Netgate Discussion Forum
    • Categories
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Users
    • Search
    • Register
    • Login
    Introducing Netgate Nexus: Multi-Instance Management at Your Fingertips.

    Interface restart loop

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General pfSense Questions
    32 Posts 5 Posters 1.6k Views 5 Watching
    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.
    • B Offline
      bsod
      last edited by

      netgate 4200 on 26.07. This has been a problem for several releases.

      Essentially, if an interface state changes ( aka cable modem reboots ), it'll cause the router to go into a loop, constantly restarting services/interfaces, maxing out cpu, causing brief network outages, until the router has been rebooted to settle everything down. Not good for stability.

      Ideas?

      B 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • B Offline
        bsod @bsod
        last edited by

        will post logs when stop getting flagged as spam by the forum ...

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • B Offline
          bsod @bsod
          last edited by

          example system logs

          2026-09-04 18:16:15.536676-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Reloading filter
          2026-09-04 18:16:15.526317-07:00	check_reload_status	660	rc.newwanip starting igc2.30
          2026-09-04 18:16:15.526128-07:00	php-fpm	44780	NOTICE HOTPLUG: Triggering address refresh on opt3 (igc2.30)
          2026-09-04 18:16:15.526081-07:00	php-fpm	44780	NOTICE DEVD Ethernet attached event for opt3
          2026-09-04 18:16:15.518348-07:00	php-fpm	44780	NOTICE Hotplug event detected for VLAN_30_GUEST (opt3) static IP address (4: 192.168.30.1)
          2026-09-04 18:16:15.424420-07:00	check_reload_status	660	rc.newwanip starting igc2.20
          2026-09-04 18:16:15.424149-07:00	php-fpm	44780	NOTICE HOTPLUG: Triggering address refresh on opt2 (igc2.20)
          2026-09-04 18:16:15.423988-07:00	php-fpm	44780	NOTICE DEVD Ethernet attached event for opt2
          2026-09-04 18:16:15.416101-07:00	php-fpm	44780	NOTICE Hotplug event detected for VLAN_20_WORK (opt2) static IP address (4: 192.168.20.1)
          2026-09-04 18:16:14.111986-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Network is down
          2026-09-04 18:16:13.168884-07:00	kernel	-	igc2.30: link state changed to DOWN
          2026-09-04 18:16:13.168867-07:00	kernel	-	igc2.10: link state changed to DOWN
          2026-09-04 18:16:13.168846-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Network is down
          2026-09-04 18:16:13.168765-07:00	kernel	-	igc2.20: link state changed to DOWN
          2026-09-04 18:16:13.021160-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Network is down
          2026-09-04 18:16:12.996852-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Linkup starting igc2.30
          2026-09-04 18:16:12.996495-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Linkup starting igc2.10
          2026-09-04 18:16:12.993356-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Linkup starting igc2.20
          2026-09-04 18:16:12.990168-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Linkup starting igc2
          2026-09-04 18:16:12.967772-07:00	kernel	-	igc2: link state changed to DOWN
          2026-09-04 18:16:12.917420-07:00	php-fpm	62988	NOTICE HOTPLUG: Configuring interface lan
          2026-09-04 18:16:12.917408-07:00	php-fpm	62988	NOTICE DEVD Ethernet attached event for lan
          2026-09-04 18:16:12.917370-07:00	php-fpm	62988	NOTICE Hotplug event detected for LAN (lan) dynamic IP address (4: 192.168.1.1, 6: track6)
          2026-09-04 18:16:10.442165-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Reloading filter
          2026-09-04 18:16:08.719847-07:00	php-fpm	14663	NOTICE The command '/usr/local/sbin/unbound -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf' returned exit code '1', the output was '[1788570968] unbound[41448:0] warning: setsockopt(..., SO_SNDBUF, ...) was not granted: No buffer space available [1788570968] unbound[41448:0] warning: so-sndbuf 4194304 was not granted. Got 57344. To fix: start with root permissions(linux) or sysctl bigger net.core.wmem_max(linux) or kern.ipc.maxsockbuf(bsd) values. or set so-sndbuf: 0 (use system value). [1788570968] unbound[41448:0] error: bind: address already in use [1788570968] unbound[41448:0] fatal error: could not open ports'
          2026-09-04 18:16:08.457209-07:00	php-fpm	44780	NOTICE The command '/usr/local/sbin/unbound -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf' returned exit code '1', the output was '[1788570968] unbound[35413:0] warning: setsockopt(..., SO_SNDBUF, ...) was not granted: No buffer space available [1788570968] unbound[35413:0] warning: so-sndbuf 4194304 was not granted. Got 57344. To fix: start with root permissions(linux) or sysctl bigger net.core.wmem_max(linux) or kern.ipc.maxsockbuf(bsd) values. or set so-sndbuf: 0 (use system value). [1788570968] unbound[35413:0] error: bind: address already in use [1788570968] unbound[35413:0] fatal error: could not open ports'
