> Date: Wed, 13 May 2009 09:57:32 -0600 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [pfSense Support] RE: T1 Saturating - Windows update kills the > connection... ?? > > On Wed, May 13, 2009 at 09:53, Chuck Mariotti <[email protected]> wrote: > > I used cheapo DLink 10/100 Network cards to build the server. But I'm > > doubting that would be the cause. The only other oddity is that I threw a > > little DLink 8 Port Gigabit Switch between the router and firewall, simply > > because I didn't have a crossover cable available at the time. > > Presumably the rtl8139 chipset? I don't know how [if?] those have > improved in recent versions of BSD, but they used to drag my pfSense > box to its knees with software interrupts. Check your system's RRD > graphs (specifically the utilization & interrupt numbers on the > 'system' tab). MTU mismatch could cause a problem, but the DLink is > my bet right now. >
D-Link as a whole are not a good choice. their products vary in reliability. It all comes down to what chipset the card is based off of. their Marvell based cards run like tanks (under windows, use the Marvell drivers instead of D-Link) but rest seem to be junk overall. Another choice for cheap very reliable cards Ive found are Netgear GA311 ($25 for a gigabit card) and they support some level of TCP/IP offloading. -Sean
