Adding another interface on pfsense with ESXi 5.x

azkerm · Apr 13, 2014, 7:42 AM

Hi There,

I'm struggling to add a new interface on the pfsense as I already have a WAN & a LAN interface configured. Our server is enabled with two physical interfaces as both of them are connected to a centralized switches where WAN is on a managed switch and the LAN is on another switch distributed among internal users.

Having said that, pfsense is a VM under ESXi & currently running pretty smooth with no issues. Now what I wanted is that to create another WAN created virtually and let it know to use the other router which has an internal IP. Below seen is the current model

xx.xxx.x.xxx – internet
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10.1.1.5/16 -- router
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10.1.7.5/16 -- cisco switch
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10.1.2.1/16 –ESXi
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10.1.1.3/16 – pfsense LAN (vm inside esxi) ---- WAN (from managed switch) xx.xx.xx.xx
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10.1.2.3/16 -- windows ad (vm inside esxi)
10.1.10.5 - 10.255 / dhcp assigned by windows
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10.1.10.200/16 -- client

I actually wanted to combine that router into the pfsense though its using an internal IP (given internal IP to access the router and distribute it among certain users to access that specific internet). Can we achieve this?

EDIT
Listed interfaces and I need to add the em3 to pfsense

Valid interfaces are:

em0   00:60:50:81:30:49   (up) Intel(R) PRO/1000 Legacy Network Connection 1.0.4
em1   00:65:52:81:30:4a   (up) Intel(R) PRO/1000 Legacy Network Connection 1.0.4
em2   00:0c:20:a6:a9:70 (down) Intel(R) PRO/1000 Legacy Network Connection 1.0.4
em3   00:30:56:81:0f:86 (down) Intel(R) PRO/1000 Legacy Network Connection 1.0.4
ovpns20   (up)

johnpoz · Apr 13, 2014, 2:34 PM

Your drawing/layout makes no sense - you have pfsense LAN interface connected to internet? Who cares what the esxi vmkern IP is? Has nothing to do with anything really. Nor does your switch IP matter - unless its routing?

What is your wan on pfsense and what is your lan.. Your using a /16 ?

Don't look like valid macs from esxi for virtual interfaces.. Virtual interfaces in esxi would all start with

vmx3f0 00:50:56:00:00:01 (up) VMware Vmxnet3 Ethernet Controller
vmx3f1 00:0c:29:1e:18:ae (up) VMware Vmxnet3 Ethernet Controller
vmx3f2 00:0c:29:1e:18:b8 (up) VMware Vmxnet3 Ethernet Controller
vmx3f3 00:0c:29:1e:18:c2 (up) VMware Vmxnet3 Ethernet Controller

Where 00:50:56 would be when you manual set mac.. And 000C29 is automatic on a virtual interfaces. Your macs all show for companies never heard of? http://www.macvendorlookup.com/ Did you try and mask them by putting in gibberish? Are you doing physical passthru? I thought your server (esxi) only had 2 interfaces?

azkerm · Apr 13, 2014, 5:33 PM

Hi There,

Its just a basic network setup I drawn, may be I should have given a clear layout through a picture. esxi has two physical NIC's, one is connected to a managed switch with vlans & it talks to the internet. other end is connected to an internal switch where all the users connected on the same. Despite the devices, pfsense is using WAN & LAN configured through vSwitch. Yes, it is using a /16 network.

Additional interface that I'm trying to hook is now on different subnet as I don't want make this collide with each other + its and ADSL router. how can I connect this device as an interface to the current pfsense. those em interfaces are in the VM created through esxi

johnpoz · Apr 13, 2014, 7:38 PM

Dude where are you seeing those interfaces on pfsense - they are not the normal vmware OUI for the mac's, did you enable prefix OUI allocation? Why would you have done such a thing if you don't even understand how to add a network segment?

Yes draw a picture. Because what you layout out is gibberish not a network layout.

You don't connect to internet with pfsense LAN interface for starters - but you show NO wan interface in pfsense or what IP space your using on that segment? Is it public or private?

Collide with each other? Well you are going to have to use something outside of 10.1/16 for your other segment - how many nodes do you have that using a /16 made sense?? You put them all on the same broadcast domain?

tomelgato · Apr 15, 2014, 10:36 PM

Did you install the vmware tools? Then you see the vmware ifs.

Otherwise i had also IntelPro1000 in the list (hope i dont mix it up with fusion right now)