Status/information

The FireBrick contains a number of useful information and diagnostic tools as follows:-

Status

WAN/LAN This shows the state of the port, green if it is connected, and the speed and duplex mode
Serial Number This is also shown on the top left.
Base MAC This is the base MAC address used by the FireBrick. The FireBrick uses different MACs depending on the subnet.
Time now The current time, if set. Note that the setup/UI options allow the format of the time to be changed
Clock last set The time when the clock was last set. The clock is normally set every hour.
Running since The time when the FireBrick was last reset. Shown if the clock is now set.

DHCP

This lists all of the DHCP addresses the FireBrick has allocated, the time they are due for renewal (2 hours after they were issued), the MAC address and the machine name. Where there was no machine name you can set one manually by entering a name in the input box and pressing return.

The FireBrick tries to keep the same address for each device, and will only re-use an address if it is available and is the oldest (i.e. not used for the longest). You can manually clear an allocation by clicking on the interface.

ARP

This lists the FireBrick current ARP table, listing the interface, IP address and MAC address of any currently active IPs communicating with the FireBrick. If the MAC is all 0’s then the device is not (or has not yet) responding and may be turned off or disconnected.

MAC

The MAC report shows the MAC addresses seen currently on each interface. Against the MAC the interface name is listed. This allows teh specific prot to be identified. The MAC list includes addresses sent by the FireBrick as well, and these are marked with the FireBrick’s name and not a port name,

Sessions

The session list shows all currently active protocols, and also links for ALl, 1MB, and 10MB. The All link shows all current sessions, whilst 1MB and 10MB show sessions that have currently transferred more than 1MB or 10MB respectively. Selecting a protocol shows all sessions using that protocol.

The session table starts with an S for Stealth and R for Routed and then the protocol name. Clicking on the protocol kills the session.
Next, it shows the interface, IP(s), Port(s) and amount of data send from one end, and the same for the other end of the session. Normally there is only one IP and Port on each, but where NAT applies or address mapping is used there may be two IPs and/or ports listed.
Finally, it shows what filter and speed lane is applied to that session.

Log

The log contains everything marked log on the general log/filter setup or specific filters. If the clock is set then the log shows the time of each entry. There is space for over 1000 log entries, and the oldest entry is lost as new ones are added.

Selecting log shows the log on a page and keeps that page open watching the log in real time.

Selecting recent shows the log in the same way, but starting from only 5 minutes ago.

Selecting save shows the log but does not follow changes live and clears the log once displayed. This is useful for saving the log or clearing it.

Counters

The counters section shows counters for various statistics recorded against each port. These are mainly used for debugging network problems.

The core counters relate to traffic to/from the internal FireBrick routing/filtering core.

The change in the last second is also shown, which can be used to see instantaneous throughput on ports, etc.

Technical Reference

  • Note that the status shows the names of the ports which could be WAN and LAN1-4, or LAN and WAN1-4 if the LAN/WAN reverse option applies, or could be any names you have given if you have the 5PORT option.
  • The status of a port can show negotiated or not. If negotiated then this means that auto-negotiation was used. There are also notes for errors such as polarity reversed (where the wires within a pair are swapped). Some hubs/switches are wired incorrectly and show this, but this normally means the cable is incorrect. Polarity reversal is automatically compensated for. Other faults include jabber which means a faulty bit of equipment or cable, and remote fault which is a special flag in the auto negotiation to tell uss that the other end is seeing a fault in what we are sending.
  • The MACs used are the Base MAC plus the subnet number, or plus 31 if no subnet can be found. This allows different subnets to act as DHCP clients on the same LAN if necessary, each getting a different address.
  • When using stealth the MAC report can be a bit confusing. e.g. Traffic from the LAN to WAN shows as LANn on the LAN side, and as FireBrick on the WAN side because the FireBrick will have received it from LANn on the LAN and sent with the MAC unchanged out on the WAN.
  • Counters are 32 bit wrapping numbers.