Successful Install on Watchguard Firebox X700!
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Mmm, yes that article you linked to is a bit confusing. It doesn't specify which Firebox it's for.
Like Brak said, there's no need to flash the bios. There should be no restriction on the CF size however there is no advantage to using a larger one. 1GB is fine.Steve
Great news guys, thanks! Will be doing this very soon when I get my 2gb CF in. In re: to size, wouldn't it be better for logging if I had a bigger sized one?
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All logging in pfSense is done to RAM. In the NanoBSD install almost nothing is written to the CF card other than config changes. This done to preserve the card due to it's limited write cycles.
If you need extensive logging or long term log storage you have to use a separate syslog server.From a personal point of view this is the one part of pfSense that I find lacking. At home I don't have another machine that's always on so running a syslog server is not an option.
About the only possible advantage of using a bigger CF card is that there are more memory blocks to use for ware leveling. However since NanoBSD is especially designed to get around this it's not really a problem.
You do get more space for packages but you won't fill it anyway.
Steve
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I agree with you. Sucks we cant log to cf… I prob wont be running any pckgs. I do have an unRAID box I can store logs to.... Hmmmm... And maybe I could run sickbeard, couchpotato, sabnzbd, transmizzion on the firebox..? Even still I wont fill up even a gig cf...
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I agree with you. Sucks we cant log to cf… I prob wont be running any pckgs. I do have an unRAID box I can store logs to.... Hmmmm... And maybe I could run sickbeard, couchpotato, sabnzbd, transmizzion on the firebox..? Even still I wont fill up even a gig cf...
What about using a 2.5" hard drive, I thought that was the recommended method? Can you get persistent logs that way? (Mine just came will be attempting setup soon..)
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To be consistent across the install versions, all log only to ram. Though I should point out that I have only ever done a HD install as an experiment.
The only way to have persistent and extensive logging on the box is to run a syslog server directly on pfSense. There are some instructions on the forum on how to do that but I've never tried it and it's not a supported configuration.This seems like it could be a great package. Perhaps a bounty could be raised?
Steve
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Well, I will post results after the 2gb CF card arrives.
Right now I have mwall running on the 64mb CF that came with, but it's missing a LOT of nifty stuff I've seen on pfSense! No sense in running fware when there is no support and limitations..! And talk about no webgui! :D
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Hi All.
After many years of running older versions of pfSense, I've run into a bit of a problem installing 2.0.x on my Firebox X8000.
I've been running 1.2.3 RC1 from a 2G CF card with no issues for some time. I've put off upgrading to version 2 as I've got a customized bandwidthd installation on a USB flash drive to contend with, but tried to swap over today.
The problem that I have is with booting. I've tried a few different images (2.0, 2.0.1, 512MB, 2GB) and don't get serial output or any substantial disk I/O, according to the "Storage" activity light. I've also tried the FreeDOS BIOS utility image that Steve posted in the X-Peak thread to no avail. I'm able to duplicate the content of my 1.2.3RC1 CF and boot from the replacement card fine, so the media seems OK.
Checking these boards for information on 2.x installs on the Firebox platform I was pleasantly surprised by the goldmine of technical information that has been shared about the X-Peak series! The hard-won experience on this forum is that it should "just work". I'm hoping someone here has a hunch as to what my issue may be…
I've compared MBRs and I've noticed that the partitioning scheme and boot code is different between my 1.2.3 install and the new version 2 images. My suspicion is that the BIOS is being finicky about the bootstrapping process... My first aim is to get a BIOS tool into a bootable CF image.
Any thoughts?
EDIT: I've checked the old images and discovered that the switch to nanobsd happened in the 1.2.3 RELEASE image and that RC1 was the old 'embedded' image. If its feasible enough, I may try to instrument the newer bootloader to mark progress (perhaps by flashing an LED or using BIOS disk write functions?). I'm also hoping to get a spare flash chip or two and a compatible writer to extract and modify the BIOS firmware -- looks to be a standard PLCC 'though I didn't remove the version label before re-racking the Firebox. If anyone has chip details, I'd be much obliged :)
Thanks.
