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pfSense is not working on my new Gigabit Switch

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General pfSense Questions
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  • M
    mnemonikz
    last edited by mnemonikz May 17, 2021, 6:11 AM May 17, 2021, 6:06 AM

    Hi,

    I am a pfsense newbie. I have previously setup my pfsense (installed on my other computer with 2 NIC (those 2 NICS are exactly the same gigabit NIC). I used the first NIC as my WAN port and used the other as the LAN port. The LAN port is connected to my older 10/100 16-port switch and it was working wonders. But my old switch broke down and decided to get a newer D-Link unmanaged 16-port Gigabit Network switch. But the problem is, pfSense is not working when I connect the cable that was recently used by my broken 10/100 switch.

    For reference this is how I setup my pfSense

    ISP>pfSense>Network Switch>client computers and access points

    I assigned the LAN (re0) speed and duplex to autoselect. Have not setup VLANS whatsoever.

    Can someone tell me how to work around this mess? I can't seem to fix it. Please help. Thank you.

    I also observed that the HISPEED interface is set as 1000baseT full-duplex and my LAN is set as 100baseTX full-duplex when my switch is still working. Is it basing on where the cables are connected or something? Please enlighted me.

    G B J 3 Replies Last reply May 17, 2021, 6:24 AM Reply Quote 0
    • G
      Gertjan @mnemonikz
      last edited by May 17, 2021, 6:24 AM

      A switch is a switch.
      Its unmanged, so there are no buttons, no settings, no options.
      It's plug & play.

      But i gues you mentionned the issue.

      Your 're' was working when used a with 10/100.
      "1000" just killed it.
      're' stands for "realtek" Look up this word on this forum, you'll get the picture.

      The easy solution : get rid of 're' and you'll be fine.

      To test : is your WAN is not using a 're' interface ?
      Then swap (assign the other way arround) LAN and WAN and see for yourself : ,now LAN is ok, and WAN has issues (if it is using also 1000baseT full-duplex).

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

      M 1 Reply Last reply May 17, 2021, 6:41 AM Reply Quote 2
      • B
        biggsy @mnemonikz
        last edited by May 17, 2021, 6:41 AM

        @mnemonikz

        Not to take away form what @Gertjan said about re NICs but first check that your cables are properly wired for GbE, otherwise the interface can fall back to 100 Mb/s.

        M 1 Reply Last reply May 17, 2021, 6:45 AM Reply Quote 1
        • M
          mnemonikz @Gertjan
          last edited by mnemonikz May 17, 2021, 6:46 AM May 17, 2021, 6:41 AM

          @gertjan oh so, realtek NICs are bad? But it was working before haha, I'm confused. Those 2 NICs are exactly the same NICs and are installed in 2 PCIe slots on my mobo. If re cards are not good, then can I just use my motherboard's built-in network interface?

          G 1 Reply Last reply May 17, 2021, 6:49 AM Reply Quote 0
          • M
            mnemonikz @biggsy
            last edited by May 17, 2021, 6:45 AM

            @biggsy the cables are working, I even used CAT6 and CAT5e cables but both did not work for my switch. I can't get IP from pfsense when I connect it to my new gigabit network switch. The network switch is working though, I connected my ISP modem to my new switch and works fine. My other computers and wireless devices can get IP and can connect to the internet.

            B 1 Reply Last reply May 17, 2021, 6:58 AM Reply Quote 0
            • G
              Gertjan @mnemonikz
              last edited by May 17, 2021, 6:49 AM

              @mnemonikz said in pfSense is not working on my new Gigabit Switch:

              oh so, realtek NICs are bad?

              Install 'Google'.
              Copy paste "realtek NICs are bad".
              Enjoy ;)

              @mnemonikz said in pfSense is not working on my new Gigabit Switch:

              then can I just use my motherboard's built-in network interface?

              If it's not a Realtek ....

              @mnemonikz said in pfSense is not working on my new Gigabit Switch:

              But it was working before haha

              But you changed the rules.
              100 'mph' was ok.
              And now you asked for "1000".
              That's 10 times faster.

              Easy to check.
              Do you see your car outside ?
              Do the same check, do the "100" and then the "1000".
              Please use a closes circuit and take a huge health insurance first.

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

              M 2 Replies Last reply May 17, 2021, 6:53 AM Reply Quote 1
              • M
                mnemonikz @Gertjan
                last edited by May 17, 2021, 6:53 AM

                @gertjan Lol won't go that far, I know what you mean now. So, my quick fix now is to buy a new gigabit NIC that is not Realtek. 😌

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • B
                  biggsy @mnemonikz
                  last edited by May 17, 2021, 6:58 AM

                  @mnemonikz

                  The CATx rating doesn't mean anything if they're not properly wired but, if you bought the cables, they should be OK.

                  Did you reboot pfSense? If yes, then what @Gertjan said.

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • M
                    mnemonikz @Gertjan
                    last edited by May 17, 2021, 6:59 AM

                    @gertjan said in pfSense is not working on my new Gigabit Switch:

                    @mnemonikz said in pfSense is not working on my new Gigabit Switch:

                    then can I just use my motherboard's built-in network interface?

                    If it's not a Realtek ....

                    it's "em". Now, is it good? Or just as bad as "re"

                    G 1 Reply Last reply May 17, 2021, 7:08 AM Reply Quote 0
                    • G
                      Gertjan @mnemonikz
                      last edited by May 17, 2021, 7:08 AM

                      @mnemonikz said in pfSense is not working on my new Gigabit Switch:

                      it's "em"

                      Your good.

                      When you buy a card, look for "Intel".

                      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
                      • J
                        JKnott @mnemonikz
                        last edited by May 17, 2021, 10:38 AM

                        @mnemonikz

                        Take pfsense out of the picture. Can you connect 2 computers through that switch? Maybe it failed. Also, have you checked the port LEDs that show activity? If the cables worked before, they should still do something, though a defective cable may work fine at 100 Mb, but not Gb. Also, CAT5 vs CAT 6 is irrelevant. Gigabit Ethernet was designed to work over 100M (330') of plain CAT5, as it was designed before 5e was available.

                        PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                        i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                        UniFi AC-Lite access point

                        I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

                        M 1 Reply Last reply May 18, 2021, 12:37 AM Reply Quote 0
                        • M
                          mnemonikz @JKnott
                          last edited by May 18, 2021, 12:37 AM

                          @jknott said in pfSense is not working on my new Gigabit Switch:

                          @mnemonikz

                          Take pfsense out of the picture. Can you connect 2 computers through that switch?

                          Yes. Switch works fine outside pfsense.

                          J 1 Reply Last reply May 18, 2021, 1:20 AM Reply Quote 0
                          • J
                            JKnott @mnemonikz
                            last edited by May 18, 2021, 1:20 AM

                            @mnemonikz

                            Well, you have to do some testing. I mentioned a couple of things in my earlier post.

                            PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                            i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                            UniFi AC-Lite access point

                            I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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