pfSense

In the current stable version of pfSense, 2.7.2 CE, a significant limitation in interface throughput has been identified specifically on the Intel(R) Ethernet Connection E823-C for SFP network card. The observed maximum throughput is capped at 6.7 Gbit/s, which is significantly lower than the expected performance for this hardware. The primary suspect for this issue is the absence of the ice_ddp firmware, which is essential for optimizing interface performance.

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Install pfSense 2.7.2 CE on hardware equipped with an Intel(R) Ethernet Connection E823-C for SFP network card.
2. Configure network interfaces and settings.
3. Attempt to achieve maximum throughput on the network interface.
4. Observe that the maximum achievable throughput is limited to 6.7 Gbit/s.

Expected Behavior:
The interface should be capable of reaching its maximum throughput potential, which is consistent with the specifications of the Intel(R) Ethernet Connection E823-C for SFP network card.

Actual Behavior:
The interface throughput is capped at 6.7 Gbit/s, significantly lower than the expected performance.

Impact:
This limitation severely impacts the overall performance and efficiency of pfSense deployments using the Intel(R) Ethernet Connection E823-C.

Root Cause Analysis:
Upon investigation, it has been found that the missing ice_ddp firmware, which is necessary for optimizing interface performance, is the primary culprit behind the observed limitation in throughput on the Intel(R) Ethernet Connection E823-C for the SFP network card as without this driver Interface fails into Safe mode. Which is explained here

Safe Mode
=========
Safe Mode disables advanced and performance features, and supports only basic
traffic and minimal functionality, such as updating the NVM or downloading a
new driver or DDP package.

Refer to the Intel(R) Ethernet Adapters and Devices User Guide for more details
on DDP and Safe Mode.

Additional Information:

The limitation in interface throughput specifically affects deployments using the Intel(R) Ethernet Connection E823-C for SFP network card.

Testing on the same hardware with a different network card, such as the Intel X710BM-2SP, has shown that the expected throughput (9.8 Gbit/s) can be achieved, indicating that the issue is card-specific and likely related to missing firmware. Including ice_ddp_load="YES" in /boot/loader.conf.local doesn't affect performance or the missing driver error log.

Screenshot of DMESG Output

This issue was already discussed on the pfSense forum (Link: [[https://forum.netgate.com/topic/181959/pfsense-2-7-on-intel-xeon-d-17xx-soc-sfp28-working/18]]) where Netgate staff member stephenw10 suggested to open bug report ticket here.

Environment Details:

Network Card: Intel(R) Ethernet Connection E823-C for SFP (SOC) Part of the MB
CPU: Intel(R) Xeon(R) D-2733NT CPU @ 2.10GHz
RAM: 2x Samsung 8Gbit 3200Mh/z DDR4
MB: X12SDV-8C-SPT8F
Operating System: pfSense Version: 2.7.2 CE