Multiple port NIC Compatibility
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Hi,
I am about to venture into 6 DSL internet connections using LAGG, and im wondering what NIC brand and model should I use? Im from Asia and any suggestions for the brand and model of NIC will be much appreciated since i dont know if the pfsense HCL is updated. Thank you very much.
CrackBlue
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Use Intel NICs if you can.
The pfSense HCL is dependent on the underlying OS version. FreeBSD 8.1 for pfSense 2.0.X and 8.3 for 2.1 snapshots. Some drivers in 2.0.1 are patched versions of those released with FreeBSD 8.1 so some cards not on the HCL will be supported.
Search the forum for compatibility reports before you buy.Steve
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If your DSL connections are 10Mbps or slower each, you can use VLANs on an Intel Gigabit NIC and a smart switch instead.
The Netgear switches seem to be quite well received on the forums. I personally prefer HP Procurves (1800 series).
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You won't be using lagg with Internet connections unless you have a very unusual setup. That's strictly layer 2 Ethernet bonding/failover, which you can't do with DSL.
Quad port Intel cards of any sort would be fine. Lot of people in that circumstance use a managed switch with VLANs instead to avoid needing a large number of NICs in their firewall. A managed switch on the lower end is cheaper than a quad port NIC unless you're sourcing from ebay.
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I would go with the smart switch and vlans
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Oh I see, thanks for the great insight. Ill go with smart switch and VLANs. Anyway since this is my first time to adapt this multiple DSL, can anyone point me to the right documentation on how to go about using VLANs on pfsense and how to apply those VLANs to use it for my WAN interface… Thank You.
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The "multi-WAN on a stick" scenario (that is multiple WANs on VLANs) is documented in detail in http://pfsense.org/book
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@cmb:
The "multi-WAN on a stick" scenario (that is multiple WANs on VLANs) is documented in detail in http://pfsense.org/book
Hello again… I was reading some more and Ive based this multiple WANS on VLANS with some commercial products. IS this the same concept and function that is TRUFFLE on mushroom network have been advertised? Thank you for your honest and utmost opinions.
