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

    Moving from PCI to PCIe NICs

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Problems Installing or Upgrading pfSense Software
    4 Posts 2 Posters 1.8k 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.
    • B
      Bai Shen
      last edited by

      I've picked up some PCIe NICs to replace the PCI ones that my box currently uses.  I plan on keeping the PCI NICs in the box and moving my high traffic segments over to the PCIe NICs.

      Can I just open the case and add the new cards?  Will that screw up my current rules?  If not, is there an easy way to then more existing rules/behavior to a new interface?

      Thanks.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • W
        wallabybob
        last edited by

        The additional NICs will be ignored by pfSense UNTIL you add them, configure and enable them. However if any of of the NEW NICs have the same device driver as existing NICs then you MIGHT find some of the existing NICs get renumbered.

        For example, suppose you have some Intel PCI "em" NICs named em0 through em2 and you add two Intel PCIe "em" NICs, you MIGHT find the new NICs are numbered em0 and em1 and your existing NICs get renumbered to em2 through em4.

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • B
          Bai Shen
          last edited by

          @wallabybob:

          The additional NICs will be ignored by pfSense UNTIL you add them, configure and enable them. However if any of of the NEW NICs have the same device driver as existing NICs then you MIGHT find some of the existing NICs get renumbered.

          For example, suppose you have some Intel PCI "em" NICs named em0 through em2 and you add two Intel PCIe "em" NICs, you MIGHT find the new NICs are numbered em0 and em1 and your existing NICs get renumbered to em2 through em4.

          That's what I'm afraid of.  They're all Intel NICs.  Wasn't udev(I think) supposed to fix this issue?

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • B
            Bai Shen
            last edited by

            So apparently my additional nics just got incremental em names.  All of my existing rules, etc stayed the same.

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