CompactFlash in production?
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How many of you are using CompactFlash for production firewall storage? I believe pfSense is mostly read-only access, but I'm not sure if CF is a good idea for a production SOHO/SMB firewall. If so, what CF brand/model do you recommend?
Thanks
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i'm using it in a few small organisations on an alix board running a couple of vlans & a few rules on snort.
i'm using a 4gb industrial compact flash card and they run a treat. -
Who makes that industrial CF card you're using?
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Any opinions on durability, quality, etc.?
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I've been using a couple of Transcend 1GB DOM (disk modules that plug into IDE connector on motherboard, there are variants with different connectors) that have given good service in a pfSense box for a bit less than 2 years now. I haven't had to replace them.
I run the full pfSense, not embedded.
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My pfSense boxes all use these cards with a full (not embedded) install.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820208417
I don't see an issue with CF unless you're using a cheap MLC card. SLC chips will outlast the rest of your hardware. 8GB is overkill, you could get the 4GB to save some cash.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820208418
The only thing I'd say though is that not all CF readers support DMA and I had some issues with that when installing pfSense with a Mini-Box M200 case.
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Thanks. I went with a SanDisk Ultra 2 as I heard good thing about them. Local shops don't seem to carry the SLC chips around where I am so I'll be ordering online from now on.