You must configure a default route (Network->IPv4 Default Gateway)

[Chamrajnagar]

I'm up and running on FreeNAS-9.3-STABLE-201412090314. My FreeNAS box was able to connect to the internet when I was using DHCP, but since I've given it a static IP I've lost that ability. If I click on the plugins tab, I get the error message in the thread title.

I set my IPv4 gateway to the WAN IP address found in my router. I also set up a static route with the same gateway, although I'm not exactly clear on what the destination network should be. So far I've tried 192.168.1.1/24 (my router) 192.168.1.100/24 (FreeNAS box) as well as 192.168.0.0/24 and 192.168.1.0/24.

In the network summary tab it says I haven't defined a default route. I've been stuck here for a couple of weeks.

 

[Chamrajnagar]

I've set up a new interface and used my WAN IP for the IPv4 address. I no longer get the error message when trying to load plugins, but it also fails to load the list of plugins.

 

[Jailer]

Why are you setting your WAN as the gateway? The gateway is your LAN IP.

 

[Chamrajnagar]

OK, that would be part of the problem. I've changed my IPv4 gateway to the LAN IP and removed the interface and static route I added. I'm guessing I still need a static route. If the LAN IP is the gateway, does that make the WAN IP the destination network?

Thanks

 

[Jailer]

The WAN IP is the IP address assigned by your internet providers network. Its how they identify YOU on the THEIR network.

You can still assign a static IP to your freenas box as long as it's within your subnet and outside the DHCP range. You try to give it a static IP that's within the DHCP range you're just asking for an IP conflict at some point.

 

[Chamrajnagar]

I understand what the WAN IP address is. My understanding is if I let DHCP assign an IP to the FreeNAS box, I'll have to look for the box's IP in my router every time I want to access it. I set a manually assigned IP for the FreeNAS box in my router's DHCP tab. I set it to within the DHCP range, because the router didn't like it when I set it outside the range. I chose 192.168.1.100. My FreeNAS box no longer shows up in the client list on my router, and the router doesn't show any manually assigned IP addresses in the DHCP tab, even though I had set one for the FreeNAS box. Despite this, I can access my FreeNAS box through 192.168.1.100 just fine.

I am having problems telling the FreeNAS box how to connect to the internet now that it has a static IP address. As you've pointed out, I should be using the LAN address. so I've set the IPv4 Default Gateway to my router's LAN address. I've also now configured a static route using the LAN address as the gateway. I don't know what the 'destination network' field is asking for, but have tried everything I could think of - WAN IP, LAN IP, FreeNAS IP, all followed by /24. I still can't get the box to connect to the internet.

edit - something has changed and the FreeNAS box shows up in my router's client list again. This is good I suppose, I must be moving in the right direction.

 

[Chamrajnagar]

I'll try to state my questions more clearly.

1) When configuring FreeNAS with a static IP, three things seem to be discussed: setting a default gateway in the Global Configuration tab; adding an interface in the Interfaces tab; setting up a static route in the Static Routes tab. Which of these is/are necessary to establish a connection to the internet? If I set up all three, are one or two redundant?

2) When I set up a static route, I'm prompted for a destination network. What is it asking for, and how do I find this information?

 

[pschatz100]

Don't mess with static routes. That is not your problem.

I suggest you re-enable DHCP on your Freenas box and let the system assign the IP and other values. Once it has done that, and everything is working, then look at the assigned values for IP address, gateway, DNS server, etc. Write them all down. Then do a little research and find out what they mean. From there, you can then re-establish a static IP and you will know the values to use for the gateway and DNS server, etc.

Or you can just leave DHCP enabled.

 

[Jailer]

I'll try to state my questions more clearly.

1) When configuring FreeNAS with a static IP, three things seem to be discussed: setting a default gateway in the Global Configuration tab; adding an interface in the Interfaces tab; setting up a static route in the Static Routes tab. Which of these is/are necessary to establish a connection to the internet? If I set up all three, are one or two redundant?

2) When I set up a static route, I'm prompted for a destination network. What is it asking for, and how do I find this information?

Just define the default gateway and assign your static IP in your router. No need to add an interface or static route in freenas. You may have to reboot your freenas box to get the network settings to change.

 

[Chamrajnagar]

Thanks Jailer. That's what I was trying to do but I had over-complicated things by setting up an interface for my FreeNAS web GUI using the static IP I defined. I read elsewhere this was necessary, but it certainly doesn't appear to be. Deleting that interface has me up and running.

 

[pirateghost]

Definitely don't need a static route, but it sounds like you also forgot to set your name server, which would typically also be the LAN IP of your router.

 

[adrianwi]

I assign static IP addresses on my router to almost all of my network devices, including 2 FreeNAS boxes so I always know what they are. Mobile devices are assigned by DHCP, but that's it.

Surely the default gateway just needs to point back to your routers IP address, along with the Nameserver unless you're running DNS on something else?

 

[Rilo Ravestein]

*deleted*