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Network Interface Card (NIC) Settings

By default, each interface is set to automatically negotiate the link speed. In the Advanced settings for an interface, you can set the interface speed, maximum packet size (MTU), and enable an override MAC address.

Some models have limitations on the NIC settings supported for some interfaces:

  • For Firebox M200 and M300 models, interfaces 0, 1, and 2 do not support half duplex.
  • For XTM 5 Series models, interface 0 supports a maximum MTU of 1500.

For a Firebox to receive jumbo frames (Ethernet frames larger than 1500 bytes), you must first increase the interface MTU to the frame size you want the interface to accept. The maximum configurable MTU size is 9000 bytes.

Configure NIC Settings

By default, the Link Speed is set to Auto Negotiate. We recommend that you do not change this setting unless instructed to do so by Technical Support. If you set the link speed manually and other devices on your network do not support the speed you select, this can cause a conflict that can cause your Firebox interface not to reconnect after a failover.

You can see the negotiated link speed in the Status Report tab in Firebox System Manager.

In Fireware v11.11.1 and higher you can see the negotiated link speed in the Interfaces dashboard in Fireware Web UI.

About MAC Addresses

Some ISPs use a MAC address to identify the computers on their network. Each MAC address gets one static IP address. If your ISP uses this method to identify your computer, then you must change the MAC address of the Firebox external interface. Use the MAC address of the cable modem, DSL modem, or router that connected directly to the ISP in your original configuration.

The MAC address must have these properties:

  • The MAC address must use 12 hexadecimal characters. Hexadecimal characters have a value between 0 and 9 or between “a” and “f.”
  • The MAC address must operate with:
    • One or more addresses on the external network.
    • The MAC address of the trusted network for the device.
    • The MAC address of the optional network for the device.
  • The MAC address must not be set to 000000000000 or ffffffffffff.

If the Override MAC Address check box is not selected when the Firebox is restarted, the device uses the default MAC address for the external network.

To avoid problems with MAC addresses, the Firebox makes sure that the MAC address you assign to the external interface is unique on your network. If the Firebox detects another device that uses the same MAC address, the Firebox changes back to the standard MAC address for the external interface and starts again.

MAC address override is not supported for FireCluster.

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