Watchguard Firebox M400/M500
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@stephenw10
No, I have another CF and I have tried with USB stick as well. I have successfully boot Arc loader and ubuntu core.
Many thanks for your feedback. I will keep working on it. -
It won't boot USB with the original BIOS but if you've got a CF that will boot at all that should work.
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@stephenw10 said in Watchguard Firebox M400/M500:
iI won't boot USB with the original BIOS but if you've got a CF that will boot at all that should work.
I can boot with the original bios using USB stick As I have mentioned, I did this couple of times.
The condition is to remove the CF. -
Hmm, curious. I never managed to make that work before flashing the BIOS.
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I manage to install Synology DMS 7.2 using an arc-24.6.2.img, then installed an SSD.
The boot is still on the USB stick.I just ordered i5-4590T CPU as replacement for the original one and 8 GB CF to not brake the original CF.
I will keep you posted. -
This M500 may have an unlocked bios, otherwise, it would not boot from USB IIRC. I had to unlock the bios through the serial console using the password others have posted in this forum. I was able to enable USB booting after unlocking the bios and successfully booted from a USB flash drive that had the USB memstick installer (Serial Console). I chose to install pfsense on the internal CF card as I did not want to open the box. The box boots off the CF now without a fuss.
I upgraded the CPU to an i5-4590T and installed low noise fans on my M400 previously, but it hangs on reboot every single time, so I left the M500 's original configuration as is. -
@iJay-XTM5
Appreciate your feedback. I have a second M500 (I used both in datacenter in HA mode), so I can test on this as well. Yesterday did the CPU update and I'm looking forward to replace the fans as well. Unfortunately a low noise fan is expansive, so in case you have any hint please share with me.Regarding CPU temperature, it is ~60-62C in full load with the original fans.
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You can lower the fan speed existing fans to reduce the noise using WGXepc
That seems quite hot though. I assume you replaced the heatsink compound when you fitted that?
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@stephenw10 said in Watchguard Firebox M400/M500:
That seems quite hot though. I assume you replaced the heatsink compound when you fitted that?
Yes. I did.
What is a normal temperature on your end ?
Many thanks. -
Depends on the ambient temp I guess but for a 'T' rated CPU I expect lower. My M500 with a 4670S runs slightly cooler than that at max:
last pid: 57560; load averages: 4.20, 3.66, 2.22 up 0+00:13:56 19:53:36 187 threads: 9 running, 157 sleeping, 21 waiting CPU 0: 29.1% user, 0.0% nice, 70.9% system, 0.0% interrupt, 0.0% idle CPU 1: 29.9% user, 0.0% nice, 70.1% system, 0.0% interrupt, 0.0% idle CPU 2: 30.7% user, 0.0% nice, 69.3% system, 0.0% interrupt, 0.0% idle CPU 3: 32.7% user, 0.0% nice, 67.3% system, 0.0% interrupt, 0.0% idle Mem: 106M Active, 9212K Inact, 339M Wired, 118M Buf, 7411M Free Swap: 192M Total, 192M Free PID USERNAME PRI NICE SIZE RES STATE C TIME WCPU COMMAND 44930 root 135 0 12M 2076K RUN 2 10:53 99.97% yes 44987 root 135 0 12M 2072K CPU1 1 10:52 99.88% yes 44788 root 135 0 12M 2072K CPU0 0 10:54 99.87% yes 45189 root 135 0 12M 2068K CPU3 3 10:52 99.86% yes 0 root -60 - 0B 672K - 3 0:00 0.05% [kernel{if_config_tqg_0}] 57560 root 20 0 14M 3992K CPU2 2 0:00 0.03% top -HaSP 6 root -16 - 0B 16K pftm 0 0:00 0.02% [pf purge][24.03-RELEASE][root@m500.stevew.lan]/root: sysctl dev.cpu.0.temperature dev.cpu.1.temperature dev.cpu.2.temperature dev.cpu.3.temperature dev.cpu.0.temperature: 58.0C dev.cpu.1.temperature: 54.0C dev.cpu.2.temperature: 57.0C dev.cpu.3.temperature: 55.0CThe fans are pretty loud at that point!
[24.03-RELEASE][root@m500.stevew.lan]/root: ./WGXepc64 -f Found Firebox M400/500 Current fanspeed is 78, minimum fanspeed is 1bAlso it's the hotest day of the year today in the UK so the ambient is ~30C in my 'office'.
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@stephenw10
Many thanks for the info. I will replace the heatsink compound again. Currently I'm using a Ceramic polysynthetic thermal compound which should not be bad :) -
I wouldn't expect to need anything too special there. Just not trying to reuse the crusty stuff Lanner put on it 10 years ago!
For reference at mostly idle I see:
[24.03-RELEASE][root@m500.stevew.lan]/root: sysctl dev.cpu.0.temperature dev.cpu.1.temperature dev.cpu.2.temperature dev.cpu.3.temperature dev.cpu.0.temperature: 40.0C dev.cpu.1.temperature: 38.0C dev.cpu.2.temperature: 40.0C dev.cpu.3.temperature: 42.0C [24.03-RELEASE][root@m500.stevew.lan]/root: ./WGXepc64 -f Found Firebox M400/500 Current fanspeed is 2e, minimum fanspeed is 1b -
Don't know if anyone else has tried yet (and I have no reason to think it wouldn't work but..) I successfully upgraded to Pfsense+ on my M400 today running an i5 processor..
More to support Netgate and Pfsense than anything.. but in case anyone else is holding back.. ;)
