Intro to PfSense

This course will introduce the students with the very popular, interesting and FREE network components including Virtualbox, PfSense and Windows and Linux host virtual machines to create a simple segmented network. We will start off with just installing pfSense in Virtualbox and then keep adding different components to our network and make sure that they can talk to each other by using the routing capabilities of the pfSense firewall.

Thousands of businesses, educational institutions, government agencies and non-profits - on all seven continents, and for years - have come to rely upon pfSense software for their secure networking needs. For organizations in search of sub-10 Gbps performance, flexible 3rd-party application options, traditional management mechanisms, proven reliability, and access to business assurance support options, pfSense software is the perfect answer.

And, where business assurance is required, Netgate provides professional and enterprise-class support arrangements that give you access to guidance and problem solving expertise from a seasoned and skilled support organization.

Commercial firewall companies’ marketing departments have done a fine job ingraining the myth of “hardware firewalls” into some people’s minds. The reality is there is no such thing as a “hardware firewall.” All firewalls are hardware that runs software. Most commercial firewalls are based on BSD (same as pfSense®) or Linux. Numerous commercial firewalls run many of the same underlying software programs that pfSense uses. Many commercial alternatives run on x86 hardware that’s no different from what people use for pfSense. In fact many people have loaded pfSense on hardware that used to run their commercial firewall, including Watchguard, Nortel, Barracuda and more.