- Shanon
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Well, I will post results after the 2gb CF card arrives.
Right now I have mwall running on the 64mb CF that came with, but it's missing a LOT of nifty stuff I've seen on pfSense! No sense in running fware when there is no support and limitations..! And talk about no webgui! :D
One word… Amazing! I used m******* for a few days and it was alright, I even liked it more than f*******, but I recently upgraded to pfSense and I have to admit, im impressed! It really does compete with the big dogs!
Got everything setup and running (except lcd/light/buttons) anybody have a good working guide for those 3 things?
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One word… Amazing! I used m******* for a few days and it was alright, I even liked it more than f*******, but I recently upgraded to pfSense and I have to admit, im impressed! It really does compete with the big dogs!
Got everything setup and running (except lcd/light/buttons) anybody have a good working guide for those 3 things?
Steve (stephenw10) has done some great work in those respects, but you'll need to do some manual work to integrate them into your config.
For LED control, see http://forum.pfsense.org/index.php/topic,32013.msg187336.html#msg187336. You'll need to download WGXepc from elsewhere in the thread (writeio and some other useful tools can be downloaded from https://sites.google.com/site/pfsensefirebox/)
For LCD and button support you can install lcdproc (I used a packaged version for 1.2.3; I believe that another member has also made a package for 2.0 but I haven't got that far yet). You'll need an updated sdeclcd.so library to copy to /usr/local/lib/lcdproc. Alternatively, Steve has bundled-up the required files and attached to http://forum.pfsense.org/index.php/topic,7920.msg207659.html#msg207659.
Finally, you'll need to update (or create new) startup scripts to match your needs and wishes. If all you want to do is to switch the Armed LED to green once the firewall is up, and are happy with the default LCD screens that are displayed, you shouldn't have much left to do.
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Thanks to some great efforts by both fmertz (who re-wrote the driver so it could be included in the lcdproc source) and mdima (who has updated the lcdproc package) the firebox LCD is now supported by a proper pfSense package. ;D
The package is currently called lcdproc-dev and is available through the web gui.
After you install set the driver to Firebox, port to lpt0 and size to 2x20. Save that. Select some screens to display on the second tab. Save that. Now go to Status: Services: and start the lcdproc service.
It is still being worked on, I am having trouble with in on the x-peak box, but any feedback would be appreciated.
http://forum.pfsense.org/index.php/topic,44034.90.html
It's based on the latest v0.55 lcdproc which is bleeding edge stuff! However it seems to be working fine for most people.Steve
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Shanon, I am currently running my X6000 from a Transend 4GB CF with a 1GB image. I had flashed this with the 2.0RC3 image originally, from Windows, and then upgraded to 2.0.1.
You could try upgrading your 1.2.3 install via the firmware menu in the gui.If you have any bios writing experience then fixing the console re-direct function on this box would be nothing short of awsome! :)
Steve
Edit: JimP has unlocked the X-Peak thread so please continue this discussion there so as not to have confusing information in this thread. :)
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This is awesome guys, thanks!!! Today is family day but you betcha imma jump on this as soon as I can and post findings (or concerns)
On eBay I saw someone selling a firebox x500 with all of these 3 things fully working! He shows them working on a yt video, you can go through a menu where you can restart the webgui, backup/restore, even set ro/rw the cf, etc etc.
http://cgi.ebay.com/itm/270893406216 -
Yes I've seen that. I'm fairly sure that's forum user Brak, but I could be wrong.
Anyway he seems to selling at a very reasonable price so good luck to him. :)What he doesn't mention is that using the old lcdproc tar ball and the WGXepc program you have to reload all that stuff after each firmware update which is pretty tedious. Using a proper package will mean it isn't lost.
