Is there a way to trigger pfSense to periodically send RS on WAN I/F to ISP edge router?

Derelict

Is there a way to trigger pfSense to periodically send RS on WAN I/F to ISP edge router?

No. In fact the specification prohibits it.

RFC4861
Router Solicitations may be sent after any of the following events:

The interface is initialized at system startup time.

The interface is reinitialized after a temporary interface
failure or after being temporarily disabled by system
management.

The system changes from being a router to being a host, by
having its IP forwarding capability turned off by system
management.

The host attaches to a link for the first time.

The host re-attaches to a link after being detached for some
time.

Once the host sends a Router Solicitation, and receives a valid
Router Advertisement with a non-zero Router Lifetime, the host MUST
desist from sending additional solicitations on that interface, until
the next time one of the above events occurs.

If your ISP isn't sending RAs they are wrong. And it sounds like everyone involved knows they're wrong. Your time would likely be better spent lobbying them to fix their network than looking for workarounds.

bimmerdriver

@Derelict said in Is there a way to trigger pfSense to periodically send RS on WAN I/F to ISP edge router?:

RFC4861

Good catch. Thank you for posting this information. I sent it to my contact at the ISP.

JKnott

@bimmerdriver said in Is there a way to trigger pfSense to periodically send RS on WAN I/F to ISP edge router?:

I sent it to my contact at the ISP.

I also sent it to Juniper this afternoon. According to that RFC, any connection will fail after 6000 seconds, if the router does not send out periodic RAs.

Derelict

@JKnott said in Is there a way to trigger pfSense to periodically send RS on WAN I/F to ISP edge router?:

I also sent it to Juniper this afternoon. According to that RFC, any connection will fail after 6000 seconds, if the router does not send out periodic RAs.

Heads up that while the principles are unchanged, those RA timers were tweaked by RFC8319.

JKnott

@Derelict said in Is there a way to trigger pfSense to periodically send RS on WAN I/F to ISP edge router?:

Heads up that while the principles are unchanged, those RA timers were tweaked by RFC8319.

That's still only 18.2 hours.

bimmerdriver

I'm trying to post a text dump of the DHCP solicit/advertise + DHCP request/reply + ICMP solicit/advertise and there is an error saying, "Post content was flagged as spam by Akismet.com". Is there a way around this?

Derelict

Post the pcap.

bimmerdriver

Here is a text dump of the DHCP solicit/advertise. More to follow.

DHCPv6
    Message type: Solicit (1)
    Transaction ID: 0x4d32b4
    Client Identifier
        Option: Client Identifier (1)
        Length: 14
        Value: 0001000123444ec100155d014902
        DUID: 0001000123444ec100155d014902
        DUID Type: link-layer address plus time (1)
        Hardware type: Ethernet (1)
        DUID Time: Jul 20, 2018 00:41:53.000000000 Pacific Daylight Time
        Link-layer address: 00:15:5d:01:49:02
    Elapsed time
        Option: Elapsed time (8)
        Length: 2
        Value: 0000
        Elapsed time: 0ms
    Option Request
        Option: Option Request (6)
        Length: 4
        Value: 00170018
        Requested Option code: DNS recursive name server (23)
        Requested Option code: Domain Search List (24)
    Identity Association for Prefix Delegation
        Option: Identity Association for Prefix Delegation (25)
        Length: 12
        Value: 000000000000000000000000
        IAID: 00000000
        T1: 0
        T2: 0

DHCPv6
    Message type: Advertise (2)
    Transaction ID: 0x4d32b4
    Client Identifier
        Option: Client Identifier (1)
        Length: 14
        Value: 0001000123444ec100155d014902
        DUID: 0001000123444ec100155d014902
        DUID Type: link-layer address plus time (1)
        Hardware type: Ethernet (1)
        DUID Time: Jul 20, 2018 00:41:53.000000000 Pacific Daylight Time
        Link-layer address: 00:15:5d:01:49:02
    Server Identifier
        Option: Server Identifier (2)
        Length: 26
        Value: 00020000058330383a62323a35383a34373a61373a633000…
        DUID: 00020000058330383a62323a35383a34373a61373a633000…
        DUID Type: assigned by vendor based on Enterprise number (2)
        Enterprise ID: Juniper Networks/Funk Software (1411)
        Identifier: 30383a62323a35383a34373a61373a6330000000
    Identity Association for Prefix Delegation
        Option: Identity Association for Prefix Delegation (25)
        Length: 41
        Value: 0000000000000e1000001518001a001900001c2000001d4c…
        IAID: 00000000
        T1: 3600
        T2: 5400
        IA Prefix
            Option: IA Prefix (26)
            Length: 25
            Value: 00001c2000001d4c3820010abc7c4a560000000000000000…
            Preferred lifetime: 7200
            Valid lifetime: 7500
            Prefix length: 56
            Prefix address: 2001:abc:7c4a:5600::
    DNS recursive name server
        Option: DNS recursive name server (23)
        Length: 32
        Value: 20010abcff09010a000000000000005320010abcff09010b…
         1 DNS server address: 2001:abc:ff09:10a::53
         2 DNS server address: 2001:abc:ff09:10b::53

Derelict

@bimmerdriver Why do we care? This thread is about RAs?

bimmerdriver

@Derelict said in Is there a way to trigger pfSense to periodically send RS on WAN I/F to ISP edge router?:

Post the pcap.

