[2.3.x] No default route on WAN PPPoE after link failure (with FIX, please test)

Marlenio

in the past days i post two thread about a problem with my pfSense installation with PPPoE fiber connection (Telecom Fibra). I have a bridged modem and pfSense made the authentication in PPPoE. With 2.2.6 it works without any kind of problem, with 2.3.x i have no internet connection, no ping, absolutely nothing.

After some test, i find that after a link failure, pfSense lost default route on WAN (see attached "ko_default_route-png"). If i add manually (es: route add -net 0.0.0.0/0 79.19.236.134) all works (see "ok_default_route.png"), but my IP is dynamic, so when it changes internet connection get lost.

With 2.2.6 default route works without problem. I don't know if is a issue of pfSense 2.3.x, but a make two different installation (x64 and Alix) and i had the same problem.
Is there a way to add a workaround like adding a static default route on the PPPoE inferface instead of assigned PPPoE dynamic IP?

EDIT: i found the way to add 0.0.0.0 static route to PPPoE interface: route add -net 0.0.0.0/0 -interface pppoe0. Is this a issue? Is there a way to fix, or make the route permanent?

ko_default_route.png_thumb

ok_default_route.png_thumb

jumpymonkey

I'm seeing the same thing. Up until 2.3.1_1 I didn't have a problem. 2.3.1_1 I had one incident which was resolved by a reboot. 2.3.1_5 never gets the route set up.

Native IPv6 over the same link is fine, as is the ping test on the line (which is the only route entry in the IPv4 routing table).

My configuration is a VMWare VM with the NIC passed through. Everything runs over VLANs on the NIC. PPPoE is using a 1500 baby-jumbo MTU.

Marlenio

I open a ticket with pfSense, and found a temporary workaround: https://redmine.pfsense.org/issues/6495 . In this way, code is like 2.2.6 and pfSense works without any problem.

cmb

Sounds like that gateway isn't marked as default under System>Routing, what does that screen look like?

sammcj

Could be related: I noticed after upgrading Pfsense to todays minor updated, after the reboot the PPPoE interface said it was up, but no traffic was flowing, I had to click 'disconnect' and 'reconnect' again under the interfaces, then all internet traffic started working again.

From memory this has been a problem for quite some time, I'll see if I can find the original bug report.

Marlenio

@cmb:

Sounds like that gateway isn't marked as default under System>Routing, what does that screen look like?

Gateway is marked as default: i tried to edit config and then save too, but with no luck. The only way i find to solve issue (without adding manually a static route every PPPoE restart) was modifying /etc/inc/interfaces.inc like this:

/* Omit this, we maintain the default route by other means, and it causes problems with * default gateway switching. See redmine #1837 */
if (($interface "wan" && $founddefaultgw false) || $setdefaultgw == true) {
$setdefaultgw = true;
$mpdconf .= <<<eod<br>set iface route default

EOD;</eod<br>

I remove the REM in this piece of code, so it looks like same file in pfSense 2.2.6. In this way if i reboot pfSense, disconnect WAN cable, reset (bridget) modem, disconnect/reconnect WAN interface, default route is created and all PC in my LAN have internet access.

default_gw.png_thumb

default_gw_1.png_thumb

Marlenio

@sammcj:

[…]
From memory this has been a problem for quite some time, I'll see if I can find the original bug report.

Yes, there is redmine #1837 ticket about a similar issue, but the proposed solution by editing the file (/etc/inc/interfaces.inc) stop the creation of the default gateway if the PPPoE session is disconnected. For this reason i modified the code and now it look like that in version 2.2.6 (which worked perfectly).

Today i made some other test with my pfSense box (Atom 1037U CPU), an Alix, an HP DL380 end a portable DELL. My ISP is a 100/20 FTTC (Telecom Fibra). Same config: clean install, then restore from 2.2.6 config backup. Everybody have the same problems on PPPoE.

sammcj

fyi - mine also has the default gateway set.

Marlenio

@cmb: do you think it would be possible to modify code so as to keep both version (2.2.6 and 2.3.x) in file /etc/inc/interfaces.inc? Code was modifyied in 2.3 for a issue (#1837) about multiwan gateway switching, but it seems to have problems with a single wan gateway config. In "single gateway mode" code would run set iface route default command, in "multi gateway mode" no.

jumpymonkey

I came back to pfsense having used another router while having this problem. Having started it up, I found that the PPP interface wouldn't come up. Looking under advanced config on the PPPoE link, no underlying interface was selected. Having set that the interface came up and routed correctly. I'll continue to monitor and see want happens when the underlaying DSL link fail cycles.

Marlenio

@jumpymonkey:

I came back to pfsense having used another router while having this problem. Having started it up, I found that the PPP interface wouldn't come up. Looking under advanced config on the PPPoE link, no underlying interface was selected. Having set that the interface came up and routed correctly. I'll continue to monitor and see want happens when the underlaying DSL link fail cycles.

Can you try the mod in /etc/inc/interfaces.inc i post?

jumpymonkey

It's working without the mod. I was about to try your mod, but now the interface is up and working as expected. I'll see what happens when I pull the modem link out later, and if that stops the routing working I'll apply the mod.

Marlenio

@jumpymonkey:

It's working without the mod. I was about to try your mod, but now the interface is up and working as expected. I'll see what happens when I pull the modem link out later, and if that stops the routing working I'll apply the mod.

What happened if you disconnect and riconnect WAN or PPPoE cable from modem?

jumpymonkey

I cycled the modem. When the link came back up, the I couldn't connect out to the Internet. Adding your fix and cycling the PPPoE link fixes the problem. Thanks!

Marlenio

@jumpymonkey:

I cycled the modem. When the link came back up, the I couldn't connect out to the Internet. Adding your fix and cycling the PPPoE link fixes the problem. Thanks!

Well, my fix is actually the same code present in 2.2.6, that works without problem. Thank you for test. :)

robi

Is there a redmine on this?

Marlenio

@robi:

Is there a redmine on this?

Yes: https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php?topic=113750.msg632702#msg632702

robi

OK, for pfSense people to take this seriously you'll have to create it as a patch here:
https://github.com/pfsense/pfsense

Just register, choose your file, click the pencil icon to edit it, and it will create a fork for you. Then, submit a pull request for your fork. In the description, link to this topic and the redmine issue.

Marlenio

@robi:

OK, for pfSense people to take this seriously you'll have to create it as a patch here:
https://github.com/pfsense/pfsense

Just register, choose your file, click the pencil icon to edit it, and it will create a fork for you. Then, submit a pull request for your fork. In the description, link to this topic and the redmine issue.

Hi Roby, i'm not a PHP developer, so i don't think it's a good idea modify code on my own. Anyway, in redmine #6495 i suggested a possibile change about code:

if ONE GW then
<the code="" i="" modify="">else (TWO or MORE GW)
endif</the> `In this way it could work both configuration, one WAN gateway or two (or more).

P.S. What do you mean for "…for pfSense people to take this seriously"?`

robi

You said "my fix is actually the same code…" - I thougt you have a real fix for the problem...

As far as I noticed over the years, code snippets posted on the forum almost never reach to be in the actual product.