His lcdexec (the custom menus) implementation is pretty sweet though. Hopefully he might contribute it to the community sometime.Steve
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Indeed that is me, I do hope no one finds my prices too high, as I'm more than willing to ship internationally (that's my main business since not many used fireboxes have international willing sellers.) The units are also completely upgraded with RAM and CPUs, plus I replace any super-loud fans (I can tell when I get a loud firebox unit just by the change in pitch in my server room through the wall, and that place has 10+ servers humming away). I think that's a fair price considering I'm more than willing to go out of my way to help people with their units or configuration after they buy. As for the updates, I make new images available to my buyers so they can have a seamless upgrade experience if they want it. I wish I was good enough to make my own update server, but I haven't yet been able to figure out making nanobsd update images or how they even work.
I'm doing to this to work on building enough money to start making real/new firewall appliances with pfSense running on them (and help pay for college, lol). Working on finding a good manufacturer right now.
As for the menu, I will be releasing it publicly and also moving my refurb units over once I can iron out why on earth it doesn't work with the real LCDProc/LCDProc-dev package. Either it never starts, or eventually crashes the whole unit or LCDProc… : / I do actually have an easy to use automatic installer for the just the LCD/LED stuff incase the reimage isn't a viable option, but I've had issue with it working consistently.
I actually have an even cooler version of the menu that will be able to let you change interface IPs, reset the DHCP servers to work on them, and change a few other settings. That said, until I can keep the units from locking up which is completely unacceptable, I can't really go too far with it. Stephen, I know you mentioned hard locks when using the LCDProc-Dev package in the other thread, do you think maybe we're seeing the same issue?
Also, if anyone knows anything... I guess I see so many fireboxes thru my door, I see hardware variances that no one else have ever noticed... But what's up with the fireboxes with the always on but dim LED back-light? Software can't control it, and while it does illuminate the screen, it's no where near as bright as a usual unit. Also, there is a variation with only 2 case fans. I know these aren't DIY removals of bad fans since the box is still factory sealed, and there isn't even a 3rd fan header off the PSU... Just a strange difference I noticed.
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I have seen the 2 fan & smaller whinny CPU fan vs. the 3 fan and bigger CPU fan, but less whinny noise. The yellow and black pair cables for the fans are consistent with the # of fans, you're right. The 2 fan box also had the top lid with a WG emblem wedged on it.
Where can I find the LCDproc that gives me at least the menu with the options, I really don't care about monitoring the CPU or traffic on a 2x20, would rather see that on pfsense' webguir.
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I've just noticed that my serial console has also stopped working since upgrading from 1.2.3 to 2.0.1 (i386 Nano install).
Is the workaround still the only fix?
If so, would this be the easiest way?
1. Copy the http://www.cps-texas.com/serialbandaid.sh file to my pfSense (not to /tmp).
2. Install the Shellcmd Package and add in the serialbandaid.sh command.
3. Re-boot
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Yes that should work, though I've not tried it myself.
My X-core box is out of action and it looks permanent. :(
I've been putting tiny scripts like that in /conf simply because that folder does not get written over during a firmware upgrade. Coupled with using the ShellCMD package the complete solution should survive a firmware update.Steve
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There seems to be a lot of variations of installing these.. could someone write a new install process for CF and HD so that we know what has to be done.. I have an X500 I am working on. I am also looking at getting an x550e.
JB
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I'm in same boat. Gonna be doing an x500 hdd install soon.
For example, with a fresh install of 2.0.1 Can I still expect to get serial console automatically with embedded kernel? Or will I have to copy the serialband.sh file mentioned above? -
I'm in same boat. Gonna be doing an x500 hdd install soon.
For example, with a fresh install of 2.0.1 Can I still expect to get serial console automatically with embedded kernel? Or will I have to copy the serialband.sh file mentioned above?You'll still need the serial fix in my experience.
