Watchguard Hardware guide

neotec_de

Hi,

here is the first version of my little hardware manual for the watchguard fireboxes.

Please let me know any comment, suggestions, corrections etc.

@Steve: Is it possible for you to write a little guide for the LCD/LED and Bios section?

WG guide

Alex

stephenw10

Woh! :o

Nice work! :)

Still reading but so far I have:

X-Peak chipset is ICH5

Processor is 2GHz in all the X-Peak-E and 1.3GHz in the X-Core-E

You could include the SSL-Core (same as X-core but uses HD) and the SSL-100/500/1000 (probably same as X-Core-E)

To access the bios on the x-peak you need a combination of ps2 connected keyboard for input and bios console redirect for output. Then it works fine.

The X-core/peak-E box has a reset button that's hidden behind the front panel.

There's no need to include the information about removing the blue wire from the fans in the X-E box. This was only necessary if you adjust the fan speed in the bios but that can now be achieved by the WGXepc program. This is better since it starts the fans at full speed so they don't stall.

Known problems X-E:
The NIC leds don't behave as you might expect. This can lead to confusion where it doesn't look as though the link is up even though it is.

Testing the maximum throughput of the X-E, the msk interfaces (the add in card) can stop responding with a watchdog timeout.

There is quite a lot of duplicate information in there.

Anyway you've put some work into that! Great job. ;D

Steve

Sleeps

This is an excellent piece of work.

Well done.

Sleeps

mmiller

That is really nice.

neotec_de

So…

Corrections and some additions done. ;)

New version is online. --> See link in my first post.

I've decided to include only the hardware infos for now.
...otherwise it's a never ending story.

Alex

stephenw10

@neotec_de:

I've decided to include only the hardware infos for now.
…otherwise it's a never ending story.

I agree.
I think your new version is better, much easier to read. :)

You may need to include some information about accessing the bios. For the X-e box, at least, since it's not possible to boot into pfSense without it.

I appreciate all the work you've done on this but do you think this might be better in a wiki?

Steve

stephenw10

You could include something about the 'tacoma' upgrade module, the add in VPN card on the X-peak-E.

Nobody has replied to me about that yet but in my box it causes a huge interupt load on the cpu when the module is present and isn't detected at all. Is that what you are seeing?

Steve

StuartW

Moving here as more applicable to hardware:

@stephenw10:

You mean this:

I believe that if you remove the label on that chip you'll find it's the SuperIO chip. I haven't looked on the X-core though.

Steve

Ive been doing some experimenting and have opened up 2 x1000's, 2 x500's and 1 x core vssl vpn gateway and everything looks the same hardware wise EXCEPT the label on this IC, which is different on every box, even boxes of the same type.

I've pulled the label off one, which shows the following:


ITE
IT8712F-A
0502-GXS
MK78L2
AmMega 87-96

However googling reports this as Sound chip?? ???

The next thing I've tried is putting an original WG CF card in (running 7.3 OS) and a VGA card, booting into SysB and doing a discovery. For every box EXCEPT the VPN Gateway, the correct model is identified, the VPN gateway comes back as UNKNOWN.

So, given that the boxes are license upgradeable, there must be a way for the on the CF card to write back to <somwhere else="">for the model to change.

The challenge is to find this place ;)

StuartW

P.S As an aside, the VPN gateway device comes with the mythical HDD tray:

</somwhere>

stephenw10

Ooo exciting! ;)
Is that a 2.5" drive?
Does it have a part number? Is it available as a spare?
I'm pretty sure I put in a few bids on that box on Ebay. ::)

I'm pretty sure that's the SuperIO chip whatever Google says.
Changing the model number, although an interesting challenge, would not be of any benefit to us using pfSense and would likely incur the wrath of Watchguard.

Steve

Edit: Yep, superI/O chip: http://www.ite.com.tw/EN/products_more.aspx?CategoryID=3&ID=5,66

StuartW

@stephenw10:

Ooo exciting! ;)
Is that a 2.5" drive?
Does it have a part number? Is it available as a spare?

Hold that thought, I've got someone looking for me ;) yes, it's a 2.5" drive.
@stephenw10:

Changing the model number, although an interesting challenge, would not be of any benefit to us using pfSense and would likely incur the wrath of Watchguard.

hmm yeah, hadn't thought about that. Not really something I'd be wanting to do.

fastcon68

great guide, be waiting to see what, more you come up with. I have a x-6000.
RC

mmiller

neotec_de,

I'm about to install a 2.5 laptop drive into my X8000. Would you like pictures of the drive sled and the 44 pin to Interposer Adapter as well?

neotec_de

@mmiller

that would be great. :)

Please use the E-mail button or post it here.

Alex

Unubtanium

Hi All

Moving my question over here for it is a hardware problem:

I have just got a x1250e and it is NOT booting at all, it is stuck on having the four center diag led on the mb constantly on, do not even do its first bip. See attached pic.

Does anyone know where i can find a guide to what this leds mean? Have googled and googled but no luck.

4led.jpg_thumb