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    Want to Access Switch from a Different Subnet.

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General pfSense Questions
    subnetrouting
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    • A
      aeboi80
      last edited by aeboi80

      Total noob here. I have the internet from FIOS out of the ONT box (i don't have a fios router) connected to a pfsense box which is configured with the IP of 10.10.0.1 /24

      pfsense box is connected to port # 1 of a TP-Link - T1600G-28PS (Layer 2 and Layer 2+). T1600G-28PS has the IP of 192.168.0.10 /24 set

      I also have a TP-Link EA225 wireless access point which is connected to the T1600G-28PS switch.

      When my computer is connected to the LAN via wireless I get a DHCP IP from pfsense in the range of 10.10.0.100 - 10.10.0.254

      I am unable to connect to the web interface of the T1600G-28PS switch at 192.168.0.10

      I've played with several things in pfsense trying to get it to let me connect, but I'm lost and need some help. Right now the only way I can connect is if I physically go down to the network rack and plug my laptop into the switch.

      JKnottJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • JKnottJ
        JKnott @aeboi80
        last edited by

        @aeboi80

        Either change the DHCP address range or change the address of the switch. Of course, since the switch is on the LAN side of pfSense, you could temporarily assign a computer a static address in the same subnet as the switch.

        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...

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        • stephenw10S
          stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
          last edited by

          Hmm, is 10.10.0.0 on the LAN side if pfSense? The WAN is a public IP?

          Then, yes, why is the switch in a different subnet? Just change the switch IP.

          You can add a virtual IP to the pfSense LAN in the 192.168.0.0 subnet that will allow it to route traffic to it. You will end up with an asymmetric route if it's all on the same interface though.

          Steve

          A stephenw10S 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • A
            aeboi80 @stephenw10
            last edited by

            @stephenw10 Yes 10.10.0.0 is on the LAN side of pfSense. The WAN is a public IP

            While yes I could assign the switch an IP in the 10.10.0.0 range and that would solve this, but for the sake of learning something...is it not possible to access the web interface of the switch at all from the 10.10.0.0 network? I thought for sure there would be a way to configure it to allow connections from that network within pfSense.

            GertjanG JKnottJ 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • GertjanG
              Gertjan @aeboi80
              last edited by

              @aeboi80 said in Want to Access Switch from a Different Subnet.:

              I could assign the switch an IP in the 10.10.0.0 range and that would solve this,
              is it not possible to access the web interface of the switch at all from the 10.10.0.0 network?

              ?
              When assigned into the 10.10.x.y range, it's possible to access the device in the 10.10.x.y ....

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

              A 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • JKnottJ
                JKnott @aeboi80
                last edited by

                @aeboi80 said in Want to Access Switch from a Different Subnet.:

                is it not possible to access the web interface of the switch at all from the 10.10.0.0 network?

                You could create an alias address on pfSense and then allow routing. But as soon as you try to connect to the switch, pfSense will give you an ICMP redirect, telling you to connect directly to the switch. An alias on the computer should work, but that has nothing to do with pfSense. Creating an alias in Linux is easy enough, but I don't know about Windows.

                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
                • stephenw10S
                  stephenw10 Netgate Administrator @stephenw10
                  last edited by

                  @stephenw10 said in Want to Access Switch from a Different Subnet.:

                  You can add a virtual IP to the pfSense LAN in the 192.168.0.0 subnet that will allow it to route traffic to it. You will end up with an asymmetric route if it's all on the same interface though.

                  If you also add an outbound NAT rule for 10.10.0.0 to 192.168.0.0 on the LAN interface that will work around asymmetric routing and allow you to access the switch.
                  It's a useful technique to access some device when you have no way to change it, something stuck at it's default config for example. But be sure you understand what is happening there, it's a bit if an ugly hack. I would not want to use it permanently, it will probably come back to bite you if you do. ๐Ÿ˜‰

                  Steve

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • JKnottJ
                    JKnott
                    last edited by

                    @stephenw10 said in Want to Access Switch from a Different Subnet.:

                    If you also add an outbound NAT rule for 10.10.0.0 to 192.168.0.0 on the LAN interface that will work around asymmetric routing and allow you to access the switch.

                    I bet an ICMP redirect is more likely. PfSense will see that both the switch and computer IP addresses are on the same network and will tell the computer to connect directly. And yes, I have experienced that years ago, when I tried something similar.

                    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
                    • stephenw10S
                      stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                      last edited by

                      That might happen but since neither the client or the switch have an IP in the others subnet....

                      Mmm, in fact that should not end up asymmtreic in that case. ๐Ÿค”

                      JKnottJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • johnpozJ
                        johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator
                        last edited by johnpoz

                        Im not really getting how you have this all connected together... WTF is layer 2+ ?? ;)

                        Sounds a bit like your wanting to run multiple layer 3 on the same layer2? If your switch is on the the 10.10 layer 2, then it should have an IP on the 10.10, if you want to route to a different network with 192.168 - then yeah you can easy route to that.. But it needs to be a different layer 2 network.

