WAN Gateway 192.168.4.1. It's to close. Your WAN could be down and the (local ?!) 192.168.4.1 is still up.

        No "help me" PM's please. Use the forum, the community will thank you.
        Edit : and where are the logs ??

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • P
          paoloest
          last edited by

          thanks for the quick reply!

          I have checked the resources at nordvpn via my iOS app and if I connect directly the performance is very good. In the past I have not had this issues ...

          with the ip is a bit complex. I have my internet gateway router from my local isp th connect to the internet with this subnet, so the PFSense is member of it

          GertjanG 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • GertjanG
            Gertjan @paoloest
            last edited by

            @paoloest said in VPN tunnels massively slows down if high network traffic:

            I have checked the resources at nordvpn via my iOS app and if I connect directly the performance is very good

            Maybe.
            iOS using wifi and you LAN, or "over the air" - so totally different entry point as your ISP.
            You can not check Nordnet VPN resources. They will never tell you if they optimized their infrastructure, you know, like "a little bit more clienst per server means extra $$ for them".
            As every service supplier, they fill up a server before deploying other servers.
            Did you test other VPN IP's ?

            @gertjan said in VPN tunnels massively slows down if high network traffic:

            Btw : I would use another IP as the WAN Gateway

            Traceroute to ... well.... Google for example.
            Take the IP that follows your 192.168.4.1 - check if it replies to ping and if so : put it here :
            0_1551695257856_69c95ccf-0327-46ce-b75f-9e13aab85ac3-image.png

            No "help me" PM's please. Use the forum, the community will thank you.
            Edit : and where are the logs ??

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • NogBadTheBadN
              NogBadTheBad
              last edited by NogBadTheBad

              I'd also be tempted to add additional Nord connections and use them in a gateway group.

              Andy

              1 x Netgate SG-4860 - 3 x Linksys LGS308P - 1 x Aruba InstantOn AP22

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • P
                paoloest
                last edited by

                Nice idea. Thanks a lot. Never heard of this option. Is there also the possibility to switch connections in between a group in case of high latency?

                NogBadTheBadN 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • NogBadTheBadN
                  NogBadTheBad @paoloest
                  last edited by

                  @paoloest

                  Yes, set the tier and trigger level.

                  0_1551709484282_Screenshot 2019-03-04 at 14.22.30.png

                  Andy

                  1 x Netgate SG-4860 - 3 x Linksys LGS308P - 1 x Aruba InstantOn AP22

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • P
                    paoloest
                    last edited by

                    Hey,
                    thanks again. I just set up another nordvpn gw. not sure about any config - maybe you could have a brief look

                    especially in the OpenVPN Client config - should I use the gateway itself or the group?
                    In the firewall rule I set up the allow rule to the gw-group, right?

                    3_1551716874560_Screenshot 2019-03-04 at 17.21.47.png 2_1551716874559_Screenshot 2019-03-04 at 17.21.19.png 1_1551716874559_Screenshot 2019-03-04 at 17.21.07.png 0_1551716874559_Screenshot 2019-03-04 at 17.20.46.png

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                    • stephenw10S
                      stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                      last edited by

                      The second client should still be on the WAN.

                      Otherwise you are creating VPN though a VPN! That can never be good for throughput. 😉

                      Steve

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                      • P
                        paoloest
                        last edited by

                        Totally right. Thanks, makes sense ;)
                        I will configure both through the wan interface

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                        • P
                          paoloest
                          last edited by paoloest

                          that's pretty strange. At the same time all failover vpn connections went down nearly the same ...

                          0_1551773344122_IMG_0587.png

                          maybe it has something to do with the pfblockerng cron?
                          0_1551773764201_Screenshot 2019-03-05 at 09.15.24.png

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • stephenw10S
                            stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                            last edited by

                            Yes it could be general congestion on your WAN that you are not seeing because you're monitoring the local device.

                            Try changing the WAN monitoring target to something external, say 8.8.8.8. Then you will see any latency or loss on that link that the VPN has to travel over.

                            Steve

                            GertjanG T P 3 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • GertjanG
                              Gertjan @stephenw10
                              last edited by

                              @stephenw10 said in VPN tunnels massively slows down if high network traffic:

                              Try changing the WAN monitoring target to something external, say 8.8.8.8. Then you will see any latency or loss on that link that the VPN has to travel over.

                              As proposed : https://forum.netgate.com/topic/141161/vpn-tunnels-massively-slows-down-if-high-network-traffic/4

                              Also, test your connection several times under several conditions with http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest - you find another rather technical bottleneck.

                              No "help me" PM's please. Use the forum, the community will thank you.
                              Edit : and where are the logs ??

