Fresh insall, unable to connect to WAN

[schumacher777]

Greetings,

I’ve been trying to get this to work with the CenturyLink C4000XG for a while. I work from home, so I’m very cautious of doing any changes that might interfere with my work. I have looked through the community searching for a solution, but I have yet found something. All the pages I’ve found are things I’ve tried and so far, none have worked.

Question #1: Of some reading, I’m wondering if I need to have PFSense connected to the C4000XG or can I use the “wire” coming from the box outside to the C4000XG and connect that directly to the PFSense.

Of the hardware, I did have some knock off from china that worked with IPFire, but decided that maybe my issue was that, so I ordered an Intel 4 port card on ebay. It is currently installed.

The Install Process:

NOTE: The port igb0 is plugged into the C4000XG and the port igb1 is plugged into my Windows laptop.

1. Boot of USB into the normal setting, let it just boot up.
2. After it goes through all the stuff, it comes up to the Copyright and distribution notice, Accept is done of course.
3. Next is “Install”.
4. Next is Keymap Selection, leave as “Continue with default keymap”
5. Next is Partitioning – leave as Auto (ZFS)
6. Next is ZFS Configuration – leave as Install
7. Next is ZFS Configuration – leave as Stripe
8. Next is ZFS Configuration – select ada0, select OK
9. Next is ZFS Configuration – are you sure to destroy the world – select Yes
10. It goes through the motion, installing and all the fun stuff…
11. Asks to do Manual Configuration, select NO and reboot.
12. Once I know it is at the reboot, I pull the USB
13. Let it boot up the normal way…
14. Upon Boot, I can see the WAN - - > em0 - - > “blank”; LAN - - > igb1 - - > v4: 192.168.1.1/24
15. On my windows laptop, I navigate in BRAVE browser to 192.168.1.1
16. I log in with the default user/password
17. It comes up to the Wizard – I’ve always stepped through this, so I will again…
    17.1) click “Next” on the welcome screen of the wizard
    17.2) Step 1 of 9 – click Next
    17.3) Step 2 of 9 – leave hostname as pfsense; change domain to “lastname”.com; change Primary DNS as 8.8.8.8; change Secondary DNS server to 8.8.4.4; Override checked, click NEXT.
    17.4) Step 3 of 9 – leave as is – Time server hostname: 2.pfsense.pool.ntp.org; Timezone: Etc/UTC, click Next
    17.5) Step 4 of 9 – Set Selected Type: PPPoE; MAC Address & MTU & MSS – leave blank; PPPoE Username: MyUserNameFromC4000XG; PPPoE Password: MyPasswordFromC4000XG; PPPoE ServiceName: blank; PPPoE Dial on demand: Checked; PPPoE Idle Timeout: 0; Block RFC1918 Private Networks: Checked; Block bogon networks: Checked; Click Next
    17.6) Step 5 of 9 – LAN IP Address: 192.168.1.1; Subnet mask: 24; Click Next (Will change IF get this working)
    17.7) Step 6 of 9 – change the admin password
    17.8) Step 7 of 9 – Reload
    17.9) Step 8 of 9 – Reload in progress…
    17.10) Wizard complete!! Click Finish
18. At this point, it shows the LAN up, but the WAN is down.
19. At Interfaces – Vlans – click Add
    19.1) Parent Interface: igb0
    19.2) VLAN Tag: 201
    19.3) VLAN Priority: 0
    19.4) Description: CenturyLink VLAN
    19.5) Click Save
20. Interfaces – PPPs – Edit existing pppoe0
    20.1) Change Link Interface to igb0.201 – CenturyLink VLAN
    20.2) Advance Configuration – Idle Timeout went blank, changing back to 0
    20.3) Click Save
21. Verify that the Interfaces – Assignments has WAN set to the correct PPIOEO(igb0.201) – username@centurylink.net

Going to the home dashboard, it doesn’t show the WAN ever connecting.

I’m really hoping that someone has some suggestions to try with what I’ve done above. Of everything, appears to be the same of some of the posts/websites I’ve seen.

If you need some more information or a better way to show what my configuration is, please let me know.

Thanks, Michael

[viragomann]

@schumacher777 said in Fresh insall, unable to connect to WAN:

Of some reading, I’m wondering if I need to have PFSense connected to the C4000XG or can I use the “wire” coming from the box outside to the C4000XG and connect that directly to the PFSense.

The "wire" is a telephone line? And your C4000XG connect via DSL?
If so you need at least its modem function.

Upon Boot, I can see the WAN - - > em0 - - > “blank”; LAN - - > igb1 - - > v4: 192.168.1.1/24

Interfaces – PPPs – Edit existing pppoe0
20.1) Change Link Interface to igb0.201 – CenturyLink VLAN
20.2) Advance Configuration – Idle Timeout went blank, changing back to 0
20.3) Click Save
Verify that the Interfaces – Assignments has WAN set to the correct PPIOEO(igb0.201) – username@centurylink.net

So once you use em0 for WAN, then igb0 with VLAN?

VLAN makes only sense if you have it as well configured on the C4000XG.
The same is true for PPPoE. The modem must be configured to support it. It won't if its in router mode.

[stephenw10]

What I don't see there is you re-assigning WAN from em0 to pppoe0 on igb0.201.

[schumacher777]

@stephenw10

Correct, I did reassign WAN from the em0 to the PPPOE0(igb0.201) - just didn't get that put into my steps...

[schumacher777]

@viragomann

Of my reading, I wasn't for sure the correct reference of the item that CenturyLink sold me. This is a link to the manual of it and is a "modem".
https://www.centurylink.com/home/help/internet/modems-and-routers/greenwave-c4000/c4000-modem-setup.html

This is the front of it:

This is the back of it:

The very bottom cable is the one that is coming into the house.
One of the black cables is going to the pfSense box, while the others are for the rest of the house, one for the wireless router, my work computer, my desktop.

The service is CenturyLink Gigabit

I'd provide more info, but I need to take the van to Discount Tire for tire rotation...

[schumacher777]

These are the settings from the C4000XG - this is from the status page:

And this one is from the Settings...

[schumacher777]

Well, I decided to bypass the C4000XG modem all together, plug in the wire directly into pfSense, and NOW when I go to the main page of my laptop, it was able to get connected, showed an up for the WAN, IP Address and able to check to see if the system is on the latest version, which it is...

Therefore, what I did was right, just needed to plug in the right wire.

Hopefully this might post will help others along the route of getting their pfSense up and running...

Now, how to get things working for the rest of the house, since it is now only my laptop that is getting out to the real world..

[mer]

@schumacher777 I have no experience with Century stuff, but a question:
Out of the back, the 4 "lan" ports, other than the pfsense, do they get IP addresses? The wireless router, the desktop, your work computer, do they have IP addresses?

If so, but the pfSense box is not getting an IP for WAN, try plugging the pfSense into a port that is actually getting an IP. Doing that I would think that you want WAN assigned to the em0, not the ppp interface.
The PPP configuration I think would only be used if you plug your bottom wire directly into pfSense WAN.

[mer]

@schumacher777 The way I have my pfSense is:
out of cable modem into pfSense WAN, pfSense configured with a LAN, a switch connected to the LAN port, then everything else plugged into the switch (like the wireless router, extra computers)

[stephenw10]

Yeah, that is a router. It might have a modem in it but if you're able to disconnect the WAN cable form there and it works in pfSense it probably doesn't. The actual modem is whatever's on the other end of that cable is the modem.

You are replacing that router with pfSense so you need a switch on the pfSense LAN side to connect other devices.

Steve