          2026-09-04 18:16:02.126322-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Starting packages
          2026-09-04 18:16:02.126211-07:00	php-fpm	89030	NOTICE Netgate pfSense Plus package system has detected an IP change or dynamic WAN reconnection - 192.168.30.1 -> 192.168.30.1 - Restarting packages.
          2026-09-04 18:15:57.835864-07:00	php-fpm	82177	NOTICE DEVD Ethernet detached event for opt3
          2026-09-04 18:15:57.827377-07:00	php-fpm	82177	NOTICE Hotplug event detected for VLAN_30_GUEST (opt3) static IP address (4: 192.168.30.1)
          2026-09-04 18:15:57.755387-07:00	php-fpm	44780	NOTICE DEVD Ethernet detached event for lan
          2026-09-04 18:15:57.755348-07:00	php-fpm	44780	NOTICE Hotplug event detected for LAN (lan) dynamic IP address (4: 192.168.1.1, 6: track6)
          2026-09-04 18:15:57.726710-07:00	check_reload_status	660	updating dyndns lan
          2026-09-04 18:15:57.636142-07:00	php-fpm	1959	NOTICE DEVD Ethernet detached event for opt1
          2026-09-04 18:15:57.628275-07:00	php-fpm	1959	NOTICE Hotplug event detected for VLAN_10_IOT (opt1) static IP address (4: 192.168.10.1)
          2026-09-04 18:15:57.547864-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Reloading filter
          2026-09-04 18:15:57.537239-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Starting packages
          2026-09-04 18:15:57.537123-07:00	php-fpm	1959	NOTICE Netgate pfSense Plus package system has detected an IP change or dynamic WAN reconnection - 192.168.10.1 -> 192.168.10.1 - Restarting packages.
          2026-09-04 18:15:55.521862-07:00	php-fpm	14663	NOTICE DEVD Ethernet detached event for opt2
          2026-09-04 18:15:55.510120-07:00	php-fpm	14663	NOTICE Hotplug event detected for VLAN_20_WORK (opt2) static IP address (4: 192.168.20.1)
          2026-09-04 18:15:55.428128-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Reloading filter
          2026-09-04 18:15:55.427930-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Reloading filter
          2026-09-04 18:15:55.407277-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Starting packages
          2026-09-04 18:15:55.407049-07:00	php-fpm	14663	NOTICE Netgate pfSense Plus package system has detected an IP change or dynamic WAN reconnection - 192.168.20.1 -> 192.168.20.1 - Restarting packages.
          2026-09-04 18:15:52.162334-07:00	php-fpm	89030	NOTICE The command '/usr/local/sbin/unbound -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf' returned exit code '1', the output was '[1788570952] unbound[18856:0] warning: setsockopt(..., SO_SNDBUF, ...) was not granted: No buffer space available [1788570952] unbound[18856:0] warning: so-sndbuf 4194304 was not granted. Got 57344. To fix: start with root permissions(linux) or sysctl bigger net.core.wmem_max(linux) or kern.ipc.maxsockbuf(bsd) values. or set so-sndbuf: 0 (use system value). [1788570952] unbound[18856:0] error: bind: address already in use [1788570952] unbound[18856:0] fatal error: could not open ports'
          2026-09-04 18:15:51.852520-07:00	php-fpm	82177	NOTICE The command '/usr/local/sbin/unbound -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf' returned exit code '1', the output was '[1788570951] unbound[17340:0] warning: setsockopt(..., SO_SNDBUF, ...) was not granted: No buffer space available [1788570951] unbound[17340:0] warning: so-sndbuf 4194304 was not granted. Got 57344. To fix: start with root permissions(linux) or sysctl bigger net.core.wmem_max(linux) or kern.ipc.maxsockbuf(bsd) values. or set so-sndbuf: 0 (use system value). [1788570951] unbound[17340:0] error: bind: address already in use [1788570951] unbound[17340:0] fatal error: could not open ports'
          2026-09-04 18:15:50.955558-07:00	php-fpm	1959	NOTICE The command '/usr/local/sbin/unbound -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf' returned exit code '1', the output was '[1788570950] unbound[13847:0] warning: setsockopt(..., SO_SNDBUF, ...) was not granted: No buffer space available [1788570950] unbound[13847:0] warning: so-sndbuf 4194304 was not granted. Got 57344. To fix: start with root permissions(linux) or sysctl bigger net.core.wmem_max(linux) or kern.ipc.maxsockbuf(bsd) values. or set so-sndbuf: 0 (use system value). [1788570950] unbound[13847:0] error: bind: address already in use [1788570950] unbound[13847:0] fatal error: could not open ports'
          2026-09-04 18:15:34.250244-07:00	php_pfb	68208	NOTICE [pfBlockerNG] filterlog daemon started
          2026-09-04 18:15:34.193749-07:00	php	69190	NOTICE [pfBlockerNG] DNSBL parser daemon started
          2026-09-04 18:15:33.746351-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Restarting IPsec tunnels
          2026-09-04 18:15:33.425175-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Reloading filter
          2026-09-04 18:15:33.118919-07:00	php-fpm	14663	NOTICE No default gateway available for inet6, use the first one configured. 'WAN_DHCP6'