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                              • T
                                tim.mcmanus @stephenw10
                                last edited by

                                @stephenw10 said in VPN tunnels massively slows down if high network traffic:

                                Yes it could be general congestion on your WAN that you are not seeing because you're monitoring the local device.

                                Try changing the WAN monitoring target to something external, say 8.8.8.8. Then you will see any latency or loss on that link that the VPN has to travel over.

                                Steve

                                I’ve actually had issues using 8.8.8.8 in the past where it would generate false positives. I changed my monitors to my customer’s IP addresses instead (another pfSense installation) for better results.

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • P
                                  paoloest @stephenw10
                                  last edited by

                                  @stephenw10 @Gertjan : Thanks a lot - now I have understood what is meant and why ;)

                                  unfortunately I have no singable device in the internet - so I have chosen the two google and Cloudflare dns. any better options?

                                  setting up a cloud host for ping reasons seems a bit oversized ;)

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                                  • stephenw10S
                                    stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                                    last edited by

                                    That should be fine for now. Are you seeing more realistic numbers for the WAN?

                                    If so wait for a problem on the VPN and see if it's reflected in the WAN values.

                                    Steve

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • P
                                      paoloest
                                      last edited by paoloest

                                      Hey,
                                      thanks a lot for your great help so far. Latency figures look way better.

                                      Unfortunately the issue is still there.
                                      I see extremely high latency in every gateway, WAN as well as my VPN connections. If I restart the vpn tunnels it instantly comes back to normal values.

                                      and interface config looks like this: I block bogon in everey vpn and wan interface

                                      maybe you can have a quick look into the log. I am a bit desperate:

                                      Mar 6 09:09:20	check_reload_status		Starting packages
                                      Mar 6 09:09:20	php-fpm	41651	/rc.newwanip: pfSense package system has detected an IP change or dynamic WAN reconnection - 10.8.3.6 -> 10.8.0.2 - Restarting packages.
                                      Mar 6 09:09:18	php-fpm	41651	/rc.newwanip: Creating rrd update script
                                      Mar 6 09:09:16	php-fpm	41651	/rc.newwanip: 41651MONITOR: NORDVPN_DE498_GW_VPNV4 is available now, adding to routing group Nordvpn 1.0.0.1|10.8.0.28|NORDVPN_DE498_GW_VPNV4|39.317ms|1.043ms|0.0%|none
                                      Mar 6 09:09:16	php-fpm	41651	/rc.newwanip: 41651MONITOR: NORDVPN_DE371_GW_VPNV4 is available now, adding to routing group Nordvpn 1.1.1.1|10.8.8.49|NORDVPN_DE371_GW_VPNV4|37.294ms|0.437ms|0.0%|none
                                      Mar 6 09:09:16	php-fpm	41651	/rc.newwanip: 41651MONITOR: NORDVPN_DE542_GW_VPNV4 is available now, adding to routing group Nordvpn 8.8.4.4|10.8.0.2|NORDVPN_DE542_GW_VPNV4|26.976ms|0.653ms|0.0%|none
                                      Mar 6 09:09:13	php-fpm	41651	/rc.newwanip: Removing static route for monitor 1.0.0.1 and adding a new route through 10.8.0.1
                                      Mar 6 09:09:13	php-fpm	41651	/rc.newwanip: Removing static route for monitor 1.1.1.1 and adding a new route through 10.8.8.1
                                      Mar 6 09:09:13	php-fpm	41651	/rc.newwanip: Removing static route for monitor 8.8.4.4 and adding a new route through 10.8.0.1
                                      Mar 6 09:09:13	php-fpm	41651	/rc.newwanip: Removing static route for monitor 8.8.8.8 and adding a new route through 192.168.4.1
                                      Mar 6 09:09:08	php-fpm	339	/rc.openvpn: OpenVPN: One or more OpenVPN tunnel endpoints may have changed its IP. Reloading endpoints that may use NORDVPN_DE542_GW_VPNV4.
                                      Mar 6 09:09:08	php-fpm	339	/rc.openvpn: Gateway, none 'available' for inet, use the first one configured. 'WANGATEWAY'
                                      Mar 6 09:09:07	check_reload_status		Reloading filter
                                      Mar 6 09:09:07	check_reload_status		Restarting OpenVPN tunnels/interfaces
                                      Mar 6 09:09:07	check_reload_status		Restarting ipsec tunnels
                                      Mar 6 09:09:07	check_reload_status		updating dyndns NORDVPN_DE542_GW_VPNV4
                                      Mar 6 09:09:07	rc.gateway_alarm	69427	>>> Gateway alarm: NORDVPN_DE542_GW_VPNV4 (Addr:8.8.4.4 Alarm:1 RTT:1117.120ms RTTsd:204.793ms Loss:21%)
                                      Mar 6 09:09:01	php-fpm	41651	/rc.newwanip: IP Address has changed, killing states on former IP Address 10.8.3.6.
                                      Mar 6 09:09:01	php-fpm	41651	/rc.newwanip: rc.newwanip: on (IP address: 10.8.0.2) (interface: NORDVPN_DE542_GW[opt3]) (real interface: ovpnc2).
                                      Mar 6 09:09:01	php-fpm	41651	/rc.newwanip: rc.newwanip: Info: starting on ovpnc2.
                                      Mar 6 09:09:00	check_reload_status		rc.newwanip starting ovpnc2
                                      Mar 6 09:09:00	kernel		ovpnc2: link state changed to UP
                                      Mar 6 09:08:58	check_reload_status		Reloading filter
                                      Mar 6 09:08:58	php-fpm	20624	OpenVPN PID written: 81043
                                      Mar 6 09:08:58	check_reload_status		Reloading filter
                                      Mar 6 09:08:58	kernel		ovpnc2: link state changed to DOWN
                                      Mar 6 09:08:57	php-fpm	20624	OpenVPN terminate old pid: 33138
                                      Mar 6 09:08:27	php-fpm	339	/rc.openvpn: OpenVPN: One or more OpenVPN tunnel endpoints may have changed its IP. Reloading endpoints that may use WANGATEWAY.
                                      Mar 6 09:08:27	php-fpm	73057	/rc.openvpn: OpenVPN: One or more OpenVPN tunnel endpoints may have changed its IP. Reloading endpoints that may use NORDVPN_DE542_GW_VPNV4.
                                      Mar 6 09:08:27	php-fpm	339	/rc.openvpn: Gateway, none 'available' for inet, use the first one configured. 'WANGATEWAY'
                                      Mar 6 09:08:27	php-fpm	73057	/rc.openvpn: Gateway, none 'available' for inet, use the first one configured. 'WANGATEWAY'
                                      Mar 6 09:08:26	rc.gateway_alarm	88448	>>> Gateway alarm: NORDVPN_DE498_GW_VPNV4 (Addr:1.0.0.1 Alarm:1 RTT:1031.119ms RTTsd:3.413ms Loss:0%)
                                      Mar 6 09:08:26	rc.gateway_alarm	89104	>>> Gateway alarm: NORDVPN_DE371_GW_VPNV4 (Addr:1.1.1.1 Alarm:1 RTT:1030.836ms RTTsd:.822ms Loss:0%)
                                      Mar 6 09:08:26	check_reload_status		Reloading filter
                                      Mar 6 09:08:26	check_reload_status		Restarting OpenVPN tunnels/interfaces
                                      Mar 6 09:08:26	check_reload_status		Restarting ipsec tunnels
                                      Mar 6 09:08:26	check_reload_status		updating dyndns NORDVPN_DE542_GW_VPNV4
                                      Mar 6 09:08:26	rc.gateway_alarm	85882	>>> Gateway alarm: NORDVPN_DE542_GW_VPNV4 (Addr:8.8.4.4 Alarm:1 RTT:1034.794ms RTTsd:8.491ms Loss:0%)
                                      Mar 6 09:08:26	check_reload_status		Reloading filter
                                      Mar 6 09:08:26	check_reload_status		Restarting OpenVPN tunnels/interfaces
                                      Mar 6 09:08:26	check_reload_status		Restarting ipsec tunnels
                                      Mar 6 09:08:26	check_reload_status		updating dyndns WANGATEWAY
                                      Mar 6 09:08:26	rc.gateway_alarm	86020	>>> Gateway alarm: WANGATEWAY (Addr:8.8.8.8 Alarm:1 RTT:1021.963ms RTTsd:5.966ms Loss:0%)
                                      Mar 6 09:08:24	php-fpm	41651	/status_services.php: Removing static route for monitor 1.0.0.1 and adding a new route through 10.8.0.1
                                      Mar 6 09:08:24	php-fpm	41651	/status_services.php: Removing static route for monitor 1.1.1.1 and adding a new route through 10.8.8.1
                                      Mar 6 09:08:24	php-fpm	41651	/status_services.php: Removing static route for monitor 8.8.4.4 and adding a new route through 10.8.3.1
                                      Mar 6 09:08:24	php-fpm	41651	/status_services.php: Removing static route for monitor 8.8.8.8 and adding a new route through 192.168.4.1
                                      
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                                      • DerelictD
                                        Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                                        last edited by

                                        And if you look at Traffic > Monitoring on WAN at the time, how much data are you receiving/sending relative to your circuit capacity?

                                        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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                                        • P
                                          paoloest @Derelict
                                          last edited by

                                          @derelict
                                          there is not much traffic consumption going on. Some audio streaming, not more then 1Mbit ...

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                                          • DerelictD
                                            Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                                            last edited by

                                            So what's with this: VPN tunnels massively slows down if high network 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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