After enabling Network Packet Broker, packet loop within broker cause high packet rates resulting high dataplane CPU

After enabling Network Packet Broker, packet loop within broker cause high packet rates resulting high dataplane CPU

3005
Created On 01/10/23 01:28 AM - Last Modified 06/03/25 03:00 AM


Symptom


  • Enabling network packet broker, DP CPU goes high due to very high packet rate. Issue happens intermittently
  • The increase in packet rate is due to a packet looping in the broker session.
  • Once the broker session is cleared, packet rate as well as DP CPU comes down.
  • Discard due to proxy decrypt failure. 
  • From client, "Fatal, Certificate unknown" received*
CMA-FW-PA01(active)> show session id 1349898
......
        session terminated on host           : False
        session traverses tunnel             : False
        session terminate tunnel             : False
        captive portal session               : False
        ingress interface                    : ae4.221
        egress interface                     : ae5.533
        session QoS rule                     : N/A (class 4)
        tracker stage firewall               : proxy decrypt failure
        tracker stage l7proc                 : ctd proc changed
        end-reason                           : decrypt-error
.....
 
  • Due to the packet looping, the broker session can get as big as 1G*
CMA-FW-PA01(active)> show session all filter ingress-interface ethernet1/6 min-kb 1048576
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ID          Application    State   Type Flag  Src[Sport]/Zone/Proto (translated IP[Port])
Vsys                                          Dst[Dport]/Zone (translated IP[Port])
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1673649      none           ACTIVE  FLOW       172.25.171.62[51410]/Packet-Broker/6  (172.25.171.62[51410])
vsys1                                          172.25.95.250[8080]/Packet-Broker  (172.25.95.250[8080])
{noformat}
  • Only when the session is killed, packet rate comes down. With multiple similar sessions, packet rate increases (seen 800000/s in customer environment) which is when DP CPU increases.
FW-PA01(active)> show session info | match "Packet rate:"
Packet rate:                                     53844/s

FW-PA01(active)> show session info | match "Packet rate:"
Packet rate:                                     68708/s

FW-PA01(active)> show session info | match "Packet rate:"
Packet rate:                                     83558/s

FW-PA01(active)> show session info | match "Packet rate:"
Packet rate:                                     101342/s
  • Packet Buffer is used up, which result in high DP cpu.
admin@pa-850> show running resource-monitor second last 60

Resource monitoring sampling data (per second):

CPU load sampling by group:
flow_lookup : 100%
flow_fastpath : 100%
flow_slowpath : 100%
flow_forwarding : 100%
flow_mgmt : 100%
flow_ctrl : 100%
nac_result : 100%
flow_np : 100%
dfa_result : 100%
module_internal : 100%
aho_result : 100%
zip_result : 100%
pktlog_forwarding : 100%
lwm : 0%
flow_host : 100%
fpga_result : 0%

CPU load (%) during last 60 seconds:
core 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
* 100 100 100 100 100 * *
* 100 100 100 100 100 * *
* 100 100 100 100 100 * *
* 100 100 100 100 100 * *
* 100 100 100 100 100 * *
* 100 100 100 100 100 * *
* 100 100 100 100 100 * *
* 100 100 100 100 100 * *
* 100 100 100 100 100 * *

.....output omitted....

packet buffer:
56 67 79 98 98 99 98 94 95 95 99 94 99 99 90
99 100 100 99 99 99 93 52 28 8 7 2 1 1 1
0 4 12 18 24 22 26 18 2 0 2 0 0 11 22
32 51 57 74 74 52 57 56 61 61 67 83 77 72 75
....



 


Environment


  • Affect any firewalls connect to network packet broker (NPB)
  • Any PANOS 10.1.7 or below


Cause


Software Issue.

Resolution


  1. The issue is fixed PANOS 10.1.8 and 10.2.4  under PAN-194441. Upgrade will resolve the issue.
  2. PAN-194441- Fixed an issue where the dataplane CPU usage was higher than expected due to packet looping in the broker session when the network packet broker was enabled.


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