wb5hvh

Q: Ethernet Ports Stop Working

Early 2008 Mac Pro with 16G RAM.  Ethernet Ports (both ports) stop occasionally.  Reboot always brings them back to normal.  OSX version irrelevant - has been ongoing over several major updates.

 

Ports when stopped appear normal and change of config or turning them off and back on does not help.  Only a reboot will bring them back.  I can not correlate any specific activity or software to the problem - appears random.

Mac Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.4)

Posted on Apr 18, 2016 1:02 PM

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Q: Ethernet Ports Stop Working

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  • by Barry Hemphill,

    Barry Hemphill Barry Hemphill Apr 18, 2016 1:14 PM in response to wb5hvh
    Level 8 (37,996 points)
    Peripherals
    Apr 18, 2016 1:14 PM in response to wb5hvh

    Random hardware issues are very difficult to troubleshoot (no surprise to you, I am sure). I would reset the SMC...cannot hurt, might help.

     

    Barry

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Apr 18, 2016 1:25 PM in response to Barry Hemphill
    Level 9 (60,692 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 18, 2016 1:25 PM in response to Barry Hemphill

    SMC reset is my recommendation as well.

     

    Shutdown.

    disconnect AC power cord. wait overnight --or if impatient:

      ... press the power on button for about ten seconds to discharge the power capacitors.

    restore the AC power cord (there are some "always-on" power supplies inside, so it may spark at reconnect).

    wait a quarter minute for all to settle.

    Power on as usual.

  • by wb5hvh,

    wb5hvh wb5hvh Apr 18, 2016 2:00 PM in response to wb5hvh
    Level 1 (6 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 18, 2016 2:00 PM in response to wb5hvh

    I am employing the impatient sparking maneuver now but will follow up with the patient zero-voltage 10-hour protocol several times.  This is a spurious problem and so the results may not be readily apparent.  This has been a UPS powered, always on computer for quite some time with uptimes often exceeding 1.6848e+16 nano seconds.  I will report my findings when available but offer my thanks now.

     

    73 de Jim

  • by wb5hvh,

    wb5hvh wb5hvh Apr 25, 2016 7:40 AM in response to wb5hvh
    Level 1 (6 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 25, 2016 7:40 AM in response to wb5hvh

    I have tried SMC reset several times and the problem persists. 

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Apr 25, 2016 9:42 AM in response to wb5hvh
    Level 9 (60,692 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 25, 2016 9:42 AM in response to wb5hvh

    try:

     

    System Preferences > Network > Ethernet > ( assist me ) > ( diagnostics )

  • by wb5hvh,

    wb5hvh wb5hvh Apr 26, 2016 5:18 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 1 (6 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 26, 2016 5:18 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    Will check this and report next time it happens.  There seems to be no consistency to the frequency of this issue.

  • by lawandreann,

    lawandreann lawandreann Apr 26, 2016 2:10 PM in response to wb5hvh
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 26, 2016 2:10 PM in response to wb5hvh

    Hi all.

     

    I am having this exact same issue. There is another thread about it here :network port hangs
    it seems to be triggered by heavy network traffic using the ethernet port(s).  It just happened to me now while trying to backup GB's of data....

     

    I also have a 2008 mac pro with el capitan and when the issue arises, the ethernet port loses connection to the network and assigns itself a self-assigned ip address. I can change the ethernet cable to connect to the second ethernet port and then regain a connection to the network and continue until the problem eventually occurs on that port as well. The only way to fix the issue seems to be a reboot.

     

    I am at a loss of what to do, it's frustrating that my server cannot reliably use its ethernet ports. I might simply take the hit on network speed and use the wireless network card instead.

     

    For what it's worth the router that the mac pro is connected to is the latest airport extreme model at the time of this writing.

  • by lawandreann,

    lawandreann lawandreann Apr 26, 2016 2:46 PM in response to lawandreann
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 26, 2016 2:46 PM in response to lawandreann

    This post on apple stack exchange seems related http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/158931/why-does-my-wired-ethernet-conne ction-die-periodically-after-a-dhcp-leas…

     

    Lower down in the post it describes the issue occurring more often when transferring large files to the server

  • by wb5hvh,

    wb5hvh wb5hvh Apr 26, 2016 8:12 PM in response to lawandreann
    Level 1 (6 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 26, 2016 8:12 PM in response to lawandreann

    My ethernet ports (both) go down at the same time.  DHCP or static - makes no difference.  There is no self-assigned IP.  IP does not change but there is no ethernet activity.  The only fix I've found is reboot.  This happens regardless of router or switch - I've tried several.

  • by wb5hvh,

    wb5hvh wb5hvh Apr 26, 2016 8:13 PM in response to lawandreann
    Level 1 (6 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 26, 2016 8:13 PM in response to lawandreann

    Extensive ethernet activity does trigger the problem more often than not although sometimes manifests itself when there has been little or no activity.

  • by lawandreann,

    lawandreann lawandreann Apr 27, 2016 8:07 AM in response to wb5hvh
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 27, 2016 8:07 AM in response to wb5hvh

    Do you have both ethernet ports active ( both have a cable plugged in) perhaps that is why they both fail at the same time.   I only use one port.  I will double check the next time it happens if the address falls to a self-assigned.  Currently my en0 has the problem but i changed the cable to en1 and I'm waiting  for the issue to reproduce.

     

    I agree it that it can manifest randomly even with little or no traffic, however this usually takes a few weeks for me. Increased traffic seems to increase the chances.

  • by wb5hvh,

    wb5hvh wb5hvh Apr 27, 2016 8:25 AM in response to lawandreann
    Level 1 (6 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 27, 2016 8:25 AM in response to lawandreann

    I do not but if one port stops I have tried to switch ports and it does not work.  If one goes out, they both are out.  It does not matter which port I start with.

  • by lawandreann,

    lawandreann lawandreann May 11, 2016 7:29 AM in response to lawandreann
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    May 11, 2016 7:29 AM in response to lawandreann

    Well it happened on en1 now. The interface changed to a self assigned ip address. I tried the "assist me" and diagnose the ethernet ports, but it says that it seems to be working fine.

     

    I tried changing the ethernet configuration to DHCP with manual ip address, but that did not seem to help and didn't result in a network connection.

     

    I suppose I could sift through the system logs and try to find something.... painful.

     

    I'm also gonna try with manual network settings and see if the problem arises after a reboot again.

  • by wb5hvh,

    wb5hvh wb5hvh May 11, 2016 8:24 AM in response to lawandreann
    Level 1 (6 points)
    Desktops
    May 11, 2016 8:24 AM in response to lawandreann

    On the last issue instance I tried the 'assist me' solution. There was some action too quick to follow and then saw a notice that the port was normal. This time it was; that is, it started working again. It has not failed since and life goes on with crossed fingers and abated breath. Will advise if it reoccurs but I have had some heavy use.

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