Does pfSense support SNTP

[JKnott]

I recently bought a Cisco SG-200 switch, which I am trying to configure. For the time server, it appears to support only SNTP and not NTP. Can pfSense act as a SNTP server?

[KOM]

I've never heard any mention of pfSense and SNTP together.

[JKnott]

@KOM said in Does pfSense support SNTP:

I've never heard any mention of pfSense and SNTP together.

That's 2 of us. However, this switch wants to use it. I checked the package manager and nothing there either. I can understand why SNTP might be used, but why kill NTP.

[NogBadTheBad]

@JKnott said in Does pfSense support SNTP:

Cisco SG-200

I point my Linksys switches to pfSense and it just works.

https://www.galsys.co.uk/news/sntp-vs-ntp/

"Despite the chasm between what each protocol is capable of achieving, NTP and SNTP are, in fact, interoperable"

From a packet capture on port 123.

19:43:12.440374 IP 172.16.1.4.49152 > 172.16.1.1.123: UDP, length 48
19:43:12.440487 IP 172.16.1.1.123 > 172.16.1.4.49152: UDP, length 48

[JKnott]

@NogBadTheBad said in Does pfSense support SNTP:

I point my Linksys switches to pfSense and it just works.

That seems to work, apparently for IPv4 only though. Still better than nothing, though it seems strange on a box that otherwise supports IPv6. Is that a bug in SNTP or the switch?

[johnpoz]

You do see he is syncing via IPv6.. You can clearly setup IPv6 sntp in the switch firmware... What firmware are you using for sg200?

1.4.10.06
Is the latest that is the same as my sg300, does your switch have an IPv6 address?

[JKnott]

@johnpoz

Mine's 1.0.6.2. When I provide my NTP server (pfSense) host name, it resolves to the IPv4 address. The manual IP config only allows IPv4. I'll have to see about the update. Yes, it does use IPv6 for the management interface. It even has an IPv6 neighbours table.

[johnpoz]

@JKnott said in Does pfSense support SNTP:

Mine's 1.0.6.2

I don't even see that listed on the cisco site... got to be ancient...
edit: Oh I found it 27-Feb-2013, so 6 years old ;)
Did they even have any ipv6 in those old firmwares?

Yeah I would update... current for sg200 is 1.4.10.06, just recently came out... I have both my sg300 running it.

edit: Here I just added ipv6 to my sg300, bing bang zoom he syncing sntp with ntp running on pfsense via ipv6

He is going to use the pi on 3.32 since that is stratum 1, but wanted to point to pfsense ntp which is stratum 2.. But as you can see talking just fine to it.. And getting time.

[JKnott]

Is there some incantation to the network gods needed to update? I've downloaded the latest from April 29, and select the file, click on apply and nothing happens. The help(?) seems to imply a TFTP or HTTP server may be needed, but there's no way to enter a URL for HTTP. I guess I'll have to set up a TFTP server. It's been a while since I've done that.

[JKnott]

Wow, I can use XMODEM to upload a file!!!

[JKnott]

Got it going with TFTP. I'll soon be able to get my dog out for her walk.

[Gertjan]

@JKnott said in Does pfSense support SNTP:

Wow, I can use XMODEM to upload a file!!! .... TFTP .....

Nice ! You just made me think about a period, some 3 decades ago.
Back then, a Wellar solding station was as important as a keyboard.

[johnpoz]

So you don't have the gui eanbled? To update the firmware you can just use the gui.

[JKnott]

@johnpoz

I do have the GUI enabled, but that method doesn't work. It also doesn't support HTTPS or SCP. I'm slowing getting there. I've had to do 3 updates to get this far. Apparently, there are different file types for different versions. It you don't have the correct version to upload the next it will fail. You'd think they might have an upgrade path described somewhere. Right now I'm at 1.0.8.3 and when trying to update to 1.4.10.06 it fails with "Firmware Image download through TFTP failed." Those are the two versions listed on the update page I'm looking at now.

[JKnott]

I did some more digging and found 1.0.8.3 is the latest version for the 8 port model.

It does not support IPv6 for SNTP.

[Gertjan]

@JKnott said in Does pfSense support SNTP:

It does not support IPv6

Bring it back to the National Museum of Ancient Technologies. It was probably 'borrowed' from there anyway.

[johnpoz]

@JKnott said in Does pfSense support SNTP:

1.0.8.3 is the latest version for the 8 port model

Where do you see that?

Clearly showing on the download page the 1.4.10.6 for download..

You have the SG-200E ??

[Gray1L]

This post is deleted!

[JKnott]

@johnpoz said in Does pfSense support SNTP:

Where do you see that?

On one of the support forums. I saw that link with the 2 packages. 1.0.8.3 installs, 1.4.10.06 doesn't. Apparently the issue has to do with memory size and the fact that the package now includes the boot code. If you check the downloads, you'll see they have a different file type and my switch will not accept the new file type. I have the SG200-08.

[johnpoz]

@JKnott said in Does pfSense support SNTP:

SG200-08

Yeah I think that is E switch, because its not listed on the release notes for the 1.4.10.6 or even previous models..

That firmware is quite old
2014-09-29

When did you buy this switch? Can you return it? There are much better deals out there I am sure..