PON + XG-7100

goraelec

Hi everyone. So I want to hook up my FTTH to XG-7100 and have the following setup in mind:

Netgate XG-7100
a GPON/GEPON transceiver in ix0 port
a 10G SFP+ module for 10G LAN segment in ix1

Thus, I have the following questions:

Are GPON/GEPON SFP modules compatible with XG-7100? I read the compatibility guidelines here, but having a hard time figuring out whether a GPON/GEPON SFP module will work with this device. (say, GPON OLT CLASS C+ Huawei)
Can I have ix0 as a WAN port?
Can I have ix1 as a LAN port at the same time?

stephenw10

Two of those are easy to answer:
2: yes
3: yes

But the first one is not. Do you already have this connection in place? Do you know the exact module you are planning to use?

Steve

goraelec

Thank you, Steve.

re: 1st question, this is the module I mentioned:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Huawei-GPON-module-GPON-SFP-class-C-Optical-Transceiver-SC-single-module-/332141812701

How do you make ix0 a WAN port and ix1 a LAN port? I can't find a reference to that in the manual

stephenw10

You can just re-assign the WAN as ix1 and the LAN as ix1 since WAN and LAN are defined by default.
https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/book/config/interface-configuration.html#assign-interfaces

However you would want to be sure you had some other connection to the firewall, like the serial console, when you did that to avoid being locked out.

I'm pretty sure we have never tested that module, or anything like it. If it works with the ix driver there's a chance it will work but I certainly would not guaranty it. I would guess it is not supported based on our previous experience. The XG-7100 cannot use copper RJ-45 modules in the on-board ports as it's unable to detect the link type and this seems very likely to be the case here as well.

Steve

goraelec

Thanks. By copper, you mean RJ45 ports, right? If so, that's not the case since this is a passive optic network transceiver

stephenw10

Yes, copper RJ-45 modules as opposed to copper DACs which do work.
But the reason they don't work is because the link speed/type cannot be read and since a GPON module also requires some unusual link type it would not surprise me to find that is also a problem.

Steve

lsta

Would it be possible to buy and install the PCIe optional riser and one of the following PCIe SFP cards known to support GPON at 2.5gbps? I haven’t fully understood the details of https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r32230041-Internet-Bypassing-the-HH3K-up-to-2-5Gbps-using-a-BCM57810S-NIC but it appears to indicate that you can use a number of compatible PCIe cards if you run ediag to configure the card and have patched your linux or BSD system to support SGMII (on BSD this is the bxe module that needs a patch for 2.5gbps).

Anyway, just wondering if this looks possible, I’m new to the Netgate pfsense ecosystem, and the alternative is using a tower PC for routing, which I’m already doing with a media converter. What attracted me to the XG-7100 was that we had one from work I could take home and play with, but the SFP ports aren’t as capable as I expected. (Ubiquiti’s XG switches have broader support for copper, 2.5gbps etc., for example)

stephenw10

Theoretically that might be possible. However no-one has tested that card in a 7100, and certainly not one with modified firmware. It's impossible to say if it would work there.

Steve