Help installing pfSense on Firebox x500
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Greetings!
A fellow IT colleague recommended running pfSense on an old Firebox as a way to eventually setup OpenVPN and solve some remote access issues…only problem being that pfSense was already installed when he purchased his and so he is unable to assist with the installation.
I found an x500 on eBay, and I'm ready to roll, outside of having no clue as to how to install. I've gotten as far as removing the cover...please hold your applause.
Can anyone point me in the direction of a thorough step-by-step guide, maybe one created with noobs like me in mind? I've spent a few hours digging around the forums, but without any background knowledge on either the hardware nor the software, I'm a bit overwhelmed.
So far I've realized I need to purchase a null modem cable, and possibly upgrade the 64MB CF card currently inside the FB with at least 512MB?
So if anyone has a reference doc or was recently in a similar situation and feels like paying it forward, I'm all ears! Thank you.
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Yes, you're correct, you need a null modem cable and a larger CF card. I would get 1 or 2GB depending on what's available.
You've managed to not electrocute yourself yet so that's good. ;) What out for the exposed PSU!Hopefully everything you should need to know is now in this document:
https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/PfSense_on_Watchguard_FireboxThis section details installing to the X500:
https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/PfSense_on_Watchguard_Firebox#Installing_pfSenseBasically download an appropriate image, like this 32bit NanoBSD 1G image, and write it to the CF card using an appropriate program. Win32 disk imager is good if you're using Windows but you have to extract the image from its gzip container first.
Boot the firebox with the card in it and connect to the console port with your null modem cable and a terminal client (such as putty) at 9600bps. Follow the prompts to complete the install.
Come back with more questions. :)Steve
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Thank you for clarifying and providing the links!
Wish me luck :)
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Good Luck! ;)
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Alright, so I've gotten this far!
Am I now able to connect via a web interface to configure?
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Yes. If you didn't change the LAN subnet just point your browser at:
http://192.168.1.1Steve
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Sometimes I disappoint myself…thanks for kicking me in the right direction!
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No problem. :)
Now go to System: Advanced: Admin Access: and change the serial console speed to 115200. Next time you reboot the box set you terminal to 115200 and you should see the console menu which is absent from your screenshot. -
Done and done.
It looks like I'll have a LOT of poking around to do before I swap out our Fortigate for this FB!
Thank you for the assistance, you sir, are much appreciated!
