Port speed and duplex issue

ocset

Hi

I have pfsense-CE-2.3.2 installed on an Alix based pc and a mini PC, both with intel NIC's. My companies has a 10up/10down internet plan and the internet provider has hard set their port to 10baseT/Full duplex. I have done the same on my end and pfsense shows it is 10baseT/Half duplex. I have tried both devices and have also tried autoselect without luck.

The LAN port of both devices are connected to an HP switch and they report the port speed as 1GB/full duplex. Just to test, I then changed the port on the HP switch to 10/Full duplex, and then the LAN port shows 10/half duplex.

I have tested the WAN connection from the ISP using an old Cisco RVS4000 router and it reports the correct port speed.

Any ideas. What is the implication of this mismatch from a stability and performance point of view ?

Thanks
O

Derelict

If your ISP device is really hard-set to 10/full then hard-set whatever directly/physically connects to that device to 10/full - switchport, firewall interface, whatever.. It doesn't matter what you to elsewhere as long as it works. Leave it all gig autonegotiate.

If you can upload/download without taking interface errors you should be good to go.

ocset

Thanks Derelict

The pfsense box is the device connected directly to the ISP but is reporting half duplex regardless of whether I use auto or physically set it to 10 full. I used the router to test the speed but don't want to introduce an extra piece of hardware simply for this purpose - more things to manage and points of failure.

This quote is from the pfsense docs "..Having a speed/duplex mismatch will result in errors and/or degraded connectivity." so not sure why you would say it is all OK even though it's reporting the wrong speed.

Regards
O

johnpoz

If you really have a duplex mismatch.. your performance would be horrific!! But some weirdness and reporting a mismatch does not actually mean their is one.

Derelict is correct.. If their device is really set to 10/full - then you can hard code whatever is directly connect to that interface to 10/full.. Does it work? Do you get 10mbps? What does the interface counters show that are connected to this interface? Do they show a bunch of errors that keep climbing up? Or not?

Derelict

Realtek NIC? The drivers are unreliable where hard-setting like that in certain cases I think.

But if it's working and the interface is not taking errors you are probably OK.