Netgate Discussion Forum
    • Categories
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Users
    • Search
    • Register
    • Login

    Watchguard XTM 5 Series

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Hardware
    1.1k Posts 130 Posters 1.5m Views
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • M
      mredding
      last edited by

      @CyberDaddIO:

      I have an XTM 510 & plan on installing pfSense. At the moment it is still running the Watchguard OS & I am just trying to log into the serial console. If I boot the XTM while connected to the console via Putty I can see it booting, but when the logon prompt appears, I can't type anything. I have tried 2 different console cables & connected to one laptop via serial port & another via USB to serial adapter (both laptops running Windows 10). All produce the same result.

      Anyone experienced this?

      I had problems where there was a little hiccup during the transition from the BIOS to the OS, where I wouldn't see the OS booting without unplugging the console cable and plugging it back in, but nothing like you described on this hardware. The only time I've had a problem where I could see everything but couldn't type was with a TTL to USB 6-pin serial converter and a consumer router when the connector to the router's RX pin was loose.
      I'm fairly confident I have these cables for connection to the console and they work: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00HUZ6OMQ/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_bn0cAbTG7TFEB

      Hopefully the console connector on your board is okay. If not, there is also a serial port header you can plug a standard motherboard 10-pin to DB9 connector into like this one: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01MFBMZZF/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_VQ0cAbWJR5987 However, I guess that would map to the second serial port and I'm not sure how you would direct the console to that one. This post all the way back on page 11 shows where it gets plugged into: https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php?topic=43574.msg430594#msg430594

      I couldn't get PuTTY to work at all for some reason, but I used both screen & minicom on Ubuntu without issues.

      –---

      @uu0113:

      If anyone can get the Arm/Disarm to work, please let me know.

      I'll attach my modified 1.3 BIOS with working arm/disarm LED so you can compare.
      md5sum:23f2a6329db762256a03bec8a70bd5d7

      –---

      BTW, on an unrelated note, I found that Suricata does not work in inline mode on this hardware (not that I expected it to), but does in legacy mode. YMMV.

      MJR-BIOSv2.zip

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • C
        CyberDaddIO
        last edited by

        @CyberDaddIO:

        I have an XTM 510 & plan on installing pfSense. At the moment it is still running the Watchguard OS & I am just trying to log into the serial console. If I boot the XTM while connected to the console via Putty I can see it booting, but when the logon prompt appears, I can't type anything. I have tried 2 different console cables & connected to one laptop via serial port & another via USB to serial adapter (both laptops running Windows 10). All produce the same result.

        Anyone experienced this?

        Turned out to be the USB-Serial adapter. I found another one & it works fine with the three console cables I have. The laptop with the serial port has has it on the docking station, so that serial port must also be doing something funky with the pinout.

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • D
          diesel678
          last edited by

          Pfsense 2.4.1 seems to be working fine on XTM 5. You just boot live USB pfsense and then install it to the CF card using a desktop PC. No problems booting so far

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • chpalmerC
            chpalmer
            last edited by

            @diesel678:

            Pfsense 2.4.1 seems to be working fine on XTM 5. You just boot live USB pfsense and then install it to the CF card using a desktop PC. No problems booting so far

            Im on 2.4.2 snaps on my unit here..  Got a few in the field all on 2.4.1 NP at all.

            Triggering snowflakes one by one..
            Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4590T CPU @ 2.00GHz on an M400 WG box.

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • D
              DeLorean
              last edited by

              @diesel678:

              Pfsense 2.4.1 seems to be working fine on XTM 5. You just boot live USB pfsense and then install it to the CF card using a desktop PC. No problems booting so far

              After installing to a CF card , you must enable the RAM disks, to extend the life span of your CF card, or your CF card will die very soon. :-)

              Grtz
              DeLorean

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • D
                DeLorean
                last edited by

                @diesel678:

                Pfsense 2.4.1 seems to be working fine on XTM 5. You just boot live USB pfsense and then install it to the CF card using a desktop PC. No problems booting so far

                Or you can flash the BIOS with the unlocked version,
                and you install pfSense (memstick serial version) from USB stick straight to the CF in the Watchguard.

                Grts
                DeLorean

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • E
                  elliotcater
                  last edited by

                  I edited the xtm5_83.rom from Stephenw10 to include the Xeon microcode for socket 771 processors if anyone with a programmer is interested and fancies trying it?  Not tried it myself yet as not got a programmer yet…  :-[

                  Lots of good 771 processors knocking around and seem to be lower TDP...

                  xtm5_xeon.rom.zip

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • chpalmerC
                    chpalmer
                    last edited by

                    @elliotcater:

                    Not tried it myself yet as not got a programmer yet…  :-[

                    [/quote]

                    Theres always Flashrom..

                    :)

                    Triggering snowflakes one by one..
                    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4590T CPU @ 2.00GHz on an M400 WG box.

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • M
                      m0reilly
                      last edited by

                      I'm not having any luck running PFsense from a CF card (Transcend x300 4gb). I get no network activity. Tried both nano (2.3), and the other option. I wanted to see if I could at least get it going on a CF before trying it on an ssd. XTM 510, running a Q9400 quad cpu (original OS runs super, but wanted to at least see PF running, then planned to flash bios)…
                      Any help would be appreciated...

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • M
                        m0reilly
                        last edited by

                        this is what I see after install…
                        Serial, 9600, my present com port #...I had checked out the existing bios, looked at some settings (115200) prior to the initial reboot...

