XS512EM firmware 1.2.0.5 and IGMP Snooping issues ?

[lissyx]

Hello,

I've been using a XS512EM switch for years (since 2019-07) as my core switch at home, running flawlessly. It has an Orange Livebox (5 then 6) connected for upstream FTTH, and links to a MS510TX under the TV where the orange tv decoder is connected. XS512EM and MS510TX are both connected with 10GbE fine for years. Both were left in default mode regarding IGMP Snooping which as much as I can tell is "Enabled".

FTR I also have a UniFi switch that collects some metrics that will be useful later, connected with a 10GbE DAC link to he XS512EM as well.

The TV decoder makses use of multicast for the video streams, as one can find easily when searching on the internet and when not connecting directly the decoder to the FTTH CPE (Livebox) then it is required to enable IGMP Snooping for smooth activity.

Recently, the TV playback started to randomly freeze, sounding very much like network overload. I tried a lot of things, enabling/disabling IGMP Snooping on the XS12EM or teh MS510TX, but after years without an issue it felt weird. Then I had a look at the metrics reported by the UniFi switch visible below.

One can easily see an increase in multicast trafic reported by this switch. The only thing that happened this day was me upgrading the XS512EM from 1.2.0.0 firmware to 1.2.0.5. Release notes mentions "IGMP snooping is now disabled by default", which sounds a bit weird, for a feature enabled by default since release.

Given the lack of proper documentation as of why this was disabled by default, one can only speculate. For sure enabling did not help, as visible on the chart.

So, could some Netgear people explain a bit more why this was disabled by default ? Is there a known issue ? At the very least, there seems to be something going on, my FTTH CPE has been the same for more than a year, and the TV decoder was around for even more time. We suspected the decoder was dying and it was the cause of the playback issues, but after a few weeks with the new one, it is obvious that it was not the one at fault.

Then checking this chart, one can see the difference on april 2: this is the day I upgraded the switch from 1.2.0.0 to 1.2.0.5.

This release mentions that IGMP Snooping has been disabled by default, which sounds a bit fishy for a feature always enabled by default for most of the switches I know about. Could it be indicative of a known bug? For sure, in my case, enabling IGMP Snooping (and rebooting the switch) did not fix the issue.

multicast change over april 2

[lissyx · Accepted solution]

So, while I would have loved too get a proper statement from some representative of Netgear on that issue, as of the 1.2.0.7 firmware, I have not been able to notice any of the symptoms I used to suffer from on 1.2.0.5, without any configuration change anywhere on my network.

Looking a the multicast packets reported by my UniFi switch, there no change while the screenshot above was clearly showing a difference.

[lissyx]

After much debugging, and checking how to reproduce the issue (changing channel was reproducing very easily this morning), I decided to take my chance and downgrade to 1.2.0.0. For now, this has been running smooth, I cannot anymore reproduce the issue, and better, the Unifi switch does not report so much multicast traffic anymore. I did the downgrade at around 11:10 ; the big spike matching the instant where I reproduced the playback issue.

[davidohnson85]

1. Firmware Release Notes: Review the release notes for firmware version 1.2.0.5 to see if there are any specific mentions of changes related to IGMP snooping. The release notes should provide details on why the default behavior was changed and if there are any known issues or recommended configurations.

2. Netgear Support: Contact Netgear support directly for assistance with your specific firmware version and any issues you're facing. They can provide more detailed information, troubleshoot the problem, and offer guidance on the best configuration for your network setup.

3. Firmware Rollback: If you suspect that the firmware upgrade to version 1.2.0.5 is causing the issue, you can consider rolling back to the previous firmware version (1.2.0.0) to see if the problem persists. This can help determine if the firmware upgrade introduced any changes that may be causing the IGMP snooping issue.

4. Reset and Reconfigure: If none of the above steps resolve the issue, you can try performing a factory reset on the XS512EM switch and reconfigure it from scratch. This can help eliminate any configuration conflicts or settings that might be causing the problem.

Remember to backup your current configuration before attempting any firmware rollback or factory reset, as these actions will erase all current settings on the switch.

It's also worth noting that intermittent network issues can sometimes be caused by factors beyond the switch itself, such as network congestion, connectivity problems, or device compatibility. Thoroughly troubleshooting the network environment and examining other possible causes may also be helpful.

Regards;

David Johnson.

[lissyx]

Hello,

Thanks for your reply, but most of what you suggest is already documented in my first two posts:

 - releases notes do not explain why it was disabled by default

 - unfortunately, this product only comes with a few weeks of direct support, and Chat was unavailable when I tested earlier. I'm sorry but I'm not inclined to subscribe a 300€ support contract for reporting a bug

 - downgrade of the firmware is exactly what I did and documented in the second message, and so far this seems to have worked, only suggesting a bug in 1.2.0.5

 - factory reset and reconfigure was my first set of debugging steps, but it obviously lead to no improvement

All other external causes have been ruled out to the extents of what I can rule out.

[lissyx]

After a few days back on 1.2.0.0, I can confirm:

 - no more occurrence of the TV playback issue

 - faster TV zapping

 - no more extra multicast trafic being sent from the XS512EM switch to my UniFi switch

There is definitively something going on with IGMP Snooping on the XS512EM with 1.2.0.5 firmware. I suspect the TV playback is a side effect and/or a bug in the Livebox6 itself that is triggered by the extra multicast trafic I can observe.

It is unfortunately a bit tedious to investigate more (flashing back 1.2.0.5, enabling port-mirroring and reproducing the issue).

It would be welcome if someone from Netgear could comment why IGMP Snooping was set as default-disabled on that release, because I have a feeling it could be related to this behavior.

[lissyx]

Hello,

A few months later, I can confirm 1.2.0.5 was the root cause of my problem. I have failed to find time to properly investigate the issue, but 1.2.0.7 has just been released. I've pushed it on my switch and monitoring the situation. Hopefully even though the release note does not mention anything (there's the LLDP change but is it related?), this will help.

[lissyx · Accepted solution]

So, while I would have loved too get a proper statement from some representative of Netgear on that issue, as of the 1.2.0.7 firmware, I have not been able to notice any of the symptoms I used to suffer from on 1.2.0.5, without any configuration change anywhere on my network.

Looking a the multicast packets reported by my UniFi switch, there no change while the screenshot above was clearly showing a difference.