Comcast Gigabit - SG-3100 (not getting gig speed)

JohnKaul

Fair warning: I am not a pfSense user; I am currently only a potential customer of a Netgate device.

From all my reading and research I've been doing lateley I'd say the 3100 has got the chops to do gigabit (pushing it's limits with all the bells wistles running at the same time) but it should be able to keep up (that also depends on your network design too but...).

Have you run any testing on your network? iperf is failry popular (or you can use tcpbench if you're an OpenBSD guy); I have iperf2 on my home server which I use to test internally--every time I get extremely bored or want to kill 10 seconds of free time-.

Could be Comcast (when I had them, my speeds would bounce all over the place); test again in a bit. And actually I just had a--probably worthless--though; does Comcast still use the MAC on your device (I had to specify the same MAC as the Comcast router when wanted to use my own router); dbl check your Comcast settings again.

*shrug*

chrismacmahon

@Calltech101 I'm not sure where you are getting those numbers.

Perhaps you are confused with the SG-1100?

johnpoz

Simple google for sg3100 benchmarks on google shows multiple videos of it doing gig without any issues.. Even with ips on, etc.

So no clue to where he is coming from..

cparkervt

@johnpoz Oh I'm very well aware it can do gig, that's what lead me to purchase the SG-3100 however something is gumming up the works and I'm grasping at straws.

johnpoz

I would suggest you take internet out of the equation to validate.. Simple iperf from something on wan to lan, versa.

I have seen isp throuttle newer connections.. Connect some PC to your modem - can it do gig? This will have different mac than your previous router as well.

cparkervt

@JohnKaul I've been running iperf against the LAN IP of the pfSense and I'm getting roughly the same speeds so I don't suspect it's so much the routing part, but something else. I've been a user of pfSense since v1.2.3 and I've always loved it. This is just one of those gremlins... I used to be able to iperf to the old Dell running pfSense before at gig speeds, and through it (just not out to the internet) I can iperf through the Cisco SG200-26P switch at gig speeds minus overhead just fine.

johnpoz

testing to pfsense is not valid test of its routing/firewalling speed.

You need to test "THROUGH" pfsense..

JohnKaul

@cparkervt, Ah. cool. Thanks for the recommendation. I'm still on the fence to be honest. I've never used pfSense so I'm still reading (a lot) about it and the hardware. Thanks again though. I appreciate the recommendation.

About the testing: iperf is a nice tool but read what @johnpoz just said.

cparkervt

@JohnKaul @johnpoz I understand the logic about testing through the routing portion of pfSense but is there a specific reason why that's not a fair test? (not trying to be snarky; genuinely curious to learn why)

cparkervt

@johnpoz said in Comcast Gigabit - SG-3100 (not getting gig speed):

I would suggest you take internet out of the equation to validate.. Simple iperf from something on wan to lan, versa.

I have seen isp throuttle newer connections.. Connect some PC to your modem - can it do gig? This will have different mac than your previous router as well.

I should have included this in my previous message. I have connected my MacBook to the modem directly, and set one of the IPs from my /29 public subnet AND tested with the DHCP lease received from the router portion of my modem. Both ways shows gig speed.

johnpoz

because pfsense stack for tcp is not meant to answer stuff asked of it, its meant to route it and firewall it... So no its not a fair test of what it can do.. Its not a server - its firewall/router.

JohnKaul

@cparkervt, testing from a iperf client (laptop) to an iperf server (the 3100) would only be testing the cable/wifi signal (there's nothing in the way). The iperf server should be after the router so you test the throughput of the router.

After re-reading your posts, I think I misunderstood your last question. I apologize for the "lesson" (you already understand what I said above). Sorry.

akuma1x

@johnpoz said in Comcast Gigabit - SG-3100 (not getting gig speed):

I would suggest you take internet out of the equation to validate.. Simple iperf from something on wan to lan, versa.

Are there any instructions anywhere on how to do this? All the talk of testing the routing THRU a pfsense box has me curious to setup this test.

I'm assuming it's a computer on the WAN port with some IP address, pfsense in the middle, and a machine on the LAN side. Run an iperf test and see the numbers. Anything more complicated than that?

Jeff

johnpoz

When you tested the speed of your switch, did you test through the switch or did you run iperf on the switch and talk to an SVI on the switch?

Nope thats it -

computer (iperf -s) --- pfsense ---- (iperf -c) computer

cparkervt

@johnpoz said in Comcast Gigabit - SG-3100 (not getting gig speed):

When you tested the speed of your switch, did you test through the switch or did you run iperf on the switch and talk to an SVI on the switch?

Nope thats it -

computer (iperf -s) --- pfsense ---- (iperf -c) computer

I will test PC -- OPT1 -- pfSense -- LAN1 -- PC ... later this evening.
Also on the agenda is testing a loaner SG-3100 with a virgin config.

johnpoz

I would make sure you setup say opt1 to look like wan so its doing nat.. Since that could be a performance hit.. So you want to validate your speed is with natting being done.

johnpoz

lan by default is part of the switch right.. Possible you could have flood of broadcast traffic causing you issues on the switch?

cparkervt

@johnpoz I'll isolate the pfSense from the rest of my network during testing. Just for grins, I tested from a LAN PC using iperf3 to an Ubiquiti EdgeRouter's WAN IP in that same /29 and I was getting ~300m but that could be that it's a cheap ER-X and not able to handle being an iperf server as I know those have potatoes for CPUs in them.

I appreciate all the help so far. I really hope it's something simple like "hey you missed this one thing" actually kind of enjoying the challenge (good thing this is my home office/ home lab)

johnpoz

that brings up very good point... test your iperf server and client testing without pfsense to validate they can do gig..

iperf -s --- wire ---- iperf -c

or
iperf -s --- switch ---- iperf -c

And make sure you use all the wires you will use with the testing, before you put pfsense in the middle..

If wasn't 3pm on a friday I would sim test the 3100 I have here.. But could do on monday ;)

JohnKaul

@cparkervt said in Comcast Gigabit - SG-3100 (not getting gig speed):

<snip> but that could be that it's a cheap ER-X and not able to handle being an iperf server as I know those have potatoes for CPUs in them. <snip>

For what little it's worth: If I remember right, it's been a few years since I've dove into the source code but, iperf runs on the stack (memory) only. So you are running a memory<->memory network/performance test.