Intel PRO CT 1000 Nic only at 100Mbps

[kranzel]

Hey all,


So I am back. I had a previous thread (HERE) which is directly related to this issue.


In that thread it ultimately looked like my system was connected to a 100Mbit link, which was believed to be the source of my issue.


However, shortly after reporting the issue as resolved, it returned.

I have completed further investigations and believe I have narrowed it down to my NIC. My question though is if the NIC is actually the issue or the driver in FreeNAS/BSD. I know, it is unlikely to be the driver, but hear me out here.


The ultimate problem is that my NIC will only connect at 100Mbps when it is a 1000Mbps card.

Here is my detailed network setup.


Internet Connection

Cable Modem -> Apple AirPort Extreme (Gigabit WAN Port) -> Apple Airport Extreme (Gigabit LAN Port) -> Port 1 on Netgear GS724Tv3 (Gigabit Port)


FreeNAS Connection

FreeNAS box with an Intel PRO CT 1000 PCI-E1 connection -> Port 2 on Netgear GS724Tv3 (Gigabit Port)


PC Connection

Windows 8.1 PC with an onboard Intel Gbe LAN Connection -> -> Port 3 on Netgear GS724Tv3 (Gigabit Port)


Before 9.3 Upgrade from 9.2

FreeNAS box connected to Netgear switch at 1000Mbps


After 9.3 Upgrade

FreeNAS box connects at 100Mbps (With a single exception)


Testing (All port speeds verified by switch management interface)

1. Moved FreeNAS cable from Port 2 on Switch to Port 5 and the connection was still at 100Mbps.

2. Moved PC cable from port 3 on switch to port 2 and it connected at 1000Mbps as expected.

3. Used cable from PC to switch (Confirmed working form above tests) and used it between FreeNAS box and switch on Port 2. 100Mbps only.

4. Used previously connected cable from FreeNAS box and switch with PC and Switch on Port 2 and 5. Both cases resulted in 1000Mbps connections.

5. Removed NIC from FreeNAS box and installed it in the Win 8.1 Desktop box, connected at 1000Mbps.


So, given that before the 9.,3 upgrade, the connections were fine, after the 9.4 upgrade they are not fine. Add to this that if the NIC is installed on the Windows box it connects as expected, and given all the other testing to show verify the switch ports and cables are not the issue, I am left wondering if this is an issue with the driver on FreeBSD for the Intel PRO CT 1000 NIC?


My only concern is if you read my previous post. At one point, the NIC did infect connect at 1000Mbps in the 9.3 configuration, but quickly switched back after an hour or so. This would lead me to believe that perhaps the NIC is becoming faulty. However, I ran it in the Windows box for many hours without the port flipping back to 100Mbps.


So, I am lost.


Cyberjock, any ideas? I welcome any ones help, I say Cyberjock because you have so far helped in all my previous posts. J

 

[cyberjock]

Yep.. I have ideas.

There are 2 things that affect your negotiated speed... your speed setting and your hardware. Drivers are secondary and don't directly affect speed, but improperly written drivers can cause problems that *do* result in the speed being lowered. Read on for more...

Speed setting is easy.. if you set it to 100Mb, then you get 100Mb. Technically the specs for network speeds say that the options are 10Mb, 100Mb, and "auto". 1Gb is conspicuously missing because it's supposed to be auto-negotiate. But some companies still let you set 1000Mb even though its technically inappropriate.

Hardware controls the speed, especially when set to auto. If your connection between your NIC and your switch results in lots of communication errors, the NIC may eventually "fail back" to the next slower speed. Basically your NIC decides that the given speed just isn't working out and fails back to the next slower speed (in this case it would go from 1Gb to 100Mb). Keep in mind that 1Gb actually uses all 8 wires in RJ45 while 10 and 100Mb uses only 4 of the wires. 1Gb also runs at a higher frequency. So a signal that is degraded at 1Gb has a pretty good chance of being pretty rock solid at 100Mb. Technically it's got a 50% chance of the problem being rectified just because 1/2 the wires are unused at 100Mb, never mind the fact that the slower frequency helps with signal propagation to the other end.

So any kind of problem, be it an intermittent connection inside the RJ45 jack in the NIC, the connectors on the wire, or interference across the cable length due to things like poor quality cable or fluorescent lighting that runs next to the wire can be responsible.

Considering that 99.9% of the time not negotiating the desired speed is because of cabling or connectors, I'd firmly put my money there. Also, considering that a large number of people have bought CT cards and aren't reporting this problem I seriously doubt this is a driver problem.

Your experiences might make you think that 9.3 is to blame because you upgraded and things got worse. The reality is that the threshold before the card says "I give up.. dropping to 100Mb" may be higher. I wouldn't call this a driver problem (although you might be able to argue it) but a hardware problem. You *shouldn't* be having error rates that are high enough that the NIC ever has to consider dropping down to a slower speed.

I'm not sure what your cabling is like, but I've seen plenty of cables made by people that just suck. Even when I make cables they sometimes have problems a year or two later. I've recently given up on making cables myself and buy nothing but CAT6 and CAT6A cables (I use 6A whenever possible nowadays). You can find almost any length and color you want from Monoprice (http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=105&cp_id=10232). When you look at the cost to buy some premade cables (make sure to buy a bunch to save on shipping) it's just not worth the effort (or the time) to make your own cables and deal with troubleshooting if you aren't a pro at tipping them well and properly. Most people don't seem to be good at tipping them, and MANY don't even do the proper color code to pins. For 100Mb you could almost do any combination you want and as long as its the same on both ends it would work, but on 1Gb making sure the TX an RX are on the same color actually does matter.

Another commonly overlooked factor is the fact that the spec for 1Gb limits total length to 100m (327 feet). For most people like you and I we will never hit that kind of limit, but it is there, and the 100m are only promised under the most ideal circumstances. Things like not using CAT6 or better for 1Gb affects total length. Also a factor in cable length are those damn "green" switches. The often use weaker signals so the length you can use is shorter. I personally can't use "Green" switches in my house because they'll only negotiate 100Mb. Plug in a non-"green" switch and I get 1Gb without hesitation. Even my green switches will occasionally give me 1Gb if I cycle them enough, but if you try to transfer any data across it the connection will drop to 100Mb within about 10 minutes. The length of cable running across my basement is about 70 feet.

It's possible that the NIC itself is to blame. I've often seen corrosion and debris on the copper pins inside the NIC which results in poor connections to the wire. So you might want to take a flashlight and look in the connector itself.

But I'd blame this almost solely on some kind of hardware issue. The switch, the cables, your NIC, or the combination could be to blame. It's possible that your NIC just sucks and needs to be tossed. Components on NICs do wear out, and that could be to blame. But I'd try replacing the cable first (one that is CAT6 or better) and secondly try a different NIC. If you are running through a wall that has pre-installed wiring your options may be limited to what you can do. If that connection sucks you might just be screwed.

I actually own a GS724Tv2. Mine is pretty old (mine was made in 2006 or 2007 iirc) and 1/2 my ports stopped working last year which is why I don't use it anymore.

 

[nello]

Speed setting is easy

How does one check the speed setting for an Intel Pro 1000 CT?

I don't see this level of detail in Network > Interfaces.

If it's a command, can you tell me which one?

Thank you.

- nello

 

[gpsguy]

Ifconfig


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