I don't want to post the pcap, but the 'fing spam blocker won't let me post the next pair of messages.

Derelict

Why do we care about DHCP? The gateways are not set using DHCP in IPv6.

bimmerdriver

@Derelict If I posted the RS/RA, someone would be asking to see the DHCP messages, so I intended to post them in sequence.

Derelict

DHCP doesn't matter here. Has nothing whatsoever to do with your ISP not sending RAs as required.

bimmerdriver

Here are the RS/RA messages, if the spam filter will allow it.

Internet Control Message Protocol v6
    Type: Router Solicitation (133)
    Code: 0
    Checksum: 0x2efd [correct]
    [Checksum Status: Good]
    Reserved: 00000000
    ICMPv6 Option (Source link-layer address : 00:15:5d:01:49:02)
        Type: Source link-layer address (1)
        Length: 1 (8 bytes)
        Link-layer address: Microsof_01:49:02 (00:15:5d:01:49:02)

Internet Control Message Protocol v6
    Type: Router Advertisement (134)
    Code: 0
    Checksum: 0x74bd [correct]
    [Checksum Status: Good]
    Cur hop limit: 64
    Flags: 0x00, Prf (Default Router Preference): Medium
    Router lifetime (s): 5400
    Reachable time (ms): 0
    Retrans timer (ms): 0
    ICMPv6 Option (Source link-layer address : 0a:b2:58:47:a2:e4)
        Type: Source link-layer address (1)
        Length: 1 (8 bytes)
        Link-layer address: 0a:b2:58:47:a2:e4 (0a:b2:58:47:a2:e4)

Derelict

It has already been established that the ISP responds to an RS with an RA. They need to send periodic RAs and they are not. So that does no good either.

Derelict

You're only at a "karma of three (now 4)" someone else give a so he's over 5. That's more for editing profiles, etc but it can't hurt.

bimmerdriver

@Derelict said in Is there a way to trigger pfSense to periodically send RS on WAN I/F to ISP edge router?:

It has already been established that the ISP responds to an RS with an RA. They need to send periodic RAs and they are not. So that does no good either.

Yes, understood. I'm wondering why pfSense sometimes works in this situation and other times doesn't. As far as I understand, based on correspondence with the ISP, the juniper routers DO NOT send unsolicited RA messages. Shouldn't pfSense always drop the default route after 5400 seconds?

Derelict

They HAVE to send an unsolicited, periodic RA. If juniper has that setting then it is to be used in cases where it is not necessary. This is not a pfSense problem. It is an ISP problem. See RFC4861. The host device is FORBIDDEN from sending another RS unless its interface is shut/no shut, etc.

Derelict

@bimmerdriver

@bimmerdriver said in Is there a way to trigger pfSense to periodically send RS on WAN I/F to ISP edge router?:

@Derelict said in Is there a way to trigger pfSense to periodically send RS on WAN I/F to ISP edge router?:

It has already been established that the ISP responds to an RS with an RA. They need to send periodic RAs and they are not. So that does no good either.

Yes, understood. I'm wondering why pfSense sometimes works in this situation and other times doesn't. As far as I understand, based on correspondence with the ISP, the juniper routers DO NOT send unsolicited RA messages. Shouldn't pfSense always drop the default route after 5400 seconds?

I don't understand your point. ISPs that work and adhere to standards send periodic RAs.

johnpoz

@bimmerdriver said in Is there a way to trigger pfSense to periodically send RS on WAN I/F to ISP edge router?:

far as I understand, based on correspondence with the ISP, the juniper routers DO NOT send unsolicited RA messages.

Says who? 2 second google
https://www.juniper.net/documentation/en_US/junos/topics/reference/configuration-statement/no-unsolicited-ra-edit-enhanced-universal-edge-overrides.html

So they have that SET!!! Per previous comments, etc. as well

Says that the DEFAULT is to send them..

Disable the default transmission and periodic refresh of unsolicited Router Advertisement messages by the router when the subscriber interface is created, and at configured periodic intervals thereafter. When you include the no-unsolicited-ra statement, the router sends Router Advertisement messages and associated periodic refresh messages only when it receives a Router Solicitation message from the subscriber.

BTW - that link is first hit on google for "juniper routers unsolicited RA"

Couple hits down is your post on the other distro board.. Posting the same link - so you KNOW its not default and that they set it, not that they DO NOT do it...

If the RFC says the host is "forbidden" from sending RS... You think pfsense should break the rfc and send RS anyway, because some ISP doesn't know how to configure their own choice of hardware? To be standard?