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    PfSense on Intel NUC5CPYH

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    • V
      vbcn
      last edited by

      Hi, I've installed the latest stable pfsense version (currently 2.2.4) on the Intel NUC5CPYH (Celeron N3050) and the network interface card is not recognized by the system.
      Any ideas on how to add the necessary drivers onto FreeBSD 10?

      Thanks in advance!

      EDIT: The NUC's NIC chipset is a Realtek 8111HN

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      • ?
        Guest
        last edited by

        EDIT: The NUC's NIC chipset is a Realtek 8111HN

        Perhaps it is to new and then not supported?

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        • V
          vbcn
          last edited by

          I'm afraid that's the case.
          Same NUC family but with Core i3 CPU (NUC5i3RYH) instead oc Celeron N3050, has an intel onboard NIC and works OK…

          Even realtek doesn't seem to have FreeBSD drivers for this NIC model (8111HN)....looks like we'll have to wait. I'm avoiding Realtek NICs from now on  >:(

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          • R
            rexki
            last edited by

            Just tried on this great little inexpensive box - approx $130. - PDF specs here - http://downloadmirror.intel.com/24956/eng/NUC5CPYB_NUC5PPYB_TechProdSpec05.pdf

            Wired  -  RTL8111HN
            Wireless - Intel Dual Band AC-3165

            Tried a AMD64 - VGA standard kernel  - cd iso - pfSense-LiveCD-2.2.4-RELEASE-amd64-20150725-1957.iso

            Result no networks cards detected - too bad - could make a great Captive portal box with a great wifi card??  Extreme low wattage!!

            pfSense 2.3.4-Release(amd64) - 31 watts Min d-power mode - 843-853 mbps across LANs -  i5-2400 3xGigE - Asus P8H61-M -All slotted Intel single NICS EM drivers -  shooting for 6 watts - to save $27/year in electricity.  In Hawaii $50 per year savings over 20 watt delta!!

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            • ?
              Guest
              last edited by

              Wired  -  RTL8111HN

              Perhaps to new hardware that is not yet supported with drivers!

              Wireless - Intel Dual Band AC-3165

              Official not supported at this moment by pfSense.

              Tried a AMD64 - VGA standard kernel  - cd iso - pfSense-LiveCD-2.2.4-RELEASE-amd64-20150725-1957.iso

              Related to the new hardware inside of this NUC I would earlier try out a Development 2.2.5 version.

              Result no networks cards detected - too bad - could make a great Captive portal box with a great wifi card??  Extreme low wattage!!

              For sure, but you can also try out the newest pfSense or FreeBSD development platform to see if the drivers
              will be there for this hardware.

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              • T
                tulipman
                last edited by

                Hi there folks.

                I am in the market for a piece of hardware to install pfSense on.

                I also was enthousiastic about the NUC units, but I now see mixed opinions on driver availability (among other things)

                Anyone has tried out the current version of NUCs, and if pfSense will work on it??

                Would be great to hear from peeps that have actually tried it…

                Cheers

                Robbert, Soesterberg NL

                Best regards,

                Robbert

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                • ?
                  Guest
                  last edited by

                  The Jetway NUC with dual LAN is supported..
                  http://www.jetwaycomputer.com/JBC311U93.html

                  You could also consider the ADI 2220 an NUC sized device. It uses roughly the same footprint….
                  http://store.netgate.com/ADI/RCC-DFF-2220.aspx

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                  • luckman212L
                    luckman212 LAYER 8
                    last edited by

                    Am I the only one who thinks it strange that Intel would produce a motherboard with a different vendor's Ethernet chip on it?? Would you think it odd to pop the hood of your new Ferrari and find a Toyota engine inside?

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                    • J
                      jwt Netgate
                      last edited by

                      Looks like support for the 8111H was added to FreeBSD -HEAD in late September.

                      https://github.com/freebsd/freebsd/commit/c1d4644cbc1efd41f962e4979caf367c93d3c5f0

                      With any luck, this will make a 10.3-RELEASE, and we'll be able to cut a pfSense -RELEASE soon after.

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                      • T
                        tulipman
                        last edited by

                        @luckman212:

                        Am I the only one who thinks it strange that Intel would produce a motherboard with a different vendor's Ethernet chip on it?? Would you think it odd to pop the hood of your new Ferrari and find a Toyota engine inside?

                        It can be a matter of costs, or even chip availability. Who knows. There is always a reason for them.

                        For instance (and a tad Off Topic, sorry):
                        Jaguar hasn't manufactured an engine of its own design in one of its own plants since previous owner Ford Motor Co. closed the old Radford plant in Coventry, England, in 1997.
                        For that reason, a Jaguar V12 has two 6 cylinder Renault engines (bolted together) in it's engine compartment.

                        Same goes for other british luxury cars (Aston Martin…)
                        I didn't know this until a Jaguar nerd told me this story..

                        Insane world, folks..

                        Robbert

                        Best regards,

                        Robbert

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                        • T
                          tulipman
                          last edited by

                          @jwt:

                          Looks like support for the 8111H was added to FreeBSD -HEAD in late September.

                          https://github.com/freebsd/freebsd/commit/c1d4644cbc1efd41f962e4979caf367c93d3c5f0

                          With any luck, this will make a 10.3-RELEASE, and we'll be able to cut a pfSense -RELEASE soon after.

                          Sounds promising.

                          Would it be possible to add that driver to an existing current version of pfSense, or will there be a OS version mismatch error??

