pfSense VPN/Router Box

jmmijo · 07 September 2008, 18:03

I just built a new router based on one of these thin clients.

I put in another Gigabit NIC in the riser slot for my internal LAN connection and use the onboard 10/100 for the WAN side.
pfSense is based of Free BSD v6.2 and works really nice as a headless VPN Router. However the thin client I have has onboard video and audio so I have these connected via my KVM too.

You don't need much in the way of power that's for sure.
The POS Company I work for is having our local system builder source out the parts for what they call an ALIX board, completely headless, no video or IO other then a single COM for a back door Telnet access. The mainboard features either a Dual or Triple onboard NIC solution for doing the VPN Routing functions.

If you are looking at something more powerful then many high-end VPN Routers at a more reasonable price range then look at a Thin Client or one of these ALIX solutions.

Also, there are plenty of other distros to look for like Tomato for one

I have this as my main router after swapping out my old Linksys model.

The only thing I had to fix was a faulty memory stick, my thin client uses PC100/133 Memory and the one I initially installed was faulty, it caused the BSD install to wig out after a few hours running.

It seems to be ok now and the 1GB CF drive is humming along....

MrZammler · 08 September 2008, 14:40

Incredible...

I'm on the look out to building myself a home router. Spend some hours on the net looking for a suitable machine... Then I thought to check out eab for some amiga stuff, and this came up!

Many thanks ! :-)

jmmijo · 08 September 2008, 15:25

You're welcome, even though I spend a lot of time in the OT section I still make some real posts now and again

The only reason I decided on using this thin client was because the POS company I work for had a few lying around for testing purposes.

I noted the riser card for another PCI slot and decided it could make a good little router box.

We are currently offering and hope to migrate fully to the ALIX based Goede CPU model for our customers.

It's a nice little unit with a dual-nic onboard and uses the embedded version of pfSense.

We used this company as a starting point and gave the specs to our local system builder who spec'd out an almost identical unit but had an aluminum case instead of steal, this saves us in shipping costs too.

Netgate I think offers some very nice parts and kits to get you going with this type of device, also, since pfSense is open source, the VPN doesn't require any licensing like in the Windows world

billy · 09 September 2008, 01:58

I've been using pfSense at home since before version 1.0 was released and have no issues logging into my machines remotely after they are properly partitioned in the FW.

pfSense is Very powerful, very flexible and very friendly to minimalistic hardware. I just recently swapped out my old HD which was whining, for a 256MB solid state drive, which is 128MB over the embedded version requirements.

I'd really like a slimline, silent unit, but the hardware would need to be under $150 USD.

Thanks for the post. Nice to see someone else enjoying this great package.

jmmijo · 09 September 2008, 15:16

I would say you can purchase the parts from Netgate for around $200(USD) and put it together yourself.

I know that HeroLogic builds these to suit but you pay for that service and we all like to hack around with these machines now don't we

07 September 2008, 18:03	#1
jmmijo Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: PDX Age: 62 Posts: 2,395	pfSense VPN/Router Box I just built a new router based on one of these thin clients. I put in another Gigabit NIC in the riser slot for my internal LAN connection and use the onboard 10/100 for the WAN side. pfSense is based of Free BSD v6.2 and works really nice as a headless VPN Router. However the thin client I have has onboard video and audio so I have these connected via my KVM too. You don't need much in the way of power that's for sure. The POS Company I work for is having our local system builder source out the parts for what they call an ALIX board, completely headless, no video or IO other then a single COM for a back door Telnet access. The mainboard features either a Dual or Triple onboard NIC solution for doing the VPN Routing functions. If you are looking at something more powerful then many high-end VPN Routers at a more reasonable price range then look at a Thin Client or one of these ALIX solutions. Also, there are plenty of other distros to look for like Tomato for one I have this as my main router after swapping out my old Linksys model. The only thing I had to fix was a faulty memory stick, my thin client uses PC100/133 Memory and the one I initially installed was faulty, it caused the BSD install to wig out after a few hours running. It seems to be ok now and the 1GB CF drive is humming along....

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08 September 2008, 14:40	#2
MrZammler Zone Friend Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Crete Age: 46 Posts: 191	Incredible... I'm on the look out to building myself a home router. Spend some hours on the net looking for a suitable machine... Then I thought to check out eab for some amiga stuff, and this came up! Many thanks ! :-)

08 September 2008, 15:25	#3
jmmijo Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: PDX Age: 62 Posts: 2,395	You're welcome, even though I spend a lot of time in the OT section I still make some real posts now and again The only reason I decided on using this thin client was because the POS company I work for had a few lying around for testing purposes. I noted the riser card for another PCI slot and decided it could make a good little router box. We are currently offering and hope to migrate fully to the ALIX based Goede CPU model for our customers. It's a nice little unit with a dual-nic onboard and uses the embedded version of pfSense. We used this company as a starting point and gave the specs to our local system builder who spec'd out an almost identical unit but had an aluminum case instead of steal, this saves us in shipping costs too. Netgate I think offers some very nice parts and kits to get you going with this type of device, also, since pfSense is open source, the VPN doesn't require any licensing like in the Windows world

09 September 2008, 01:58	#4
billy Registered User Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: US / A Age: 49 Posts: 134	I've been using pfSense at home since before version 1.0 was released and have no issues logging into my machines remotely after they are properly partitioned in the FW. pfSense is Very powerful, very flexible and very friendly to minimalistic hardware. I just recently swapped out my old HD which was whining, for a 256MB solid state drive, which is 128MB over the embedded version requirements. I'd really like a slimline, silent unit, but the hardware would need to be under $150 USD. Thanks for the post. Nice to see someone else enjoying this great package.

09 September 2008, 15:16	#5
jmmijo Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: PDX Age: 62 Posts: 2,395	I would say you can purchase the parts from Netgate for around $200(USD) and put it together yourself. I know that HeroLogic builds these to suit but you pay for that service and we all like to hack around with these machines now don't we

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