Access issue after new interface creation (10Gb optical card)

[Hans Baldzuhn]

Hi every one,

We are having frequent access issue to our NAS since the installation of a new network card in a new interface.

We will try to revert back to the old configuration to see if the issue comes from it, but before I would need some advices.

Our build : FreeNAS-8.3.1-RELEASE-p2-x64 (r12686+b770da6_dirty It is based on a Supermicro X8DTL motherboard, with a dual Gigabit ethernet controller ( Intel 82574L Gigabit ). Until June 2014, the freenas had only one interface, the default lagg0, aggregating the two ethernet controllers, both connected via ethernet to the switch, set to 192.168.1.202

Everything was working well but the decision was made to upgrade the serveur with a 10Gb optical controller, a 10GB MYRICOM 10G-PCIE-8B optic.

The card was added to a new interface : mxge0 To maintain the ip adresse, this new interface was set to 192.168.1.202 and the lagg0 was set to 192.168.1.203

The lagg0 is now disconnected and only the optical card is connected to the switch.

The first problem we encountered was that trying to reach the NAS with his name was always redirecting to the lagg0 IP (which is not connected to anything), we had to manually edit the host file on each client to be able to reach it by name.

Then since the upgrade, we have a lot of access issue, at least once a day. When it happens, the NAS become unreachable, no client is able to access it, the network interface is not working either and we cannot ping it. Sometimes it comes back alive and steady, but sometime only a reboot solves the situation. Since June we reboot it at least once per week, while the is was running without interruption for nearly a year before the upgrade.

We don't have much knowledge on network administration so we didn't found any interesting information on what could cause the issue. The only thing I know is that the huge slow down occure when there is a heavy load on the NAS, but I can't know what was causing the load. Is there any way to have more information than was is accessible through the reporting graphs ?

We currently have around 15 workstations running on Windows, so all access to the NAS is done through CIFS share.

Here are our specific question:

- It is a bad thing to have another network interface alongside the lagg0 ? ( I guess yes because of the name resolution issue)

- Should the optical interface be inside the link aggretor with the two gigabit controllers ? (all of them connected to the switch)

- How can I make sure I have the latest driver to the MYRICOM card ?

- Is it safe to upgrade the FreeNAS version without loosing all configuration ?

Best, Hans

 

[cyberjock]

Here are our specific question:

- It is a bad thing to have another network interface alongside the lagg0 ? ( I guess yes because of the name resolution issue)

- Should the optical interface be inside the link aggretor with the two gigabit controllers ? (all of them connected to the switch)

- How can I make sure I have the latest driver to the MYRICOM card ?

- Is it safe to upgrade the FreeNAS version without loosing all configuration ?

Best, Hans

1. It is unless they are the same speed. All NICs in a LAGG should be the same speed. So your 10Gb NIC should not be on the same lagg as the 1Gb NICs.
2. No.
3. For starters i'd upgrade to an OS that isn't more than a year old. ;) Unless you plan to compile FreeNAS yourself and add a driver (assuming there's an update) then the answer is "it doesn't matter.. you can't update it anyway".
4. Yes.

For upgrading, you should go from 8.3.1. to 9.1.1, then to 9.2.0, then to 9.2.1.8. Save your config file after each upgrade and before going to the next just in case you might need them.

I won't lie though, that 10Gb NIC is not exactly on our "highly recommended list". Your weird lagg configuration could be causing problems, but that NIC is definitely cause for concern in my book. I would not have recommended that card in the slightest.

Your easiest solution in the short term is to upgrade to 9.2.1.8 and go back to your Gb LAN connections. Make sure everything is stable and then (and only then) try the 10Gb NIC again.

But if I were a betting man I'm guessing that if you really want 10Gb on your FreeNAS box you're going to need to go shopping for a NIC that is better supported. ;) Just a quick search of "myricom" on this forum yields very poor support on FreeBSD/FreeNAS.

 

[Hans Baldzuhn]

Thank you very much for your answer !

I will do as you suggest and start by updating the distro and reverting to the dual gigabit connections inside the lagg0. Even if we nead the performance of the 10Gb connection, it's useless if it's not working correctly ...

This will simplify our configuration, but when I will need to test again with the 10Gb NIC, what should I do it ?

Should I delete it or is there a way to set the other interface to be the "default" one ? (the one returned when I try to ping the server with his name) without the need to set the host file on all clients ?

 

[cyberjock]

Your networking will need to be setup when you change from one to the other. To be honest, HOST file isn't the ideal way to deal with your problem. The problem needs to be fixed with either your DHCP, DNS, or NETBIOS setup (depending on how your network is setup).

Anytime you have to setup a HOSTS file, unless you are trying to do something special for one particular server, is a red-flag that you have a network config issue. Sure, HOSTS files can cover up the problem. But they are nothing more than shoving a round peg in a square hold and declaring victory because the hole is filled. :)

 

[Hans Baldzuhn]

That' exactly what I want to avoid, the configured host file is just a simple hack we have to be able to work while the network is badly configured.

Thank you for all the info !