Regression #15105
closedStatic ARP entries "converted" to expiring ARP
0%
Description
I believe there was a static ARP issue introduced with 2.7.0 (https://redmine.pfsense.org/issues/14374). However, that issue specifically mentions "on boot" which does not align with this issue.
Under pfsense 2.7.2, it appears that static ARP entries can be created (for example when a host is offline) however the entries are converted into regular ARP entries (which expire) once a host is present on the network. Removing the static ARP flag from the DHCP entry, applying the configuration, and then reconfiguring it and applying again appears to recreate the static ARP entry, however, if the host is present on the network it is converted into an expiring ARP entry.
Once the (now temporary) ARP entry expires, when removing the static ARP entry via the DHCP config page, I see the following in the system log:
php-fpm /services_dhcp_edit.php: The command '/usr/sbin/arp -d '192.168.5.5'' returned exit code '1', the output was 'arp: delete 192.168.5.5: No such file or directory'
I assume this is because the static ARP entry is no longer present to be removed from the backend?
I also observe that all user added devices with static ARP (i.e not the pfSense interfaces which are consistently in permanent state) can appear in various states in ARP table diagnostics page, switching between a missing/blank status, permanent, and a huge negative expiry time progressively getting more and more negative, and the regular expiry time once the device is present on the network.
The issue presented immediately after upgrading to pfsense 2.7.2.
Related issues
Updated by Boycee . about 1 year ago
Forgot to add there is already an issue opened for the "cosmetic" issue with display in ARP diagnostics page I mentioned: https://redmine.pfsense.org/issues/14970
This report is however not cosmetic and more serious. For example, if unicast Wake-on-Lan is used, then once a device is woken once and is then powered off, it cannot be woken again as IP to MAC mapping will be missing for the Wake-on-Lan packet to be sent.
Updated by Jim Pingle about 1 year ago
- Status changed from New to Duplicate
It's still almost certainly a duplicate of #14970 and doesn't need its own entry - add your observations there.
Updated by Jim Pingle about 1 year ago
- Related to Regression #14970: Static ARP assignments lose ``permanent`` flag in ARP table added
Updated by Boycee . about 1 year ago
Jim Pingle wrote in #note-2:
It's still almost certainly a duplicate of #14970 and doesn't need its own entry - add your observations there.
Well, that seems pretty tenuous and subjective. That entire issue is focused about a cosmetic issues with the ARP diag readout and mentions two or three releases back. This issue was not present on 2.7.0 with the patch for https://redmine.pfsense.org/issues/14374. They might be entirely unrelated.
This issue is about the fact static ARP entries are converted into non-static ones.
Cheers.