          2026-09-04 18:15:32.400468-07:00	php-fpm	61568	NOTICE The command '/usr/local/etc/rc.d/syslog-ng.sh stop' returned exit code '1', the output was ''
          2026-09-04 18:15:32.365901-07:00	kernel	-	config_aqm Unable to configure flowset, flowset busy!
          2026-09-04 18:15:32.365767-07:00	kernel	-	config_aqm Unable to configure flowset, flowset busy!
          2026-09-04 18:15:30.179588-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:30.179553-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:30.179517-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:30.179480-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:30.179445-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:30.179408-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:30.179372-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:30.179334-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:30.179293-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:30.179227-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:29.871428-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:29.871279-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Reloading filter
          2026-09-04 18:15:29.871393-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:29.871268-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Restarting OpenVPN tunnels/interfaces
          2026-09-04 18:15:29.871356-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:29.871255-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Restarting IPsec tunnels
          2026-09-04 18:15:29.871308-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:29.871225-07:00	check_reload_status	660	updating dyndns WAN_DHCP6
          2026-09-04 18:15:29.870222-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:29.860003-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:29.154160-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:29.154120-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:29.154080-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:29.154025-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.972019-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.971955-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.547045-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.547031-07:00	kernel	-	igc2.30: link state changed to UP
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.547016-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.547001-07:00	kernel	-	igc2.10: link state changed to UP
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.546986-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.546968-07:00	kernel	-	igc2.20: link state changed to UP
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.546947-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.546867-07:00	kernel	-	igc2: link state changed to UP
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.526641-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.526417-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.437134-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.436735-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Linkup starting igc2.30
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.437097-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.434327-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Linkup starting igc2.10
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.437058-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.431723-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Linkup starting igc2.20
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.436974-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.428966-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Linkup starting igc2
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.154112-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.154073-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.154034-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.153991-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:28.153936-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Host is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:27.502498-07:00	syslog-ng	40138	Daemon exited gracefully, not restarting; exitcode='0'
          2026-09-04 18:15:27.108603-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Network is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:26.716518-07:00	avahi-daemon	1782	IP_DROP_MEMBERSHIP failed: Can't assign requested address
          2026-09-04 18:15:26.154067-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Network is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:25.143978-07:00	syslogd	-	sendto: Network is down
          2026-09-04 18:15:24.752691-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Linkup starting igc2.30
          2026-09-04 18:15:24.736631-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Linkup starting igc2.10
          2026-09-04 18:15:24.733677-07:00	check_reload_status	660	Linkup starting igc2.20
          
