Kitz Forum
Computers & Hardware => Networking => Topic started by: tiffy on October 27, 2020, 12:57:09 PM
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Wondering if anyone has had any success running pfSense on a RPi4B ?
Have read conflicting information especially regarding the 64bit capability of the RPi4B with respect to the running of the current 64bit pfSense program.
I have available a 2 Gb RAM RPi4B with a USB-3 connected, bootable, SSD and can add an additional ethernet port via a USB-3 adaptor.
Would like to have a "play" with pfSense and can't justify the outlay for a small dedicated, multi-port PC at present.
PS. Hope this is an appropriate forum area, chosen as the only location I can find with previous reference to pfSense.
Edit: Typo correction.
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PS. Hope this is an appropriate forum area, chosen as the only location I can find with previous reference to pfSense.
I can't think of anywhere more appropriate. :)
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I haven't tried it on a Pi but have you considered playing with pfSense in a virtual machine? Or you could use a bootable USB stick?
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As I understand it pfSense only do ARM builds for their own appliances, the community edition is strictly x86 only.
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OPNSense, the fork of PFSense, has an unofficial custom Raspberry Pi build: https://forum.opnsense.org/index.php?topic=14875.0
Not tried it, the only things I have tried are OpenWRT and IPFire on a Pi.
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Thanks to all for the interest, looks like pfSense is currently a non-starter even on the latest Rpi-4B model.
Will investigate the other options/programs suggested in greater detail, good project for the long "Covid-19" restricted winter, assuming survival !
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OPNSense, the fork of PFSense, has an unofficial custom Raspberry Pi build: https://forum.opnsense.org/index.php?topic=14875.0
Not tried it, the only things I have tried are OpenWRT and IPFire on a Pi.
I tested OPNsense for a while last year and I really liked it, I think the interface is better than pfSense, the downside for me was that it needs more resources to run (or thats what I found on my APU2C4 router) and I couldn't get it to load balance properly so I went back to pfSense again.
Maybe if I had persevered ....
I would have thought OpenWRT (https://openwrt.org/toh/raspberry_pi_foundation/raspberry_pi) would be a good bet, although I haven't tried it myself
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Hi.
I built my PfSense during the first lockdown, I had been running Smoothwall box for a very long time but with the lack of support I decided to try PfSense and find it was very easy to install once I sorted the MB 'Bios' settings out.
I used this
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32980097736.html?spm=a2g0s.12269583.0.0.47be155afYNTps
I got it within five days, I think I paid £78 for i, you do have to pay £18 uk import duty.
I bought my own HD and RAM separate.
I am forever surprised what PfSense can do apart from a very good firewall.
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off topic question
but i have pi4 as a router and using openwrt on it.
Is it possible to run dslstats on it?
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@tickmike:
Many thanks for the link, very interesting, reasonable cost.
Is the SSD M.2 or 2.5" SATA format, can't make this out from the WEB link ?
Still considering the available program options and would like to have a little play on some of my available hardware before buying any further hardware.
@neil:
Would not have thought that DSLStats would run and harvest stat's on the same RPi-4B while running OpenWrt but I could be wrong, I'am sure some of the forum patrons or the program author, roseway, Eric, can advise further.
Edit: Typo correction.
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@tiffy
I used a from eBay.
SSD SATA mSATA 60GB Shark Internal Solid State Drive High Performance Hard Drive
£27.50
Standard SATA hard drive will not go in and produces too much heat.
Plus RAM
Crucial 8GB 1X 8GB PC3L-12800S DDR3-1600MHZ 204Pin 1.35V SO-DIMM Memory Ram
£34.00
These just slot in.
I used 4 long right angle brackets on the sides, fixed with 3mm screws with there heads made to fit the case slots, to stand the unit off the the fixing surface to allow air to cool the unit, it's at running 45c cpu temp today.
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Hi.
I built my PfSense during the first lockdown, I had been running Smoothwall box for a very long time but with the lack of support I decided to try PfSense and find it was very easy to install once I sorted the MB 'Bios' settings out.
I used this
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32980097736.html?spm=a2g0s.12269583.0.0.47be155afYNTps
I got it within five days, I think I paid £78 for i, you do have to pay £18 uk import duty.
I bought my own HD and RAM separate.
I am forever surprised what PfSense can do apart from a very good firewall.
The drawback with that is it will be slow for VPNs due to the lack of AES-NI in the CPU, also at some point in the future pfSense is going to stop supporting CPUs without AES-NI although the way things are going that could be many many years away.
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Will investigate the other options/programs suggested in greater detail, good project for the long "Covid-19" restricted winter, assuming survival !
This may be of some interest, perhaps: https://www.openmptcprouter.com/
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This may be of some interest, perhaps: https://www.openmptcprouter.com/
Thanks, I think I did stumble onto that at some point but I don't think it was as well documented as it is now, especially having a list of compatible/affordable VPS providers.