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    Successful Install on Watchguard Firebox X700!

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Hardware
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    • M
      MarkProvanP
      last edited by

      @teh

      In case you get confused, the x500, x700 and a higher x number all have identical hardware; Watchguard just charged more since they had a more 'advanced' software level in them (i.e. the x500 was intentionally software crippled).

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      • M
        mericksonj
        last edited by

        All,

        I'm a long-time lurker here that just got this project off the ground.  Although I haven't yet tried the X700 I have in the basement.  I did a sucessfull install with a X5000 "peak" series firebox.

        512M ram, 2.8Ghz pentium 4 processor, 3 GigE ports, 7 FastE ports, USB, 4 gig CF (going to install microdrive when I get one), empty mini-PCI slot ready for your wireless NIC.

        Thank you all for your assistance, the "set hw.ata.ata_dma=0" from the boot line was a great tip!

        Now to go play :)

        –James

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        • P
          PistolPete
          last edited by

          FINALLY got mine up and running tonight.

          My 512Mb stick only registers as 256Mb dispite being the Kingston RAM recommended in this thread.

          I've pulled the 3 fans from the back and the super cyclone fan on the CPU sink and cut a 120mm hold located over the CPU, mounting a half height 120mm Scythe fan.

          All going well, might add a wifi card later, but I'm trying to get the LCD up and running, and struggling :-/

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          • M
            mericksonj
            last edited by

            @PistolPete:

            FINALLY got mine up and running tonight.

            My 512Mb stick only registers as 256Mb dispite being the Kingston RAM recommended in this thread.

            I've pulled the 3 fans from the back and the super cyclone fan on the CPU sink and cut a 120mm hold located over the CPU, mounting a half height 120mm Scythe fan.

            All going well, might add a wifi card later, but I'm trying to get the LCD up and running, and struggling :-/

            Don't install the LCDPROC package, but if you follow RidnHard19's instructions exactly from the first page of this forum: http://forum.pfsense.org/index.php/topic,7920.msg46356.html#msg46356 it will help until you get to the symlink part.

            You'll want to replace the diver with Jean's updated version also in that thread: http://forum.pfsense.org/index.php/topic,7920.msg105179.html#msg105179

            Then, to wrap it all up and make it work follow the instructions to create the symlinks to the updated libraries: ( in the same thread)  http://forum.pfsense.org/index.php/topic,7920.msg69315.html#msg69315

            You should then be able to start the LCDd script and view the results immediately on your  LCD panel.

            I just finished the install on my x700, a problem with a remote serial cable forwarded to a TCP socket(I was too lazy to bring it upstairs and use my known-good serial port/cable) made it harder than expected, but I managed, and was rewarded with CARP!

            Hope this helps!
            –James

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            • P
              PistolPete
              last edited by

              Thanks for the heads up - I'll go through those now and see where I get to before I quit for the night

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              • P
                PistolPete
                last edited by

                All working - a damn sight easier than I was expecting too!!!

                Plus, I'm in the web interface all the time and I've not seen a single watchdog timeout in the logs.

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                • M
                  mericksonj
                  last edited by

                  Woo Hoo!

                  I am just at the staging point right now so I haven't connected/configured a WAN interface yet, but from what I've read, the Web GUI over the LAN doesn't cause the timeouts so I haven't expected any.  I'll report on that too if I get to the implementation phase and see anything wrong.

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                  • M
                    markandrews
                    last edited by

                    I just found myself a x700 box on bay for cheep and am anxious to give this a try

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                    • P
                      PistolPete
                      last edited by

                      If anyone else is interested I have just successfully upgraded the CPU with a P3-1.4Ghz (CPU ID SL6BY) and the previously mentioned KVR133X64C3/512 Kingston RAM.

                      Both just a straight swap and reboot.

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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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