          
          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • stephenw10S Offline
            stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
            last edited by

            Does it go back to normal operation after that?

            B 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • B Offline
              bsod @stephenw10
              last edited by

              @stephenw10
              yes, after a reboot, all is normal again until the next interface change event.

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

                Ah, only after a reboot though?

                If you're able to trigger that again try checking if unbounctl is stuck trying to restart unbound: ps -aux | grep unbound

                The logs look like it is starting Unbound but it fails because something is already using the port, probably the previous instance of Unbound.

                I've once hit this and manually killing stuck unbound instances allowed it to return to normal. However it's not clear if that was a symptom or cause.

                B 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • B Offline
                  bsod @stephenw10
                  last edited by

                  @stephenw10
                  yup, only a reboot will clear this up. I've had to VPN in a day later and reboot the router after realizing what had broke on vacation.

                  alrighty, unplugged the WAN port and watched it break.
                  before the WAN change, a few examples of unbound

                  [26.07-RELEASE][admin@pfSense.local.lan]/root: ps -aux | grep unbound
                  unbound  4185   0.3 15.0 683392 598532  -  Ss   20:17       0:36.36 /usr/local/sbin/unbound -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf
                  root    82950   0.0  0.3  26144  12616  -  S    Fri18       2:16.73 /usr/local/sbin/lighttpd_pfb -f /var/unbound/pfb_dnsbl_lighty.conf
                  root    74637   0.0  0.1  14200   2768  0  S+   21:16       0:00.00 grep unbound
                  [26.07-RELEASE][admin@pfSense.local.lan]/root: ps -aux | grep unbound
                  unbound  4185   0.1 15.0 683392 598532  -  Ss   20:17       0:36.36 /usr/local/sbin/unbound -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf
                  root    75278   0.0  0.1  14784   3192  -  S    21:16       0:00.00 sh -c /usr/sbin/chroot -u unbound -g unbound / /usr/local/sbin/unbound-control -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf stats_noreset | /usr/bin/nice -n20 /usr/bin/grep 'total.num.queries=' | cut
                  unbound 75436   0.0  0.7  44572  27192  -  R    21:16       0:00.20 /usr/local/sbin/unbound-control -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf stats_noreset
                  root    82950   0.0  0.3  26144  12616  -  S    Fri18       2:16.73 /usr/local/sbin/lighttpd_pfb -f /var/unbound/pfb_dnsbl_lighty.conf
                  root    76000   0.0  0.1  14200   2760  0  S+   21:16       0:00.00 grep unbound
                  [26.07-RELEASE][admin@pfSense.local.lan]/root: ps -aux | grep unbound
                  unbound  4185   0.1 15.0 683392 598532  -  Ss   20:17       0:36.38 /usr/local/sbin/unbound -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf
                  root    82950   0.0  0.3  26144  12616  -  S    Fri18       2:16.73 /usr/local/sbin/lighttpd_pfb -f /var/unbound/pfb_dnsbl_lighty.conf
                  root    77751   0.0  0.1  14200   2760  0  S+   21:16       0:00.00 grep unbound
                  
                  