                        umlol.png_thumb
                        umlol.png

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • D
                          diesel678
                          last edited by

                          @m0reilly:

                          this is what I see after install…
                          Serial, 9600, my present com port #...I had checked out the existing bios, looked at some settings (115200) prior to the initial reboot...

                          Which type of serial cable are you using? I use rj45 to COM but it does NOT need null modem adapter to get it working like x750e watchguard does.

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • D
                            diesel678
                            last edited by

                            @DeLorean:

                            @diesel678:

                            Pfsense 2.4.1 seems to be working fine on XTM 5. You just boot live USB pfsense and then install it to the CF card using a desktop PC. No problems booting so far

                            Or you can flash the BIOS with the unlocked version,
                            and you install pfSense (memstick serial version) from USB stick straight to the CF in the Watchguard.

                            Grts
                            DeLorean

                            Thanks for the tip about ramdisks. sounds more efficient installing straight from usb. how do you go about installing the unlocked bios version?

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • D
                              DeLorean
                              last edited by

                              @m0reilly:

                              this is what I see after install…
                              Serial, 9600, my present com port #...I had checked out the existing bios, looked at some settings (115200) prior to the initial reboot...

                              9600 is only used on the older X-E Core series like x550e, x750e, x1250e and x5500e for accessing the BIOS setup.
                              For the XTM5 series since pfSense version 2.2 and later, it's 115200 for updating BIOS or installing pfSense.

                              Grtz
                              DeLorean

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • M
                                m0reilly
                                last edited by

                                Thanks for that. Yes, I used the 115200 before and after the 9600 attempt, but I think I have found the issue: the CF card may be being blocked from the boot order, as it shows the CF as the boot choice but in the boot order it is listed in brackets (the bios info states that devices in parentheses are excluded from boot…matter of semantics, or...? ). I'll put the original OS back in, see how it looks re boot.
                                @Diesel678: A Cisco style cable, two piece.

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • C
                                  Cortex
                                  last edited by

                                  @blaxx:

                                  @stephenw10:

                                  Do you have 'Hardware TCP Segmentation Offloading' disabled in System > Advanced > Networking?

                                  It should be disabled by default.

                                  Steve

                                  Yes it is disabled. The config is default except for installation of LCDproc.

                                  Stellan

                                  Ok so it's a bit late 2 months after your post.
                                  I had the same problem, that my box would stop working after a couple of weeks. I found that uninstalling the LCDproc actually solved this.
                                  I'd try to run it without the LCDproc installed.

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • C
                                    Cortex
                                    last edited by

                                    Maybe I missed it somewhere in the thread, but i can't seem to find an answer for this.
                                    I says that pfsense 2.4 is not supported as embedded distribution, but is it safe to upgrade from 2..3.4 to 2.4.0 using the update function?

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • D
                                      DeLorean
                                      last edited by

                                      @Cortex:

                                      Maybe I missed it somewhere in the thread, but i can't seem to find an answer for this.
                                      I says that pfsense 2.4 is not supported as embedded distribution, but is it safe to upgrade from 2..3.4 to 2.4.0 using the update function?

                                      You can't update from embedded 2.3.4 to full version of pfSense 2.4.x,
                                      but you can install 2.4.x from USB flashdrive to the CF card and after install, enabling the RAM disks under Avanced,
                                      for extending the life span of your CF card.
                                      Installing from USB flashdrive is also only supported when you prior flashed a unlocked BIOS to your XTM5 box.

                                      Grtz
                                      DeLorean

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • C
                                        Cortex
                                        last edited by

                                        @DeLorean:

                                        @Cortex:

                                        Maybe I missed it somewhere in the thread, but i can't seem to find an answer for this.
                                        I says that pfsense 2.4 is not supported as embedded distribution, but is it safe to upgrade from 2..3.4 to 2.4.0 using the update function?

                                        You can't update from embedded 2.3.4 to full version of pfSense 2.4.x,
                                        but you can install 2.4.x from USB flashdrive to the CF card and after install, enabling the RAM disks under Avanced,
                                        for extending the life span of your CF card.
                                        Installing from USB flashdrive is also only supported when you prior flashed a unlocked BIOS to your XTM5 box.

                                        Grtz
                                        DeLorean

                                        Can it be done without flashing the bios? I haven't tried that before.
                                        Eg. burn the memstick installer image on a CF card and plug it in to the XTM, and then install it directly to an SSD?

                                        Otherwise:
                                        Are you aware of a good step by step tutorial to flash the bios, including a link to a bios image?

                                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • D
                                          DeLorean
                                          last edited by

                                          @Cortex:

                                          Can it be done without flashing the bios? I haven't tried that before.
                                          Eg. burn the memstick installer image on a CF card and plug it in to the XTM, and then install it directly to an SSD?

                                          Yes, that's possible that way.
                                          When pfSense is installed, choose reboot, and shutdown the box after the beep.
                                          Remove then the CF card and boot the box, it will then boot from the SSD.

                                          Grtz
                                          DeLorean

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • stephenw10S
                                            stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                                            last edited by

                                            Flashing the BIOS and booting from USB is probably not much more difficult though and much more flexible in the future. Of course there is always some risk with flashing….

                                            Steve

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                            • First post
                                              Last post
                                            Copyright 2025 Rubicon Communications LLC (Netgate). All rights reserved.