Can I run pfSense on the C3558D4U-2OP (ASRock Soc Motherboard)
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Hi, this is my first post so I apologize in advance if I do something wrong.
Main Question:
Can I run pfSense on this ASRock board? (link, C3558D4U-2OP) I'm mostly worried about the INPHI PCH CS4227 NIC.
More Context:
I've never built a pfSense router before so I'm new to this. I took inspiration from netgate's official hardware and tried to find something with an Intel Atom C3558. I found only 2 such boards that are available in my region. This is the other one if you're curious link, C3558D4I-4L.
I chose the Intel Atom processor because I highly value energy efficiency and the board because I want SPF+ ports for 10Gb. Those are the 2 most important features for me. I'm worried about the INPHI PCH CS4227 NIC on the board, so if you could tell me if this NIC works or if you can recommend a board with similar features that would be awesome! -
@drmeta said in Can I run pfSense on the C3558D4U-2OP (ASRock Soc Motherboard):
I'm mostly worried about the INPHI PCH CS4227 NIC
That's not a NIC it's a PHY. It almost certainly uses two of the on-board ix NICs in the C3558 SoC which are supported. It's impossible to be 100% sure without testing it but I would expect that to work.
Steve
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@stephenw10
Thank you for clarifying! I didn't know that. Is there anything else I can check for compatibility or do I just have to buy one and test it? Also, if it's not too much trouble, could you explain what a PHY is? -
It's the physical layer part of the NIC. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_layer#PHY
I would look on the FreeBSD forums or mailing lists for reports of using that board. Or that CPU and PHY combo.
Steve