Unsupported NIC or lack of knowledge?

[Macgd016]

From what I have read here I suspect the problem lies with the NIC on my machine but thought I would ask before I do anything else.

This is my first dabble with FreeNAS so I know very little and it is just a project with a spare PC I have that I thought I would use for data back up.

I have created the boot on a 16Gb memory stick and the system loads to Console but when it first loads there is no IP address, just 0.0.0.0

So I then used Option 1 to set up a static IP address of 192.168.1.108 which now shows on Console and I set a static address on my router.

With FreeNAS running sometimes I can see 192.168.1.108 using ipconfig on a second PC, sometimes the router has it as an active device and sometimes I can take option 8. Shell and ping 192.168.1.1 although this is ultra slow returning 64bytes from 192.168.1.1 icmp_seq_62 ttl=64 time 2.094ms.

BUT most times I cannot see the FreeNAS IP address, the router doesn't see it and I can't ping it and this can change without making any changes or rebooting either machine.

I still have Windows 10 working on the same PC with running I can see the NIC from another PC, ping it and copy files etc so I know that the hardware, router etc are working correctly.

As I say at the top I suspect this is a FreeNAS driver / NIC issue but it would be good to know if this is correct or not before trying anything else

 

[jgreco]

You should post detailed information about your system, such as what specific Realtek piece of junk is in there. Because you haven't provided a part number, and Gigabyte's websuck also doesn't provide a part number, we're left guessing here.

In general, Realtek chips aren't a good pick. The little hamster that moves bits around inside their chips is often slow, picky, unreliable, or possibly dead, and as far as I know, they don't provide a driver or documentation to driver authors on how to tend to their hamster, so Realteks work somewhere between "meh" and "not at all," and that's apparently the way Realtek wants it.

You should consider tossing an Intel card in there. The normal Intel gigabit CT desktop PCIe card is plenty sufficient. These are usually about $30 and are the classic solution to the Realtek problem. You should get very good network performance.

Note: I tag most of these threads with the hamster explanation as an easy way for you to search and look for other people who had Realtek problems, and what their resolutions were. There *is* a point to it, it's not just having fun at Realtek's expense.

 

[Macgd016]

You should post detailed information about your system, such as what specific Realtek piece of junk is in there.

I did give you ALL the information available, as you say the Gigabyte website is less than comprehensive & the NIC is integrated in the motherboard so no part numbers, or even any mention of Realtek, in there.

Any how I have an Intel card on its was as recommended

 

[jgreco]

I did give you ALL the information available, as you say the Gigabyte website is less than comprehensive & the NIC is integrated in the motherboard so no part numbers, or even any mention of Realtek, in there.

So what you do is you install a board diagnosis tool and let it read out the chipset, or boot FreeBSD and see if/what FreeBSD thinks it is, or Linux, or Windows, or whatever does happen to work to identify the chipset. The point is that no one out here in the community is in a better position to identify this than you are, unless they happen to have that board. Without the specifics of which exact Realtek it is, there is no good answer we can provide you, such as "oh that's the latest Realtek and it's expected to work in the next FreeBSD update."

Anyways, the Intel card is the classic fix, even for Realtek chipsets that seem to "work." I expect you'll find it a lot more pleasant to use.

 

[Macgd016]

My Intel card arrived today and FreeNAS burst onto my network so thanks for that.

Now I've forgotten my user name & password or its not accepting them but thats a job for tomorrow

 

[jgreco]

My Intel card arrived today and FreeNAS burst onto my network so thanks for that.

It mostly gets better from there. ;-)

 

[Macgd016]

Ah its root