                  along with a few after in the broken state

                  [26.07-RELEASE][admin@pfSense.local.lan]/root: ps -aux | grep unbound
                  unbound 94900  67.0 14.4 643068 574248  -  Rs   21:20       0:10.45 /usr/local/sbin/unbound -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf
                  unbound 89887  10.6  2.5 124444  98968  -  S    21:20       0:01.25 /usr/local/sbin/unbound-control -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf reload
                  unbound 39451   5.4  2.5 124444  98968  -  S    21:20       0:01.26 /usr/local/sbin/unbound-control -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf stats_noreset
                  root    42492   1.3  0.3  23584  10944  -  S    21:20       0:00.00 /usr/local/sbin/lighttpd_pfb -f /var/unbound/pfb_dnsbl_lighty.conf
                  root    89717   1.1  0.1  14576   3220  -  S    21:20       0:00.00 /usr/bin/su -m unbound -c /usr/local/sbin/unbound-control -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf reload
                  root    39196   0.0  0.1  14784   3196  -  S    21:20       0:00.00 sh -c /usr/sbin/chroot -u unbound -g unbound / /usr/local/sbin/unbound-control -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf stats_noreset | /usr/bin/nice -n20 /usr/bin/grep 'total.num.queries=' | cut
                  root     1640   0.0  0.1  14200   2752  0  S+   21:20       0:00.00 grep unbound
                  [26.07-RELEASE][admin@pfSense.local.lan]/root:
                  [26.07-RELEASE][admin@pfSense.local.lan]/root:
                  [26.07-RELEASE][admin@pfSense.local.lan]/root: ps -aux | grep unbound
                  unbound 13783  56.1 10.5 452604 416832  -  Rs   21:21       0:07.38 /usr/local/sbin/unbound -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf
                  unbound 18927   7.6  2.5 124444  98972  -  S    21:21       0:01.26 /usr/local/sbin/unbound-control -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf stats_noreset
                  root    18692   0.2  0.1  14784   3184  -  S    21:21       0:00.00 sh -c /usr/sbin/chroot -u unbound -g unbound / /usr/local/sbin/unbound-control -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf stats_noreset | /usr/bin/nice -n20 /usr/bin/grep 'total.num.queries=' | cut
                  root    69340   0.0  0.3  23584  10956  -  S    21:21       0:00.00 /usr/local/sbin/lighttpd_pfb -f /var/unbound/pfb_dnsbl_lighty.conf
                  root    43272   0.0  0.1  14200   2760  0  S+   21:21       0:00.00 grep unbound
                  [26.07-RELEASE][admin@pfSense.local.lan]/root:
                  [26.07-RELEASE][admin@pfSense.local.lan]/root:
                  [26.07-RELEASE][admin@pfSense.local.lan]/root:
                  [26.07-RELEASE][admin@pfSense.local.lan]/root: ps -aux | grep unbound
                  root  45558   0.4  0.3  23584 10964  -  S    21:22       0:00.00 /usr/local/sbin/lighttpd_pfb -f /var/unbound/pfb_dnsbl_lighty.conf
                  root  49011   0.0  1.8 102268 70356  -  R    21:22       0:00.80 /usr/local/sbin/unbound -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf
                  root  49345   0.0  1.8  94076 70344  -  R    21:22       0:00.81 /usr/local/sbin/unbound -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf
                  root  49880   0.0  0.1  14200  2756  0  S+   21:22       0:00.00 grep unbound
                  [26.07-RELEASE][admin@pfSense.local.lan]/root:
                  [26.07-RELEASE][admin@pfSense.local.lan]/root:
                  [26.07-RELEASE][admin@pfSense.local.lan]/root: ps -aux | grep unbound
                  unbound 16398   9.2  2.1 108060 83100  -  R    21:23       0:01.01 /usr/local/sbin/unbound-control -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf reload
                  unbound 17490   9.0  2.1 108060 83032  -  R    21:23       0:01.00 /usr/local/sbin/unbound-control -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf reload
                  root    87906   0.7  0.3  23584 10948  -  S    21:23       0:00.00 /usr/local/sbin/lighttpd_pfb -f /var/unbound/pfb_dnsbl_lighty.conf
                  root    16080   0.0  0.1  14576  3228  -  S    21:23       0:00.00 /usr/bin/su -m unbound -c /usr/local/sbin/unbound-control -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf reload
                  root    17275   0.0  0.1  14576  3220  -  S    21:23       0:00.00 /usr/bin/su -m unbound -c /usr/local/sbin/unbound-control -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf reload
                  root    25751   0.0  0.1  14576  3220  -  S    21:23       0:00.00 /usr/bin/su -m unbound -c /usr/local/sbin/unbound-control -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf reload
                  unbound 26064   0.0  1.7  93724 67316  -  R    21:23       0:00.78 /usr/local/sbin/unbound-control -c /var/unbound/unbound.conf reload
                  root    26684   0.0  0.1  14200  2760  0  S+   21:23       0:00.00 grep unbound
                  

                  system log file attached. quiescent state at the bottom.
                  pfsense interface flapping - 2026-09-07.txt

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

                    Hmm, interesting. What did you do to trigger the initial link state change on igc3?

