Question Server unable to connect to network unexpectedly

[TekkitBeasting]

[Moderator note: edited post to break up a solid paragraph of of text.]



Hi all!

Apologies if this isn't the correct place to ask, I am kind of at a loss and not too familiar with threads like these.

So to start, this Sunday at 2:07 AM,

I got a message from some of my friends saying my game servers I host went down. I checked my network monitoring app and saw that both the VMs and the server hosting those VMs lost connection to my network.

I wasn't home at the time, but once I got back on Monday night, I checked the server and it was still on and running. I unplugged the cable from the server and put it back in, still nothing. I then checked the router and noticed a bit of plastic broken off right below the port I was using.

I pulled the cable out and it was broken somehow; the bottom plastic bit was entirely gone and two or three of the contact pads were gone too. I have no idea how this could've happened as I inspected the cable before plugging it in (I had just set it back up two or three weeks prior as we had changed ISPs and routers).

I replaced the cable and tried the same port, but, while the green connectivity light was on, it wasn't showing any data transfer. I then tried to change the ports on the router, and it showed some data transfer, but when trying to ping anything in the network or checking the monitoring app, it wasn't working.

I reset my network settings on the device itself, didn't work. I changed the static IP I gave it, no luck.

I tried DHCP, but it wasn't even able to recieve a new IP.

I tried known working ports on the router and still nothing.

I have no real idea what could've caused this nor do I have any clue what a solution could be.

I can provide information on the server I am using and on the router if that would help.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

Additional information:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
Memory: 32G DDR5 6000 MHz
PSU: Unknown - included within minipc which is running server things. (Beelink EQR6)
Peripherals: Keyboard and monitor (only when needed)
Connection: Only wired.
OS: Debian - Proxmox

 

[evermorex76]

You said "we" changed ISPs, so there are others in the house. It sounds like someone in the house tripped over that cable while you were gone, ripping it out and damaging it, or they were deliberately touching something they should have and didn't know what they were doing. There's simply no other explanation for that much damage. Did you examine the ports on both the router AND the PC itself? It sounds like the port on the computer was damaged as well, since a new cable and a different port on the router didn't help. You'll probably need either a PCIe or USB Ethernet adapter to replace it. Even if you can't SEE the damage, this is really the only way to verify the problem anyway. The green link lights mean very little when you have suspect physical ports.

 

[TekkitBeasting]

You said "we" changed ISPs, so there are others in the house. It sounds like someone in the house tripped over that cable while you were gone, ripping it out and damaging it, or they were deliberately touching something they should have and didn't know what they were doing. There's simply no other explanation for that much damage. Did you examine the ports on both the router AND the PC itself? It sounds like the port on the computer was damaged as well, since a new cable and a different port on the router didn't help. You'll probably need either a PCIe or USB Ethernet adapter to replace it. Even if you can't SEE the damage, this is really the only way to verify the problem anyway. The green link lights mean very little when you have suspect physical ports.

Yup! I live with my family, though there is a near 0% chance that anyone touched it. It is sat in the garage in a corner all on a shelf with no cables on the ground. No one besides my father and myself even know where it is exactly. Plus, everyone in the house was asleep by that time and nothing was out of the position I left it. Both ports looked perfectly fine, no debris, burning, or visible damage. I'd have to open up the router and server to check internally though.

A few people I spoke to suggested it was potentially electrical damage, but nothing else was damaged, so I'm not sure. The port and cable on the server end was fine, no visible damage there. I can't really put in a new PCIe card for it easily, but I did buy a gigabit USB ethernet adapter for testing. If I need to consistently use it, it isn't a big deal since the NIC in the system anyway is only 1000mb/s. It'll arrive tomorrow so I can test it then.

 

[evermorex76]

I suppose it's possible that being in a garage, with no controlled environment, affected the plastics so they just randomly shattered but it would be weird to only happen to that one port specifically and in such a short time, and to cause such damage to the pins of the cable. Breaking off the tab on a connector is fairly common, but not when it's just sitting there. And you said "completely gone"; if that piece was nowhere to be seen, where would it have magically gone while plugged in?

Visible damage like scorching or melting isn't necessary for an electrical issue to have occurred and caused a fault to the electronics, but that wouldn't have broken pieces of plastic and at the least would have affected the entire router's electronics in order to reach the port and would have blown other ports unless it came from the PC side. I seriously cannot think of any possible cause for ALL of this besides someone or something pulling that cable out violently and damaging the ports on both ends. I doubt you remember the position of the equipment down to the millimeter so just because it looks to be in the same place doesn't guarantee it is (unless there are outlines in the dust).

