Pfsense overload when downloading big files
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I also have an old HP dx5150 computer and haven't experienced that. My Internet connection is 500/20 Mb, but previously was 75/10. I have had several large downloads over the years.
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Hi,
It's not your machine's specs that introduce such a behaviour.
But you didn't mention the stuff that could matter : as pfSense is a router, the NIC's are important - and they are not all equal.Do test test http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest : you have 3 A's as a result ?
edit : and what are the numbers ?
Are you talking about something like 20 Mbits down / 5 Mbits up ?
Or are you trying to squeeze gigabits up and down ? -
@stephenw10 said in Pfsense overload when downloading big files:
What is your WAN speed? That is a pretty ancient machine though, you might just be hitting some other hardware issue due to its age.
Hi, thanks for your reply.
I can access gui most of the time, my internet is 60Mbps, seems like a DNS issue, my IP phone and say Teamviewer connection from another location to network with pfsense remains active, i can even connect to other locations via VPN Tunnel but not surf the net or use emails..
One of the NICs is the onboard one (10/100) and one addon Gigabit.
What connectivity do you lose? Can you still hit the webgui from the LAN? Can you ping the LAN IP?
Is the console still responsive?When you do reboot do you see a crash report? Anything in the system logs from when it happened?
Steve
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@Gertjan said in Pfsense overload when downloading big files:
Hi,
It's not your machine's specs that introduce such a behaviour.
But you didn't mention the stuff that could matter : as pfSense is a router, the NIC's are important - and they are not all equal.Do test test http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest : you have 3 A's as a result ?
edit : and what are the numbers ?
Are you talking about something like 20 Mbits down / 5 Mbits up ?
Or are you trying to squeeze gigabits up and down ?Hi!
One of my NICs is the on board one and the other is a gigabit, i believe DLink (not sure)..
I'm getting 67.1 Down / 10.12 Up - E for Overall / F for BufferBloat / D for Quality.
Looks like i'm losing DNS resolution or something (unidentified network / no internet access in win 10) as i'm connected from another location to network computer behind pfsense where IP phone too works but cannot browse
..
What would you recommend for hardware? (preferably low cost)..Many thanks!
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What kind of internet connection and what model modem?
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@chpalmer I'm with Videotron Cable, i'm at work now so i will have to get back to you with Modem Model..
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See if your modem is on the list.. http://badmodems.com/
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@samyboyz said in Pfsense overload when downloading big files:
F for BufferBloat
Mmm, that's....... not great!
What type of NICs are they though? What driver?
If you look in Interfaces > Assignments how do they appear? rl0 fxp0 em0 maybe?
Steve
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@stephenw10 said in Pfsense overload when downloading big files:
@samyboyz said in Pfsense overload when downloading big files:
F for BufferBloat
Mmm, that's....... not great!
What type of NICs are they though? What driver?
If you look in Interfaces > Assignments how do they appear? rl0 fxp0 em0 maybe?
Steve
One is built into the HP Pentium D computer i'm using and the other i believe is a Dlink Gigabit, how can i see which drivers are being used?
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@stephenw10 Funny thing is i can still connect with teamviewer to the computer that's losing internet and can still make calls on the IP phone behind the pfsense..I can't browse, it's like i'm having a DNS issue..this started about a year ago after an update, i did a clean install when i swapped to SSD and restored config backup.
Forgive my ignorence, but which service do i need to run watchdog against? I just installed it..
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Well you could run it against Unbound if you're seeing DNS errors but you shouldn't need to.
Check the resolver log to see if Unbound us actually stopping.The 'Watchdog timeout' error I was referring to is commonly thrown by the re driver if/when the Realtek NIC stops responding. It would be shown in the system log or at the console.
Steve
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@stephenw10 i set it up in unbound..but wondering, if NIC is stopping to work, would i not lose VPN connectivity or Teamviewer connection to pc behind pfsense?