                        An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
                        If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
                        Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
                        SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.7.2, 24.11

                        NogBadTheBadN A 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • JKnottJ
                          JKnott @stephenw10
                          last edited by

                          @stephenw10 said in Want to Access Switch from a Different Subnet.:

                          That might happen but since neither the client or the switch have an IP in the others subnet....

                          I assume you're referring to my post. If you set up an alias on pfSense, then it will have 2 addresses on the same network. When the computer tries to reach the switch or vice versa, pfSense will see they are on the same wire and should be able to reach the destination directly, without going through the router, and send the redirect. The only way to do this is to add an alias on the computer. That way the computer will send out the packets, with the correct address to reach the switch, with absolutely no involvement by pfSense.

                          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
                          • NogBadTheBadN
                            NogBadTheBad @johnpoz
                            last edited by

                            @johnpoz said in Want to Access Switch from a Different Subnet.:

                            Im not really getting how you have this all connected together... WTF is layer 2+ ?? ;)

                            Sounds a bit like your wanting to run multiple layer 3 on the same layer2? If your switch is on the the 10.10 layer 2, then it should have an IP on the 10.10, if you want to route to a different network with 192.168 - then yeah you can easy route to that.. But it needs to be a different layer 2 network.

                            Knew I'd seen a brand somewhere saying L2+ lol its Netgear.

                            Screenshot 2019-09-17 at 15.19.07.png

                            Andy

                            1 x Netgate SG-4860 - 3 x Linksys LGS308P - 1 x Aruba InstantOn AP22

                            JKnottJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • JKnottJ
                              JKnott @NogBadTheBad
                              last edited by

                              @NogBadTheBad said in Want to Access Switch from a Different Subnet.:

                              Knew I'd seen a brand somewhere saying L2+ lol its Netgear.

                              That still doesn't say what L2+ is. Is it VLANs? Routing? Something else?

                              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...

                              NogBadTheBadN 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • stephenw10S
                                stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                                last edited by

                                You can route between layer 3 subnets on the same layer 2 segment. You shouldn't do it.... but you can. ๐Ÿ˜‰

                                However the switch would need to be using whatever VIP address you add to pfSense as it's gateway in order to have a route back. It probably doesn't have that so adding the outbound NAT rule will allow it to reply.

                                I say any of this only because:
                                @aeboi80 said:

                                ... but for the sake of learning something...is it not possible to access the web interface of the switch at all from the 10.10.0.0 network?

                                Steve

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                • NogBadTheBadN
                                  NogBadTheBad @JKnott
                                  last edited by

                                  @JKnott said in Want to Access Switch from a Different Subnet.:

                                  @NogBadTheBad said in Want to Access Switch from a Different Subnet.:

                                  Knew I'd seen a brand somewhere saying L2+ lol its Netgear.

                                  That still doesn't say what L2+ is. Is it VLANs? Routing? Something else?

                                  I tried to look exactly what they meant by L2+, gave up after a few mins.

                                  Andy

                                  1 x Netgate SG-4860 - 3 x Linksys LGS308P - 1 x Aruba InstantOn AP22

                                  GertjanG 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • GertjanG
                                    Gertjan @NogBadTheBad
                                    last edited by

                                    @NogBadTheBad said in Want to Access Switch from a Different Subnet.:

                                    L2+

                                    Easy : ISO 2 and above (?) โ˜บ

                                    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
                                    • P
                                      pfSense4ME
                                      last edited by

                                      Layer 2 vs Layer 3: What Makes Layer 3 Switch Different?
                                      When comparing the Layer 2 switch to a Layer 3 switch the first thing to look at is what additional software functionality you are getting. When a switch supports Dynamic Routing Protocols, itโ€™s no longer a strictly Layer 2 switch. Because static routing allows traffic to be routed between VLANs. In fact, the switches that add only Static Routing to their software features are considered to be somewhere between a Layer 2 and full Layer 3 switch. Sometimes called Layer 2+ or Layer 3 Lite. Unlike Layer 2+ switch, Layer 3 switch is Dynamic Routing ,which are used to link large networks together and share routing tables between them. They can also allow for dynamic routing of multicast traffic on the network.

                                      Google search:
                                      layer 2 vs "layer 2+" switch

                                      Source:
                                      Link_Info.jpg
                                      *Sorry for the pic but when I tried to input the url as a link or plain text it kept getting flagged as spam. If the link / pic is not acceptable (because it voilates a rule - apologies) please remove or correct.

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                                      • A
                                        aeboi80 @Gertjan
                                        last edited by

                                        @Gertjan Yes

                                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • A
                                          aeboi80 @johnpoz
                                          last edited by

                                          @johnpoz said in Want to Access Switch from a Different Subnet.:

                                          WT

                                          This is the switch - https://www.tp-link.com/us/business-networking/smart-switch/t1600g-28ps/

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • stephenw10S
                                            stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                                            last edited by

                                            Mmm, so static routing between segments/subnets. That's layer 3 in my opinion. ๐Ÿ˜€
                                            I guess I can see why they wanted some in-between label.

                                            Steve

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