Someone in your house isn't 'fessing up to messing with your stuff.

 

[TekkitBeasting]

I suppose it's possible that being in a garage, with no controlled environment, affected the plastics so they just randomly shattered but it would be weird to only happen to that one port specifically and in such a short time, and to cause such damage to the pins of the cable. Breaking off the tab on a connector is fairly common, but not when it's just sitting there. And you said "completely gone"; if that piece was nowhere to be seen, where would it have magically gone while plugged in?

Visible damage like scorching or melting isn't necessary for an electrical issue to have occurred and caused a fault to the electronics, but that wouldn't have broken pieces of plastic and at the least would have affected the entire router's electronics in order to reach the port and would have blown other ports unless it came from the PC side. I seriously cannot think of any possible cause for ALL of this besides someone or something pulling that cable out violently and damaging the ports on both ends. I doubt you remember the position of the equipment down to the millimeter so just because it looks to be in the same place doesn't guarantee it is (unless there are outlines in the dust).

Someone in your house isn't 'fessing up to messing with your stuff.

My thoughts exactly. Before changing routers and ISPs, never had issues. I made sure to inspect the cable too before changing over, there was no visible damage at all. I've had tabs break on my a lot, but the tab didn't break here, it was the other side that broke.

I didn't mean the piece was gone, the piece was actually sitting right below the port. I have pictures of it too if I can somehow attach them here.

That was my thought too. It was a potential answer, but not the most ideal nor the potentially most correct one either. I can almost confirm there was no yanking, tugging, or otherwise fiddling with the system or router though. I am honestly extremely particular with my equipment and I set it up extremely specifically. I checked, but it was essentially exactly where I left it. I also know everyone's sleep schedule, no one would've been awake at that time and no one would specifically be in that garage, so I'm really not sure.

 

[Ralston18]

Re: Game Server

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS information.

Include PSU: make, model, wattage, age, condition (original to build, new, refurbished, used)?

Disk drive(s): make, model, capacity, how full?

List of all connected peripherals.

Wired or wireless network?

On the game server look in Reliability History/Monitor and Event Viewer for any error codes, warnings, or even informational events just before or at the time of the connection losses.

Also check the router's logs (if any and enabled).

The router logs may provide some clue. Who has full admin rights to the router? You will need help from that person.

 

[cruisetung]

Probably animals like cats/mice chewing on your devices?

My neighbor's cat constantly enters my garage from time to time if I left the door open.

 

[TekkitBeasting]

Probably animals like cats/mice chewing on your devices?

My neighbor's cat constantly enters my garage from time to time if I left the door open.

Nope, no other damage to any wires and we don't have a mice issue. Our dog isn't allowed in the garage and even if she got in there, she couldn't get to the cables.

 

[TekkitBeasting]

Re: Game Server

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS information.

Include PSU: make, model, wattage, age, condition (original to build, new, refurbished, used)?

Disk drive(s): make, model, capacity, how full?

List of all connected peripherals.

Wired or wireless network?

On the game server look in Reliability History/Monitor and Event Viewer for any error codes, warnings, or even informational events just before or at the time of the connection losses.

Also check the router's logs (if any and enabled).

The router logs may provide some clue. Who has full admin rights to the router? You will need help from that person.

I updated the post with the information I have, thanks!

I'm unsure if I have any logs from then, I can check though.

I have full admin access to the router, that is how I've been able to monitor the connection and change settings to test things.

 

[cruisetung]

Not familiar with Proxmox, but you can try VMware Workstation 17.x for Linux, it's also free.

Be aware that to have VMs to auto starts, you have to put the VMs under VMware's UI root folder, not under any other folders though.

 

[TekkitBeasting]

Not familiar with Proxmox, but you can try VMware Workstation 17.x for Linux, it's also free.

I can probably try to dual boot load that onto there

 

[evermorex76]

essentially exactly where I left it

"Essentially exactly" or exactly? Or as best as you can tell? ("Essentially" would mean you can see that things have moved.)

Start dusting for prints. I still hold to my assertion that someone doesn't want to admit to something (assuming you asked). Having the ports at both end damaged (assuming your USB Ethernet adapter works) really gives no other possibility in my mind.

I can probably try to dual boot load that onto there

I can't see how what hypervisor you use would relate to hardware damage and you never mentioned wanting to change it. Nothing that you've seen would make the OS suddenly unable to access the Internet due to software problems. (And you can just boot a Linux live image or WinPE on a flash drive if you wanted to test another OS.)