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@stephenw10 said in Pfsense overload when downloading big files:
F for BufferBloat
Ive never seen better than a D on bufferbloat on a cable connection.. My Verizon powered Cradlepoint gets better grades and generally sucks for general browsing from a hill top site 300 feet from the Verizon tower.. I do not put allot of worry on DSLR bufferboat numbers.. unless other things are suffering.
Have you figured out if your modem is a Puma powered model?
Triggering snowflakes one by one..
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4590T CPU @ 2.00GHz on an M400 WG box. -
@chpalmer said in Pfsense overload when downloading big files:
I do not put allot of worry on DSLR bufferboat numbers.. unless other things are suffering.
This big thread "Playing with fq_codel in 2.4" in the traffic shaper forum deals with bad scores.
It's not a question of seeing A's or B's or F' on a screen : its an overall more fluid connection that you can actually 'feel' by a daily usage. I applied the suggestions on all my ADSL type WAN connections and it is really worth it.@samyboyz :
You're using a cable connection.
If it's possible : hook up your network / pfSense to another type of WAN network and see if the issue is gone. If it is, you'll know in what direction to look.Do you have 'dpinger' messages in the main system log ?
Btw : hardware : with that kind of speeds, the type or brand of a NIC is less an issue. -
@chpalmer said in Pfsense overload when downloading big files:
@stephenw10 said in Pfsense overload when downloading big files:
F for BufferBloat
Ive never seen better than a D on bufferbloat on a cable connection.. My Verizon powered Cradlepoint gets better grades and generally sucks for general browsing from a hill top site 300 feet from the Verizon tower.. I do not put allot of worry on DSLR bufferboat numbers.. unless other things are suffering.
Have you figured out if your modem is a Puma powered model?
It's Motorola SURFboard SB6120, i don't see it on the list of badmodems..
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@Gertjan said in Pfsense overload when downloading big files:
@chpalmer said in Pfsense overload when downloading big files:
I do not put allot of worry on DSLR bufferboat numbers.. unless other things are suffering.
This big thread "Playing with fq_codel in 2.4" in the traffic shaper forum deals with bad scores.
It's not a question of seeing A's or B's or F' on a screen : its an overall more fluid connection that you can actually 'feel' by a daily usage. I applied the suggestions on all my ADSL type WAN connections and it is really worth it.@samyboyz :
You're using a cable connection.
If it's possible : hook up your network / pfSense to another type of WAN network and see if the issue is gone. If it is, you'll know in what direction to look.Do you have 'dpinger' messages in the main system log ?
Btw : hardware : with that kind of speeds, the type or brand of a NIC is less an issue.Unfortunately i don't have access to another WAN other than my mobile phone..i noticed the issue started like about a year ago after an update that was deemed buggy, i've done a fresh install and updated after that but haven't been able to shake the issue.
Is it time to swap hardware to more recent? What do you guys recommend in small form factor preferably..
Thanks!
Samy -
@stephenw10 said in Pfsense overload when downloading big files:
What connectivity do you lose? Can you still hit the webgui from the LAN? Can you ping the LAN IP?
Is the console still responsive?
When you do reboot do you see a crash report? Anything in the system logs from when it happened?These questions still^.
If it still responds anywhere to anything then try to determine what has actually failed.
Steve
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@stephenw10 I can connect to pfsense after DNS stops responding, most of the time i have to hit sign-in twice, i get the red page when i do that (like it forces the login or something). I have to reboot, most of the time rebooting once does not help, i have to reboot a few times, sometimes shut down the computer manually and reboot until internet kicks in.
As per the logs, i do not understand them all that well, not sure if i can post them here and you would be kind enough to have a look?
It's like i don't lose LAN connectivity, I can even connect via IPSEC vpn to other site but i can no longer surf, like DNS drops..i can even use my OOMa IP phone.
Issue happens almost all the time i do a feature update on a computer or download 1GB+ files, not so much if i stream ..
