@jimp:
@phil.davis:
Maybe a screen could be added to the wizard that asks if you are going to use this system for remote VPN access. Then it could give some recommendations about picking a LAN address/subnet, a box to generate a "random" one, instructions about how to make your client get an address in the new subnet when the wizard applies the settings…
Any bright ideas about how the system could be improved to help with initial config "design" without generating a support forum nightmare?
Some more text would be about the only thing we would do there. I don't see the wizard randomly picking a subnet. We have the default the default for a reason. There is no guessing involved, you know what it is, and it's the most common default out there. You don't have to check the console or anything to see what the default is, it's always 192.168.1.1.
Having the wizard change it automatically would be a POLA violation and if it randomized it on every run, someone could easily accidentally change their LAN without intending to if they re-run the wizard later to change something else (which is more common than you might think). If it were changed on first boot, then people without a console attached (e.g. new ALIX owners with no serial cable) would have no idea what their LAN IP is and would have to manually check their DHCP settings to find the firewall address (can't really rely on DNS there in 100% of cases).
At some point we have to put the burden on the user to actually pick correct settings. Adding automatic randomization crosses that line into territory that would cause more ill effects than good. Too much hand-holding/nannying and too much room for error.
Somehow I go with phil.davis but it shouldn't be a randomized to avoid "collision". In my place, ISP commonly used 192.168.1.1 in all their deployed modem-routers and in it really cause collision in the PC being installed is connected to the source during installation. I was a "victim" of that collision for a very long time since I though I need to connect my PC when installing pfsense and once it successfully installed, my connection is lost since my box would have been installed a default WAN of 1.1 while my source WAN is also 1.1. I can't open the Web GUI at all and all my wireless connectivity from the source (ISP) is also lost.
I found that, it's better to detach or not to attach source to the PC when installing pfsense in that way all possible IP collision is avoided. Anyways, the default LAN IP can always be edited. It's just my opinion based on my experience.