Introduction to pfSense OS
Mr. Khyle Alegre
• pfSense is a free and open-source
firewall/router distribution built
on FreeBSD.
• It offers robust network security
and routing capabilities for small
and medium-sized networks.
• Provides enterprise-grade
What is features at no cost, supported by
pfSense? a large community and Netgate.
• Supports deployment on physical
hardware, virtual machines, and
embedded systems.
• Commonly used in home labs,
schools, data centers, and
enterprise edge networks.
Reference: https://www.pfsense.org/
• 2004 – Started by Chris
Buechler and Scott Ullrich as
a fork of m0n0wall.
• 2006 – First public release.
• 2013 – Netgate became the
History of official sponsor.
• 2017 – Introduction of
pfSense pfSense CE and pfSense Plus.
• Present – Actively developed
with regular updates and
enhancements.
Reference:
https://docs.netgate.com/pfsens
e/en/latest/history.html
• Firewall with stateful packet inspection
and customizable rules.
• Network Address Translation (NAT) for
Key mapping internal IP addresses.
• VPN services including OpenVPN, IPsec,
Functions and WireGuard.
• Built-in DHCP server and DHCP relay
of support.
pfSense • Dynamic DNS integration for remote
access.
Reference:
https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest
/features.html
• Traffic shaping (Quality of Service)
to manage bandwidth.
• Captive portal for guest
Advanced authentication and usage tracking.
Features • Intrusion Detection and Prevention
using Snort and Suricata.
of • High availability via CARP for
failover.
pfSense
• Multi-WAN support for load
balancing and redundancy.
Reference:
https://www.pfsense.org/features/
• Integrated package manager for
installing additional tools.
Add-On • pfBlockerNG for blocking ads,
malware, and geolocation-based
content.
Package • Snort and Suricata for deep packet
Support inspection and intrusion
prevention.
• Squid and SquidGuard for proxy
services and content filtering.
• Monitoring tools like Lightsquid
and BandwidthD.
Reference:
https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/
latest/packages/installing-
packages.html
• Steep learning curve for new users
unfamiliar with networking.
Limitations • Limited hardware support; some
NICs may not work properly.
of pfSense • High-performance use cases
require more powerful hardware.
• Some advanced tasks require
FreeBSD command-line
knowledge.
• Feature differences between
pfSense CE and pfSense Plus.
Reference:
https://forum.netgate.com/topic/117
910/what-are-pfsense-limitations
Home networks: parental controls and
secure remote access.
Use Cases Small and medium businesses: VPN tunnels
and content filtering.
for pfSense Schools: web access management and
traffic monitoring.
VPN gateways: secure connections for
remote users.
Learning environments: test lab scenarios
for students and IT professionals.
Reference:
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/pfsense/
• Using VirtualBox allows safe testing of pfSense in
a virtual environment.
Requirements:
Installing
- pfSense ISO (AMD64)
pfSense in
- Oracle VirtualBox
VirtualBox - - At least 2 GB RAM and 8 GB disk space
Overview - Two virtual network interfaces for WAN and LAN
Reference:
https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/install/i
nstalling-pfsense.html
• Download pfSense ISO from:
Step 1 - https://www.pfsense.org/download/
Download • Download and install VirtualBox from:
Software https://www.virtualbox.org/
• Optional: Install the VirtualBox Extension Pack.
Step 2 - Create
Virtual Machine
• Open VirtualBox and click 'New'.
Name the VM 'pfSense'.
Settings:
- Type: BSD
- Version: FreeBSD (64-bit)
- Memory: 2048 MB
- Disk: 8 GB VDI
• Do not enable EFI unless
required.
Reference:
https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/e
n/latest/install/virtualbox.html
• Attach the pfSense ISO to the IDE
Step 3 - controller.
• Set up two network adapters:
Configure - Adapter 1: Bridged Adapter
VM - Adapter 2: Internal Network or NAT
• Disable unnecessary features such as
Settings audio and USB.
• Enable PAE/NX if supported.
Reference:
https://computingforgeeks.com/install-
pfsense-on-virtualbox/
• Start the VM and press Enter at
Step 4 - the welcome prompt.
• Installation steps:
Boot and - Accept license agreement
Install - Choose default keymap
- Use Auto (UFS) partitioning
pfSense - Confirm and install
- Reboot the VM
Reference:
https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/
latest/install/installation.html
Step 5 - Initial Configuration
• After reboot, assign interfaces for WAN and
LAN.
• Set LAN IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.1).
• Enable the DHCP server for the LAN.
• Access the Web GUI via
https://192.168.1.1.
• Default login: admin / pfsense
Reference:
https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/c
onfig/setup-wizard.html
Web GUI Setup Wizard
• The setup wizard includes:
- Hostname and DNS settings
- Timezone configuration
- WAN and LAN configuration
- Admin password change
- Optional SSH access
• Complete the wizard and access the
dashboard.
Reference:
https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/c
onfig/setup-wizard.html
Summary and
Conclusion
• pfSense is a powerful and
versatile open-source firewall
and router.
• Ideal for use in homes,
businesses, and educational
environments.
• Supports advanced features like
VPN, IDS/IPS, and multi-WAN.
• Easily tested using VirtualBox
before live deployment.
Thank you!
