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    Successful Install on Watchguard Firebox X700!

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Hardware
    690 Posts 151 Posters 977.1k Views
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    • Q
      Quasar7
      last edited by

      Hi!

      Could someone send me a working hdd image for my Firebox X700?

      Thanks in advance.
      Quasar7

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      • V
        vronp
        last edited by

        Any reason a small SSD isn't a great choice for this setup?

        I would like access to all packages but would like to avoid using a hard disk.

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        • M
          mericksonj
          last edited by

          I think from what I've been reading on this thread and elsewhere on this board lately, an SSD or flash card should work fine, it depends on how "small" you're thinking, and what type of SSD you want to use.  I don't know if I'd trust CF.

          I saw that the available downloads for pfsense 1.2.3 give the live CD which will install to any CF/SSD with 256M, but also an image for 4G flash drives.

          Maybe someone else can comment more of the recent developments that have changed since the first comments on this thread that suggested a hard drive was necessary.  Did technology change or was the package optimized for embeded implementations?

          Probably doesn't help you much vronp, but my gut says if that's all you got, go with it, just backup frequently, and maybe just send logs somewhere else instead of keeping them local to hedge your bets.

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          • Q
            Quasar7
            last edited by

            Finally managed it. My serial cable was "broken".

            I am using a Transcend IDE Flash Module: http://www.transcendusa.com/Products/ModDetail.asp?ModNo=27&LangNo=0

            @Quasar7:

            Hi!

            Could someone send me a working hdd image for my Firebox X700?

            Thanks in advance.
            Quasar7

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            • C
              ciscoinside
              last edited by

              Here is a quick question while it is not really on pfsense it goes on this topic. I want to run pfsense on my x700 and run a UTM on my x1000, has anyone tried this with something like untangle? Is the hardware of these guys not that powerful? Not planning on using virus protection which I assume uses resources. I would ask on their forums but I really find no reference to the fireboxes there, but here the knowledge is known a lot more.

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              • Q
                Quasar7
                last edited by

                I tried Endian on my X700 without any problems.

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                • N
                  netritious
                  last edited by

                  I recently acquired a Firebox X1250e and (currently) cannot get pfSense to boot. Has anyone else here tried hacking the X1250e for use with pfSense?

                  On another note, in troubleshooting the issue I discovered the actual pin out for the PS/2 header on the (Foxconn?) motherboard and thought I would share.

                  NC        KBC
                    7          1
                    .          .

                  .  .  .  .

                  8  6  4  2
                  VCC  NC KBD GND

                  Legend:
                  KBC = Keyboard Clock
                  GND = Ground
                  KBD = Keyboard Data
                  VCC = Vcc (5V DC)
                  NC = Not connected

                  There is a Wikipedia page describing different wire colors and their designation here. I used this information to wire up an old 10-pin motherboard header (RS232) to a PS/2 keyboard. Could of just used a 40 pin IDE cable instead, but saw the old connector in the junk pile first.

                  Using the modified keyboard and a 1x PCI-e card I'm able view the boot process and reach the BIOS, but still no pfSense. (Or Ubuntu server for that matter…tried just to see.)

                  TIA! pfSense Rocks!

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                  • C
                    CaseyBlackburn
                    last edited by

                    What do you see on the screen when it doesn't boot? What are you using for storage? How much storage space on it?

                    I've got a x750e so I can help you out.

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                    • N
                      netritious
                      last edited by

                      What do you see on the screen when it doesn't boot?

                      DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER

                      What are you using for storage? How much storage space on it?

                      Using a SanDisk Extreme III (30MB/s) 4GB CF, but willing to use a 2.5" drive if necessary. I've tried embedded and non-SMP installs from LiveCD using a laptop with nothing else connected.  I did initially try a 2.5" and 3.5" IDE at first but was before I had vid and keyboard connected. (Those drives wouldn't boot either.)

                      I've got a x750e so I can help you out.

                      That would be awesome! I have been hacking away at this thing for a week now and so far not so good.

                      What's even stranger is if I put the original WG CF back in, the x1250e boots fine.

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                      • C
                        CaseyBlackburn
                        last edited by

                        You'll need to go into the BIOS and for the drive you are using, you'll want to switch it to Manual and CHS mode. You'll then want to set heads to 2. That's just from memory, but that should get you are set. The BIOS has a weird time with bigger drives(>~2GB) and it'll work if the heads are set to 2.

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                        • N
                          netritious
                          last edited by

                          @CaseyBlackburn:

                          You'll need to go into the BIOS and for the drive you are using, you'll want to switch it to Manual and CHS mode. You'll then want to set heads to 2. That's just from memory, but that should get you are set. The BIOS has a weird time with bigger drives(>~2GB) and it'll work if the heads are set to 2.

                          Thanks! I now see 'GRUB loading, please wait…Error 18' but that is a good thing! Now to put pfSense back on the CF and give that whirl.

                          I would never have thought to change the cylinders for CF! :)

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                          • C
                            CaseyBlackburn
                            last edited by

                            @ciscoinside:

                            Here is a quick question while it is not really on pfsense it goes on this topic. I want to run pfsense on my x700 and run a UTM on my x1000, has anyone tried this with something like untangle? Is the hardware of these guys not that powerful? Not planning on using virus protection which I assume uses resources. I would ask on their forums but I really find no reference to the fireboxes there, but here the knowledge is known a lot more.

                            Kind of late, but I just saw this.
                            I doubt Untangle can run smoothly on these machines at all. I believe I have read that someone got Endian installed on one of these and it worked just fine. I plan on installing Endian on a spare x700 of mine when I have some free time. I suggest adding more memory to the box no matter what UTM you are going to use. 256MB just isn't enough. Oh, and you'll want to use a hard drive rather than a CF (Unless it's a microdrive) because I don't know of a UTM that is made to limit writes to the CF to extend flash memory lifetime.

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                            • N
                              netritious
                              last edited by

                              Stopped by to report a different issue but wanted to thank you again Casey for the help. I am now up and running with an X1250e with pfSense on a 4GB CF card. Video on my web site for anyone that wants a look at it spread eagle and working.

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                              • N
                                nry
                                last edited by

                                Really considering setting up one of these if I can get one cheap.
                                Has anyone tested to see how much power these things actually consume?

                                Thanks

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                                • C
                                  C7J0yC3
                                  last edited by

                                  According to watchguard's site it uses 50W. My Kill-A-Watt shows 53W of useage, but I am also using a HDD instead of a CF card.

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                                  • N
                                    nry
                                    last edited by

                                    Thanks, think this is a litte too high, may have to look into the alix boards now.

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                                    • stephenw10S
                                      stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                                      last edited by

                                      My X-peak uses about 37W (idle) with an underclocked processor.

                                      Steve

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                                      • S
                                        subfire91
                                        last edited by

                                        i found a driver in realteks website regarding the RTL8139+ found on x700s

                                        im posting a RS link to driver. Can anyone test and see if watchdog errors are resolved??

                                        http://rapidshare.com/files/423085904/uw-8139_220_.zip

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                                        • stephenw10S
                                          stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                                          last edited by

                                          That isn't a BSD driver and it's actually dated 2005!
                                          I don't think it's going to help.  :(

                                          Steve

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                                          • S
                                            sevilla
                                            last edited by

                                            I recently put pfsense 1.2.3 on x1250e and all works very well. I want use this system as a bridge filter. Im using the devices msk0 and msk1 (port 4 and 5) as bridge and let the port 1 and 2 as WAN/LAN. I enable a firewall rule to permit all, but isnt not forwarding nothing from one port to another.

                                            Anyone are using bridge mode on pfsense 1.2.3?

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