                          Robbert

                          Best regards,

                          Robbert

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • ?
                            Guest
                            last edited by

                            Am I the only one who thinks it strange that Intel would produce a motherboard with a different vendor's Ethernet chip on it?? Would you think it odd to pop the hood of your new Ferrari and find a Toyota engine inside?

                            No I would not thing so! But buying hardware and finding out then that this hardware is not fully supported
                            by the system I want to use is also very odd! In normal I find out these things at first and than I buy the
                            hardware that is matching well to the system I prefer to use.

                            Would it be possible to add that driver to an existing current version of pfSense, or will there be a OS version mismatch error??

                            It would be even better to insert only drivers matching to the base version of pfSense.
                            10.1 > 10.1
                            10.3 > 10.3
                            32Bit > 64bit

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                            • S
                              sos
                              last edited by

                              The biggest thing preventing using Intel NUCs for a compact, easily available, low wattage pfSense box remain the lack of a second NIC. And I'm sure* it's a matter of cost that means Intel is using a realtek NIC.

                              The Intel NUCs are supposed to have replacable top covers which can have additional features e.g. TV tuners etc. Is anyone producing a lid with a second NIC?

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                              • luckman212L
                                luckman212 LAYER 8
                                last edited by

                                With the single NIC you can still do "router on a stick" with VLANs as long as your switch supports it.

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                                • W
                                  whosmatt
                                  last edited by

                                  @luckman212:

                                  With the single NIC you can still do "router on a stick" with VLANs as long as your switch supports it.

                                  To add to this, "smart" switches are getting cheaper and cheaper.  I just picked up a TP-LINK TL-SG108E for ~$27 with rebate.  Not a fully managed switch like we all wish we had, but tiny, fanless, and supports VLANs.  Makes a pfsense box with a single physical NIC a reality for nearly anyone.

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                                  • J
                                    jwt Netgate
                                    last edited by

                                    @sos:

                                    And I'm sure* it's a matter of cost that means Intel is using a realtek NIC.

                                    And I'm sure you're wrong about this, but I probably know more than I should, and there are NDAs to consider.

                                    Let's put it this way: the most Intel would save on a NUC5CPYH with Intel Ethernet .vs Realtek Ethernet is the cost of a low-end Intel Ethernet part like the i211 or i218.

                                    ARK lists the i211 at $2.13 (http://ark.intel.com/products/64404/Intel-Ethernet-Controller-I211-AT).  An i218-V is $1.72 (http://ark.intel.com/products/71305/Intel-Ethernet-Connection-I218-V) on ARK.  Note that these parts all include the PHY. so even if Realtek 8111 parts were free, the most Intel would save would be a few dollars, and other than transfer price accounting, these parts cost Intel (who makes the NUC) at lot less than the price on ARK, if for no other reason than Intel doesn't need to profit from the sale of the Ethernet part when it's making a NUC.

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                                    • J
                                      jwt Netgate
                                      last edited by

                                      @tulipman:

                                      @jwt:

                                      Looks like support for the 8111H was added to FreeBSD -HEAD in late September.

                                      https://github.com/freebsd/freebsd/commit/c1d4644cbc1efd41f962e4979caf367c93d3c5f0

                                      With any luck, this will make a 10.3-RELEASE, and we'll be able to cut a pfSense -RELEASE soon after.

                                      Sounds promising.

                                      Would it be possible to add that driver to an existing current version of pfSense, or will there be a OS version mismatch error??

                                      Robbert

                                      It's almost always a mistake to backport the changes.  I could make it work, but since 10.3 isn't that far off, the question becomes "Why introduce this kind of ugly into the product?"

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                                      • D
                                        DB9
                                        last edited by

                                        @jwt:

                                        Looks like support for the 8111H was added to FreeBSD -HEAD in late September.

                                        https://github.com/freebsd/freebsd/commit/c1d4644cbc1efd41f962e4979caf367c93d3c5f0

                                        With any luck, this will make a 10.3-RELEASE, and we'll be able to cut a pfSense -RELEASE soon after.

                                        I've managed to compile these changes into an pfSense kernel module.

                                        However I'm lost on how to get it into the installer image, or how to install pfSense on the NUC5CPYH without a NIC detected, so that I can replace the module after installation.

                                        If anyone has a way of installing pfSense without a NIC present, please let me know.

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                                        • M
                                          malahal
                                          last edited by

                                          @DB9:

                                          @jwt:

                                          Looks like support for the 8111H was added to FreeBSD -HEAD in late September.

                                          https://github.com/freebsd/freebsd/commit/c1d4644cbc1efd41f962e4979caf367c93d3c5f0

                                          With any luck, this will make a 10.3-RELEASE, and we'll be able to cut a pfSense -RELEASE soon after.

                                          I've managed to compile these changes into an pfSense kernel module.

                                          However I'm lost on how to get it into the installer image, or how to install pfSense on the NUC5CPYH without a NIC detected, so that I can replace the module after installation.

                                          If anyone has a way of installing pfSense without a NIC present, please let me know.

                                          You probably know this, but pfsense 2.3 (based on freebsd10.3 dev branch) seems to work.

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                                          • J
                                            jwt Netgate
                                            last edited by

                                            The 2.3 snapshots have been based on FreeBSD 10.3-PRERELEASE for a while now.

                                            the patch went in to STABLE-10 December 27
                                            https://github.com/freebsd/freebsd/commit/b65a25360bf453761bef728656d2499296150eb6

                                            So this has been fixed in 2.3 for quite a while now.

                                            All OP needs to do is load pfSense 2.3, and his NUC will work.

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