PfSense 2.0.1 64-bit and concurrent connections
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Hi
Since pfSense 2.0.1 64-bit should ensure the proper functioning of a network of 12 computers and it should manage an extremely heavy use of concurrent connections incoming and outgoing, I would like to know what hardware is needed?
Thanks
Bye
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There is no 2.0.4. The current release is 2.0.1.
The hardware required will depend mostly on the bandwidth of your WAN connection. If you have multiple LAN interfaces and require routing between them that bandwidth may also dictate your hardware choice.
Steve
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So, having an ADSL connection to 20 Mbit, what hardware is needed?
Thanks
Bye
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Unless there is something you haven't told us, an Alix (500MHz AMD x86 CPU, 256MB) should easily handle that bandwidth.
BUT, depending on the number of connections involved it may not have enough memory for "an extremely heavy use of concurrent connections". Can you quantify that? And are they short lived? TCP? etc. If lots of concurrent connections need to stay open for a long time (hours or days) you might need to tune your firewall a bit differently than if lots of concurrent connections stay open for only a few seconds.
Presumably you mentioned 64 bit CPU because you think you might need "lots" of memory. If it turns out you really need multi GB memory to satisfy your concurrent connections requirement then take care you select a motherboard and CPU with adequate memory capability. (Some Atom CPUs are 64 bit capable CPUs but are capable of addressing at most 4GB.)
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In practice, I use a lot of utorrent and eMule. So, what hardware is necessary to ensure that a firewall hardware comfortably handle the traffic caused by these software?
Thanks
Bye
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In practice, I use a lot of utorrent and eMule.
OK, so lets be "generous" and say 20 computers (to allow a bit of upscale from what you already have) each running 10 torrents concurrently and each torrent running 100 concurrent connections. That gives 20,000 concurrent connections. From memory, state table entries take about 1kB RAM and because connections will be starting up and closing down as individual torrent chunks complete transfer you might want to allow 100,000 state table entries for which you would need 100MB.
I suspect you probably wouldn't want to run 20,000 concurrent torrent connections. You might prefer, at least sometimes, to run far fewer connections in order to allow some transfers to complete more quickly.
On what you have told us, there is no real need for 64-bit capable CPU and probably no need for more than 512MB RAM.
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As CPU, what you advise me?
Thanks
Bye
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As CPU, what you advise me?
Since a 500MHz AMD x86 CPU is reported to be capable of handling over 80Mbps WAN link I suspect that any x86 CPU (except possibly Transmeta) that is no more than about 10 years old should do the job.