PfSense

pfSense is a free and open source firewall and router that also features unified threat management, load balancing, multi WAN, and more.

common uses

• perimeter firewall
• LAN or WAN Router
• Perimeter Firewall¶
  • The most common deployment of pfSense software is a perimeter firewall. pfSense software accommodates networks requiring multiple Internet connections, multiple LAN networks, and multiple DMZ networks. BGP (Border Gateway Protocol), connection redundancy, and load balancing capabilities are configurable as well.
• LAN or WAN Router¶
  • pfSense software configured as a LAN or WAN router and perimeter firewall is a common deployment in small networks. LAN and WAN routing are separate roles in larger networks.
• LAN Router
  • pfSense software is a proven solution for connecting multiple internal network segments. This is most commonly deployed with VLANs configured with 802.1Q trunking, described more in Virtual LANs (VLANs). Multiple Ethernet interfaces are also used in some environments. High-volume LAN traffic environments with fewer filtering requirements may need layer 3 switches or ASIC-based routers instead.
• WAN Router
  • pfSense software is a great solution for Internet Service Providers. It offers all the functionality required by most networks at a much lower price point than other commercial offerings.
• VPN Appliance¶
  • pfSense software installed as a separate Virtual Private Network appliance adds VPN capabilities without disrupting the existing firewall infrastructure, and includes multiple VPN protocols.
• sniffer Appliance¶
  • pfSense software offers a web interface for the tcpdump packet analyzer. The captured .cap files are downloaded and analyzed in Wireshark.
• DHCP Server Appliance
  • pfSense software can be deployed strictly as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol server, however, there are limitations of the pfSense software GUI for advanced configuration of the ISC DHCP daemon

notes

• installing in proxmox
  • create a separate bridge in proxmox for lan connection
  • without dns query forwarding connected clients cant reach the upstream dns server
    • https://www.reddit.com/r/PFSENSE/comments/t3ssiw/comment/hyureoy/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

resources

• setting up pfsense in proxmox https://www.zenarmor.com/docs/network-security-tutorials/how-to-install-pfsense-software-on-proxmox