System stops
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I have introduced my PFsense server into my network as of yesterday. I am using the same LAN wireless network and the same router which I have used for a couple years without any trouble.
I have just had someone come up and say they have had to reboot the system about 6 times today - by reboot they actually mean switch the socket off which kills the server, router and network switch. Not good, but hey.
I am leaning towards the server being at fault here as the router and network switch without the PFsense server installed have worked flawlessly for a couple years without issue.
Is there anything obvious I can check for? Any logs to check that may give me a clue? I am not sure exactly what happens when they have decided to reboot, but I am assuming it is a 'page cannot be displayed' type error when surfing the net after authentication.
Any pointers would be good as I have around half a dozen customers using this pretty much constantly on and off.
I have asked them not to reboot anything next time and to let me know so I can remotely log in and take a look to see what is not responding and what is.
I am also wondering if this may be a time out issue with the captive portal (set to 1 hour). If the one ohour passes, when they go back to the machine and try to use anything other than a browser, they would get nothing I guess.
They are also saying that Iphones no longer work - I do not have an Iphone, but have been told they search and latch to a network if it is open. If the network is locked down due to the captive portal, would this prevent the Iphones from connecting to it (would the Iphone see an open network, realise they cant use it and so not connect? I have loiads of DHCP leases for Iphones though…...?
Thanks guys!
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Just as an update.
They have said it stopped working again (well one person rang me to tell me their own Imac laptop would not work). I logged in, could see 3 people online in the DHCP and Captive portal pages. I asked them to go directly to the captive portal IP:8000, and this did not work. I then turned the captive portal off in the config page, and asked them to go to google. It wouldn't work. I turned the captive portal back on and moments later their safari browser immediately connected to the portal page.
I am not at site to be able to verify things exactly, but it appears to be just one user this time, certainly according to the DHCP showing users online.
I see this alot in my logs - is this normal?
Jun 4 16:15:54 dhcpd: For info, please visit http://www.isc.org/sw/dhcp/
Jun 4 16:15:54 dhcpd: All rights reserved.
Jun 4 16:15:54 dhcpd: Copyright 2004-2008 Internet Systems Consortium.
Jun 4 16:15:54 dhcpd: Internet Systems Consortium DHCP Server V3.0.7
Jun 4 14:23:00 dhcpd: For info, please visit http://www.isc.org/sw/dhcp/
Jun 4 14:23:00 dhcpd: All rights reserved.
Jun 4 14:23:00 dhcpd: Copyright 2004-2008 Internet Systems Consortium.
Jun 4 14:23:00 dhcpd: Internet Systems Consortium DHCP Server V3.0.7
Jun 4 14:22:55 dhcpd: For info, please visit http://www.isc.org/sw/dhcp/
Jun 4 14:22:55 dhcpd: All rights reserved.
Jun 4 14:22:55 dhcpd: Copyright 2004-2008 Internet Systems Consortium.
Jun 4 14:22:55 dhcpd: Internet Systems Consortium DHCP Server V3.0.7 -
That message being repeated suggests that the dhcp daemon restarted. Why that would happen out of the blue, I'm not sure, unless each of those entries corresponds to a time when you were in the GUI and saved the DHCP settings.
If something works fine for 6 months, nobody touched it, and it breaks, the usual suspect is hardware. Take a backup ASAP, then check the fans, power, psu, RAM, etc.
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After chastising the new addition of the PFsense box into a network that previously worked un-flawed, I have finally located the intermittant problem (everything works when I attend site).
One of my access points which has sat happily for years on the network without the PFsense box decided to give up - it would allow wireless connections but no IP from the PFsense box could be issued as the LAN side of the access point would not work.
Another case of hardware issues.