---
title: Stalled SSH connections
summary: >
  My firewall removed valid connections obviosly.
  This is how I solved it.
date: 2024-10-06T19:30:17+02:00
# lastmod: 2024-08-18T14:20:52+0000
categories:
  - computerstuff
tags:
  - networking
  - pfSense
  - openssh
  - selfhost
---

I spent some time adjusting my SSH configuration because I often get stalled
connections to my servers but I never got that fixed until recently, when I
started looking in my firewall settings on the pfSense.

After changing the <kbd>Firewall Optimization Settings</kbd> within
<kbd>System</kbd> → <kbd>Advanced</kbd> → <kbd>Firewall & NAT</kbd> to
<kbd>Conservative</kbd> I had no more of these hangs of my SSH sessions.

I use the `ControlMaster` setting in my SSH configuration so the stalled
connections have to be killed with something like

```console
$ ssh -O exit {short hostname}
```

every time -- which is annoying.