I've been using pfSense off and on for quite a while. A couple of weeks back, I switched over from Monowall with the intention of being a permanent change. I configured my DSL modem for Bridged mode and configured pfSense for PPPoE with the username and password for my DSL service. It's been working fine since (and it worked fine the previous times I've used pfSense). But tonight, at about 8:03 PM EST, it stopped working. Until it had stopped working today, it has been days since I changed any setting in pfSense (or looked at the webGUI, even).
I went through the normal procedures of rebooting the DSL modem and rebooting pfSense, but it would not work. I switch the DSL modem back to PPPoE mode and changed pfSense back to DHCP, and it works. Switch things back, and it doesn't. The log looks like this:
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: 74.237.250.30 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: IPADDR 74.237.250.30
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: 74.237.250.30 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: IPADDR 74.237.250.30
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: 74.237.250.30 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: IPADDR 74.237.250.30
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: 74.237.250.30 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: IPADDR 74.237.250.30
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: 74.237.250.30 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: IPADDR 74.237.250.30
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: 74.237.250.30 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: IPADDR 74.237.250.30
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: 74.237.250.30 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: IPADDR 74.237.250.30
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: 74.237.250.30 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: IPADDR 74.237.250.30
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: 74.237.250.30 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: IPADDR 74.237.250.30
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: IPADDR 0.0.0.0
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: SECDNS 0.0.0.0
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: COMPPROTO VJCOMP, 16 comp. channels, no comp-cid
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: IPADDR 68.152.180.7
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: 68.152.180.7 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: IPADDR 68.152.180.7
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: SECDNS 0.0.0.0
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: COMPPROTO VJCOMP, 16 comp. channels, no comp-cid
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: IPADDR 0.0.0.0
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: Using authname "
SanitizedUserName@bellsouth.net"
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: Name: "jcvlflcl77w"
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: MAGICNUM f6eac5aa
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: MRU 1492
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: AUTHPROTO CHAP MD5
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: MRU 1500
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: MAGICNUM 04c40ab9
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: AUTHPROTO CHAP MD5
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: MRU 1500
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: MAGICNUM 04c40ab9
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: MAGICNUM f6eac5aa
Dec 24 00:03:56 mpd: MRU 1492
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: 74.237.250.30 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: IPADDR 74.237.250.30
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: 74.237.250.30 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: IPADDR 74.237.250.30
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: 74.237.250.30 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: IPADDR 74.237.250.30
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: 74.237.250.30 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: IPADDR 74.237.250.30
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: 74.237.250.30 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: IPADDR 74.237.250.30
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: 74.237.250.30 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: IPADDR 74.237.250.30
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: 74.237.250.30 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: IPADDR 74.237.250.30
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: 74.237.250.30 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: IPADDR 74.237.250.30
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: 74.237.250.30 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: IPADDR 74.237.250.30
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: IPADDR 0.0.0.0
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: SECDNS 0.0.0.0
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: COMPPROTO VJCOMP, 16 comp. channels, no comp-cid
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: IPADDR 68.152.180.7
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: 68.152.180.7 is OK
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: IPADDR 68.152.180.7
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: SECDNS 0.0.0.0
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: COMPPROTO VJCOMP, 16 comp. channels, no comp-cid
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: IPADDR 0.0.0.0
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: Using authname "
SanitizedUserName@bellsouth.net"
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: Name: "jcvlflcl77w"
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: MAGICNUM fa04a922
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: MRU 1492
Dec 24 00:03:50 mpd: AUTHPROTO CHAP MD5
Thinking that perhaps my ISP had made some sort of change to only let their DSL modem do PPPoE (and not Customer Provided Equipment), I hooked my Mac directly up to my DSL modem while it was set to Bridged mode. I had never set up PPPoE on my Mac before, but I used the username from pfSense along with the password from there, and it immediately connected and worked just fine. I tried pfSense afterward in PPPoE mode, and it continued to do the above. (In fact, those log entries are from the last time that I tried.)
For the time being, I'm back to the DSL modem performing PPPoE and pfSense running in DHCP mode (with IP Pass-thru set on the DSL modem).
Could anyone shed any light on this? Am I the only one to experience this sort of issue?