Netgate Discussion Forum
    • Categories
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Users
    • Search
    • Register
    • Login

    Pfsense overload when downloading big files

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General pfSense Questions
    27 Posts 5 Posters 3.7k Views
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • stephenw10S
      stephenw10 Netgate Administrator @stephenw10
      last edited by

      @stephenw10 said in Pfsense overload when downloading big files:

      What connectivity do you lose? Can you still hit the webgui from the LAN? Can you ping the LAN IP?
      Is the console still responsive?
      When you do reboot do you see a crash report? Anything in the system logs from when it happened?

      These questions still^.

      If it still responds anywhere to anything then try to determine what has actually failed.

      Steve

      S 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • S
        samyboyz @stephenw10
        last edited by samyboyz

        @stephenw10 I can connect to pfsense after DNS stops responding, most of the time i have to hit sign-in twice, i get the red page when i do that (like it forces the login or something). I have to reboot, most of the time rebooting once does not help, i have to reboot a few times, sometimes shut down the computer manually and reboot until internet kicks in.

        As per the logs, i do not understand them all that well, not sure if i can post them here and you would be kind enough to have a look?

        It's like i don't lose LAN connectivity, I can even connect via IPSEC vpn to other site but i can no longer surf, like DNS drops..i can even use my OOMa IP phone.

        Issue happens almost all the time i do a feature update on a computer or download 1GB+ files, not so much if i stream ..

        stephenw10S 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • chpalmerC
          chpalmer @samyboyz
          last edited by

          @samyboyz said in Pfsense overload when downloading big files:

          @chpalmer said in Pfsense overload when downloading big files:

          @stephenw10 said in Pfsense overload when downloading big files:

          F for BufferBloat

          Ive never seen better than a D on bufferbloat on a cable connection.. My Verizon powered Cradlepoint gets better grades and generally sucks for general browsing from a hill top site 300 feet from the Verizon tower.. I do not put allot of worry on DSLR bufferboat numbers.. unless other things are suffering.

          Have you figured out if your modem is a Puma powered model?

          It's Motorola SURFboard SB6120, i don't see it on the list of badmodems..

          Its a Puma 5 model which does have some of the security issues.. though not the UDP traffic issue I was looking for. But it also will not bond all the possible channels that most cable companies have available today.. What models does your cable company rent out? Do you own that modem? Get them to replace it if you do not. Then go back to diagnosing if you need to.

          Triggering snowflakes one by one..
          Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4590T CPU @ 2.00GHz on an M400 WG box.

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

            @samyboyz said in Pfsense overload when downloading big files:

            I can even connect via IPSEC vpn to other site but i can no longer surf, like DNS drops..i

            Does DNS actually drop? Can you resolve IPs from a client behind pfSense? Can you resolve from pfSense itself?

            What is the actual 'red page' you see? That usually indicates you user has been logged out or you are hitting the DNS rebind check.

            If rebooting once does not correct this then it looks like something outside pfSense. Does your ISP redirect you to notifications?

            Steve

            S 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • S
              samyboyz @stephenw10
              last edited by

              @stephenw10

              I just had the same issue again, i'm gonna try to replace the onboard nic, problem is i only have 1 PCIe port on this computer and it is taken by the second NIC, i was thinking of buying the following dual port NIC and was wondering if anyone can tell me if it's a good idea..

              Thanks,

              https://www.amazon.ca/Intel-1000-Dual-Server-Adapter/dp/B000BMZHX2/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=intel+pci+low+profile+nic&qid=1607576756&refinements=p_89%3AIntel&rnid=7590290011&s=electronics&sr=1-10

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

                I would expect that to work fine. I've never tested that particular card personally.

                However if you were seeing this condition persist across a reboot it's hard to imagine it's not something external. Does it persists across a complete power cycle?

                Steve

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • S
                  samyboyz
                  last edited by samyboyz

                  Hi Guys,

                  Just to update on this old thread...for those having the same issue.
                  I got an Intel Dual NIC card from ebay and just installed it, so far so good, i guess the realtek card was the culprit after all.

                  Say my amazon photos would start synching or i would update a computer's feature release (large file), internet would go down, i would have to run setup wizard after which it would come back up every time.

                  Thank s for all your help,

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • First post
                    Last post
                  Copyright 2025 Rubicon Communications LLC (Netgate). All rights reserved.