Would this do well as a managed switch to create vlans from?

danswartz

how many ports do you need? i am using a dell switch that is managed, 8-port, all gig and vlan capable.

Guest

how many ports do you need? i am using a dell switch that is managed, 8-port, all gig and vlan capable.

Just going to be about 4-5 things plugged into it, and 2 of them will be vlans.
Since I am an absolute noob tbh on vlans, I wouldn't cry if I had to leave behind untangle.

Eugene

@jigglywiggly:

more clear on what I plan to do: Setup a network with 2 vlans, one is where all my computers are, and the other one is for a single computer that I want isolated from the rest of the network. I also want the untangle box coming in to block viruses and spyware. I am new to vlans so don't hate D:

I would set up pfSense with three interfaces: wan, lan and one interface for as many vlans as you wish.
If you are new to vlans, just learn it, it's pretty simple - L2 switching, nothing fancy.

Guest

@Eugene:

@jigglywiggly:

more clear on what I plan to do: Setup a network with 2 vlans, one is where all my computers are, and the other one is for a single computer that I want isolated from the rest of the network. I also want the untangle box coming in to block viruses and spyware. I am new to vlans so don't hate D:

I would set up pfSense with three interfaces: wan, lan and one interface for as many vlans as you wish.
If you are new to vlans, just learn it, it's pretty simple - L2 switching, nothing fancy.

I could do that, but I was thinking of having everything plugged into the managed switch so it would see everything as an interface? I know what vlans are suppsoed to do, but there are a lot of different ways to setup them up.

So if I did it the way you're saying:

Modem > (wan)pfsense router(lan) > managed switch. Then all my computers connected in a standard consumer switch into one port on the managed switch. And then the isolated computer computer on another port on the vlan.

This seems like it would work. Do you guys agree?

Also is there a way to incorporate untangle into this? It's not a neccesity, and I would save the headaches if it would be complicated to setup that up.

Supermule

Then you would have to route between the seperate Vlans via seperate routers???

If Pfsense doesnt Vlan and your switch does, you need routers….. If ypu Vlan Pfsense, then, in theory, you only need one interface.

By all means correct me if I'm wrong...:)

Guest

@Supermule:

Then you would have to route between the seperate Vlans via seperate routers???

If Pfsense doesnt Vlan and your switch does, you need routers….. If ypu Vlan Pfsense, then, in theory, you only need one interface.

By all means correct me if I'm wrong...:)

Untangle doesn't have to be a router, just inspecs things and marks them if they contain viruses, or spyware or w/e. It can be configured as a router, I am not.

However I am alright with leaving untangle behind, though it would be a plus if it worked.

So if I did it the "normal" way without pfsense, with that 8 port managed siwtch. So I would configure the vlans from pfsense right?

Supermule

I wasnt commenting on untangle….

Guest

@Supermule:

I wasnt commenting on untangle….

Oh then I am missing something.

What would you personally think is a workable setup for what I want to do? Because I am getting mixed feedback :?

Supermule

Vlans on the switch compared til vlans on one interface in Pfsense….....

Eugene

For your config no additional smart switches needed.

Modem > (wan)pfsense(lan) > old switch with all user
                                 |(opt1)
                                 V
                     One server in DMZ

Guest

@Eugene:

For your config no additional smart switches needed.

Modem > (wan)pfsense(lan) > old switch with all user
                                 |(opt1)
                                 V
                     One server in DMZ

Wait, so if I got another card in my router, that runs on subnet 10.10.10.0 and my main stuff runs on 192.168.1.0 they can't communicate? I thought they would be able to, and that's what the point of the vlan is. Atleast I think that's what you're saying?

Even if that would work theoritically, I want to use a manged switch, someone is buying me one for free ;D As long as I give them 24/7 remote access to a computer. (That is why I want it separated).

Also I don't want it dmz'd just want a few ports open.

Eugene

All communcation between interfaces (subnets) will be managed by pfSense. If you wish you can allow everything between these interfaces, or conversly - disable any communication allowing everybody access to Internet. What is your point of separation?

Guest

@Eugene:

All communcation between interfaces (subnets) will be managed by pfSense. If you wish you can allow everything between these interfaces, or conversly - disable any communication allowing everybody access to Internet. What is your point of separation?

That seems like it work amazingly well, except I want to make it unnescairly complicated since I can get a managed switch out of this 8)
So lets say I use a manged switch, can anyone recommend me a particular setup that would work with vlans and that switch(8 port one)?

It would be nice getting some experience out of vlans as well.

I sort of had something like this in mind http://wan2.cheesyboofs.co.uk/home.htm

Guest

Hmm I might just screw the managed switch. So if I just have 3 nic cards in pfsense. One from wan, one for lan, and another for that isolated computer. I can set the lan and the isolated computer to not talk to each other right? (Different subnets). If so where would I do that?

Eugene

@jigglywiggly:

I can set the lan and the isolated computer to not talk to each other right? (Different subnets). If so where would I do that?

May be I was not clear… yes you cen. You doby managing pfSense' rules.

Guest

@Eugene:

@jigglywiggly:

I can set the lan and the isolated computer to not talk to each other right? (Different subnets). If so where would I do that?

May be I was not clear… yes you cen. You doby managing pfSense' rules.

Hot I get to save them a lot of by doing that :D with just 3 nic cards in pfsense instead of a managed switch.

So here is how it goes: 3 nic cards in pfsense, one of them is reserved for wan obviously, then my whole network goes in one nic card, so that's using 2 nic cards there. Then the third one is where the isolated computer gets directly connected to in pfsense.

How would I tell pfsense that I DO NOT, want them to communicate with each other? On the interfaces tab?

Eugene

Read and learn before you start.
Switches do not do what pfSense does and vice versa.
Good luck!

Guest

@Eugene:

Read and learn before you start.
Switches do not do what pfSense does and vice versa.
Good luck!

Read what though? Does that I have planned sound functional?
I know switches are layer 2 and routers are layer 3 on the OSI model, but what else is there to know :P ?

wallabybob

@jigglywiggly:

I know switches are layer 2 and routers are layer 3 on the OSI model, but what else is there to know :P ?

Firewalls!. The pfSense firewall rules can be used to control communication between interfaces/subnets. The pfSense firewall capability is based on the BSD pf firewall facility so you could do some reading on that to better understand what can be done with pfSense.

Guest

Firewalls!. The pfSense firewall rules can be used to control communication between interfaces/subnets. The pfSense firewall capability is based on the BSD pf firewall facility so you could do some reading on that to better understand what can be done with pfSense.

Never used the freebsd firewalls before, I only am familiar with iptables. I will do reading :D