pfSense

pfSense is an open source firewall/router distribution based on FreeBSD. pfSense is meant to be installed on a personal computer and is noted for its reliability^[1] and offering features often only found in expensive commercial firewalls.^[2] It can be configured and upgraded through a web-based interface, and requires no knowledge of the underlying FreeBSD system to manage.^[2] pfSense is commonly deployed as a Perimeter Firewall, router, wireless access point, DHCP server, DNS server, and as a VPN endpoint.

The name was derived from the fact that it helps make the BSD packet-filtering tool pf make more sense to non-technical users.^[3]

History

The pfSense project started in 2004 as a fork of the m0n0wall project by Chris Buechler and Scott Ullrich.^[4] From the beginning, it focused on full PC installations, as opposed to m0n0wall's focus on embedded hardware. However, pfSense is also available as an embedded image for CompactFlash-based installations. Version 1.0 of the software was released on October 4, 2006.^[5]

Features

• Stateful firewall
• Network Address Translation
• Redundancy through CARP and pfsync
• Outbound and inbound load balancing
• Virtual Private Networks using IPsec, L2TP, OpenVPN, or PPTP
• PPPoE server
• RRD graphs reporting
• Real-time information using Ajax
• Dynamic DNS
• Captive portal
• uPnP
• DHCP server and relay
• Live CD version available
• Support for software extensions, including the Squid proxy server, the Snort intrusion prevention/detection system, and the FreeSWITCH^[6] telephony platform

Hardware

Although the focus of pfSense development is on full-PC installation, they provide a version targeted for embedded use, and many companies produce embedded systems specifically designed to run pfSense.^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

See also

• m0n0wall
• PF
• IPCop
• IPFire

References

1. ^ Danen, Vincent (December 7, 2009). "DIY pfSense firewall system beats others for features, reliability, and security". TechRepublic. http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/opensource/diy-pfsense-firewall-system-beats-others-for-features-reliability-and-security/1110. "If you want a high-availability and highly reliable firewall, pfSense is definitely something to seriously consider" 
2. ^ ^{a b} Miller, Sloan (June 26, 2008). "Configure a professional firewall using pfSense". Free Software Magazine (22). http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/articles/configure_professional_firewall_using_pfsense. "No experience is needed with FreeBSD or GNU/Linux to install and run pfSense" 
3. ^ Buechler, Chris (June 21, 2007). "So what does pfSense stand for/mean, anyway?". pfSense Digest. http://blog.pfsense.org/?p=114. 
4. ^ "pfSense Open Source Firewall Distribution - History". http://www.pfsense.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=68&Itemid=76. 
5. ^ Ullrich, Scott (October 13th, 2006). "1.0-RELEASED!". pfSense Digest. http://blog.pfsense.org/?p=97. 
6. ^ pfSense's FreeSWITCH
7. ^ "pfSense Firewall". http://www.hacom.net/catalog/pfsense. 
8. ^ "OPNsense - pfsense firewall appliances". http://www.applianceshop.eu/index.php/firewalls/opnsense.html. 
9. ^ "StrongBochs pfSense features". http://www.rockbochs.com/products/firewall-solutions/pfsense-firewall. 
10. ^ "pfSense firewall Kit". http://www.gooze.eu/pfsense-firewall-kit. 
11. ^ "pfSense embedded and UTM appliance firewall italian Kit". http://www.firewallhardware.it. 

External links

• pfSense home page