 

[Ralston18]

FYI regarding:

"I didn't mean the piece was gone, the piece was actually sitting right below the port. I have pictures of it too if I can somehow attach them here."

You can post photographs here via imgur (www.imgur.com > green "New post" icon).

Photograph port, plug, and cable. What is printed along the length of the cable - i.e., the specs?

= = = =

Consider that something just simply "gave way".

Ever have a picture just fall off the wall? Or a glass pane suddenly crack or even crumble into shards?

Stress fracture sort of thing...

 

[TekkitBeasting]

"Essentially exactly" or exactly? Or as best as you can tell? ("Essentially" would mean you can see that things have moved.)

Start dusting for prints. I still hold to my assertion that someone doesn't want to admit to something (assuming you asked). Having the ports at both end damaged (assuming your USB Ethernet adapter works) really gives no other possibility in my mind.


I can't see how what hypervisor you use would relate to hardware damage and you never mentioned wanting to change it. Nothing that you've seen would make the OS suddenly unable to access the Internet due to software problems. (And you can just boot a Linux live image or WinPE on a flash drive if you wanted to test another OS.)

Exactly the same as I left it, no movement at all.


No visible damage to either port, the only damage which was visible was the cable itself on the router's end.

I wouldn't either, maybe I'd have better commands on that compared to Proxmox? I'm also admittedly not super familiar with Linux based systems, especially headless ones, so having a GUI would make it maybe a tad easier to work with.

 

[TekkitBeasting]

FYI regarding:

"I didn't mean the piece was gone, the piece was actually sitting right below the port. I have pictures of it too if I can somehow attach them here."

You can post photographs here via imgur (www.imgur.com > green "New post" icon).

Photograph port, plug, and cable. What is printed along the length of the cable - i.e., the specs?

= = = =

Consider that something just simply "gave way".

Ever have a picture just fall off the wall? Or a glass pane suddenly crack or even crumble into shards?

Stress fracture sort of thing...

https://imgur.com/a/MFxNdco

View: https://imgur.com/a/MFxNdco


That there is a picture of the cable itself. The ports are perfectly fine though (externally). There isn't any difference between any of the potentially damaged ones and the known good ones.

Unfortunately, my father threw the cable away so I can't get the exact specs... It wasn't a brand new cable though. I have a feeling it was cat 5e, but looking at the pictures, it may only be cat 5 (I can only see two braids of wires). Connectivity seemed faster than the 10mbs it can do though, so I am not sure, sorry.

 

[Ralston18]

Looks like a very substandard cable to me. The small piece indicates to me that the termination was not correct and the plastic piece (second photo) simply split.

Originally covered the pins show in the first photo.

And it almost looks as if one of the pins/wires got hot - which could also fracture the plastic.

Cannot really tell but the plastic should be clearer I think. And there is darkening that almost could be burnt....

Any storms or electrical problems around the time that the server went down?

Or the cable just may have degraded (especially if marginal to begin with) to the point where the load caused the problem.

Just my own speculation and there may be other thoughts and comments.

= = = =

I would inspect all other cables, ports etc.. There may be something else going on and/or other damage.

Any surge protectors? Check them as well.

 

[evermorex76]

No visible damage to either port, the only damage which was visible was the cable itself on the router's end.

Ah I thought the router itself had some plastic broken as well due to this line: "I then checked the router and noticed a bit of plastic broken off right below the port I was using." With that information and seeing the picture, I guess it could have just been a stress fracture, a weak bit of plastic that finally gave way when the temperature changed too much maybe. But then the only reason I can think for everything not working when you put in a new cable would be those pins somehow contacting each other badly, but the voltage on those shouldn't be enough to fry a port on either end. (Were you able to test the router port with any other device like a laptop, or move the cable of some other device? Or is everything else in the house wireless?)

FYI Cat5 cable still had 4 pairs, or could, as that's the RJ45 standard. Only a really cheap cable would have been made with only 2 pair, or one that was packaged for a specific purpose, like a niche device that only supported Fast Ethernet (both 10 and 100Mbps used 2 pair) and they wanted you to think you needed their brand of cable. I can barely make out ONE pair in that picture.

 

[evermorex76]

And it almost looks as if one of the pins/wires got hot - which could also fracture the plastic.

Cannot really tell but the plastic should be clearer I think. And there is darkening that almost could be burnt....

I think that's all just the lighting and poor focus making things look darker, and the transparency of the plastic doesn't seem important. Almost seems "frosted" to me. Also looks like that might have been a shielded cable, though the shielding probably wouldn't have been any use with this equipment.