                    B 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • B Offline
                      bsod @stephenw10
                      last edited by

                      @stephenw10
                      unplugged the enet cable from the cable modem, counted to 10, then reconnected it.

                      luckman212L 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • luckman212L Offline
                        luckman212 LAYER 8 Rebel Alliance @bsod
                        last edited by

                        I believe the new version of check_reload_status I refer to in this thread may address the problem bsod is having.

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                        • B Offline
                          bsod
                          last edited by

                          should I create a netgate support case to proceed with troubleshooting or stick with the forum?

                          luckman212L 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • luckman212L Offline
                            luckman212 LAYER 8 Rebel Alliance @bsod
                            last edited by

                            @bsod if you're willing to try my check_reload_status v0.0.18 update pkg, I think it might fix this.

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

                              Yup I would try the patched check_reload_status. It would be a very interesting test as a user who is actively hitting this issue.

                              One other thing to check is how you have Unbound configured. Is it set to listen to listen on all interfaces or only some specific selected interfaces?
                              It appears that if specific interfaces are selected it will restart if any of them re-link. Thus if you have a bunch of subinterfaces on a NIC it tries to restart for each of them.

                              B 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                              • B Offline
                                bsod @stephenw10
                                last edited by

                                @stephenw10 said in Interface restart loop:

                                One other thing to check is how you have Unbound configured. Is it set to listen to listen on all interfaces or only some specific selected interfaces?
                                It appears that if specific interfaces are selected it will restart if any of them re-link. Thus if you have a bunch of subinterfaces on a NIC it tries to restart for each of them.

                                Network Interfaces - is all the internal ones.
                                Outgoing Network Interfaces - is just the WAN.

                                <unbound>
                                		<active_interface>lan,opt1,opt2,opt3,_llocwan,_lloclan,_llocopt1,_llocopt2,_llocopt3,_vip69480ef6bc3b7,_vip69d5c92fc251b,lo0</active_interface>
                                		<outgoing_interface>wan</outgoing_interface>
                                		<custom_options>c2VydmVyOgpsb2ctcmVwbGllczogeWVzCnByaXZhdGUtZG9tYWluOiAicGxleC5kaXJlY3QiCnNlcnZlcjppbmNsdWRlOiAvdmFyL3VuYm91bmQvcGZiX2Ruc2JsLipjb25m</custom_options>
                                		<hideidentity></hideidentity>
                                		<hideversion></hideversion>
                                		<port></port>
                                		<tlsport></tlsport>
                                		<sslcertref>6048a40017e52</sslcertref>
                                		<regovpnclients></regovpnclients>
                                		<system_domain_local_zone_type>transparent</system_domain_local_zone_type>
                                		<msgcachesize>20</msgcachesize>
                                		<outgoing_num_tcp>10</outgoing_num_tcp>
                                		<incoming_num_tcp>10</incoming_num_tcp>
                                		<edns_buffer_size>auto</edns_buffer_size>
                                		<num_queries_per_thread>512</num_queries_per_thread>
                                		<jostle_timeout>200</jostle_timeout>
                                		<cache_max_ttl>86400</cache_max_ttl>
                                		<cache_min_ttl>0</cache_min_ttl>
                                		<infra_host_ttl>900</infra_host_ttl>
                                		<infra_cache_numhosts>10000</infra_cache_numhosts>
                                		<unwanted_reply_threshold>disabled</unwanted_reply_threshold>
                                		<log_verbosity>3</log_verbosity>
                                		<regdhcpstatic></regdhcpstatic>
                                		<forward_tls_upstream></forward_tls_upstream>
                                		<prefetch></prefetch>
                                		<prefetchkey></prefetchkey>
                                		<forwarding></forwarding>
                                		<qname-minimisation></qname-minimisation>
                                		<enablessl></enablessl>
                                		<infra_keep_probing>enabled</infra_keep_probing>
                                		<enable></enable>
                                		<acls>
                                			<aclname><![CDATA[WireGuard]]></aclname>
                                			<aclaction>allow</aclaction>
                                			<description><![CDATA[WireGuard Unbound ACL (DO NOT EDIT/DELETE!)]]></description>
                                			<aclid>0</aclid>
                                			<row>
                                				<acl_network>10.0.0.0</acl_network>
                                				<mask>26</mask>
                                				<description><![CDATA[tun_wg0]]></description>
                                			</row>
                                		</acls>
                                	</unbound>
                                
                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • stephenw10S Offline
                                  stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                                  last edited by

                                  Ah then you're probably hitting this to a far larger extent. The default config there is to listen on all interfaces.

                                  I'm now thinking that is what differentiates users hitting this continually with other who almost never see it. Or my own testing where I struggled to replicate it.

                                  Can you test setting it to listen on 'all' instead?

                                  B 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • B Offline
                                    bsod @stephenw10
                                    last edited by

                                    @stephenw10
                                    Pretty sure I had it set to all earlier this week, but changed it to only the internal ones for testing. Will change it again after done working for the day. Others in the house get grumpy when their video calls drop :-p

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                    • B Offline
                                      bsod @stephenw10
                                      last edited by

                                      @stephenw10 said in Interface restart loop:

                                      Can you test setting it to listen on 'all' instead?

                                      Changed and it didn't help. Away from home today and a cable modem restart triggered the same issue. Used wireguard to get in and reboot the router remotely.

                                      I'll try the patched check_reload_status tomorrow ...

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                      • B Offline
                                        bsod @luckman212
                                        last edited by

                                        @luckman212
                                        finally tried the custom package. went with latest 1.0. while its an improvement that the netgate system stays responsive, the wan/internet never came back alive ( or specifically, dns would not resolve ). it too was stuck in a loop.

                                        repro --
                                        installed package. rebooted. wait till boot complete. pulled cable modem enet, counted to 10, reconnected. give it a few minutes and still the Internet was not working. also noticed dpinger (Gateway Monitoring Daemon) had died and not running; manually starting worked. After several more minutes, reverted the changed, rebooted, and all was working again.

                                        pfsense - custom check-reload-status - 2026-09-21.txt

                                        luckman212L 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • luckman212L Offline
                                          luckman212 LAYER 8 Rebel Alliance @bsod
                                          last edited by luckman212

                                          @bsod thanks for testing, and for the logs. Not sure yet, but if you're up for it, would you mind:

                                          1. Go to Status > System Logs > Settings
                                          2. change "Default Log Level" to DEBUG
                                          3. then, go to your console/ssh, choose menu option 8
                                          4. type sh, then at the # prompt, paste the command below:
                                          echo "fcgi_response_timeout=60" > /usr/local/etc/check_reload_status.conf
                                          

                                          after doing that, please re-try your WAN flap test and let me know the results & the new system log...

                                          B 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                          • J Offline
                                            jcperez2405
                                            last edited by

                                            Hey, Im fairly newby here, but I just wanna add my 2 cents since Im facing the same issue.

                                            Are you able to check Unbound logs and specifically confirm you see these errors?

                                            Sep 21 11:59:34	unbound	16984	[16984:10] error: error for private key file: /sslcert.key
                                            Sep 21 11:59:34	unbound	16984	[16984:10] error: Error in SSL_CTX use_PrivateKey_file crypto error:8000000D:system library::Permission denied
                                            Sep 21 11:59:34	unbound	16984	[16984:10] error: and additionally crypto error:10080002:BIO routines::system lib
                                            Sep 21 11:59:34	unbound	16984	[16984:10] error: and additionally crypto error:0A080002:SSL routines::system lib
                                            Sep 21 11:59:34	unbound	16984	[16984:10] fatal error: could not set up listen SSL_CTX
                                            

                                            If thats the case, the issue is related to a bug in Unbound package

                                            I am facing the same issues, same symptoms, error trigger when WAN interface goes down and back up or WAN IP changes. The issue only triggers when having Respond to incoming SSL/TLS queries from local clients enabled

                                            Hopefully thats your case and you can fix your issue by disabling that option under DNS Resolver or by applying the patch.

                                            B 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                            • First post
                                              Last post
                                            Copyright 2026 Rubicon Communications LLC (Netgate). All rights reserved.
                                            Privacy Policy · Cookie Policy