[Day 6] 4. Installing and Configuring pfSense with Debian Machines

Setup Requirements

• 3 Machines:
  • Debian 1 (IP: 192.168.40.10)
  • Debian 2 (IP: 192.168.50.10)
  • pfSense (IP: 192.168.40.101 & 192.168.50.101)

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Setup Requirements

The objective of this lab is to set up and configure a pfSense firewall to manage traffic between two networks (LAN and WAN) and ensure communication between two Debian machines connected via the firewall.

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Steps to Install pfSense

1. Create a New Machine in VMware

   • Select the pfSense ISO file.
   • OS type: FreeBSD (UNIX Flavor).
   • Allocate:
     • 20 GB Storage
     • 4 GB RAM
   • Assign two network adapters:
     • VMNET4 for LAN. (192.168.40.x)
     • VMNET5 for WAN. (192.168.50.x)

2. Install pfSense

   • Boot the machine and install pfSense with default options.
   • Skip manual configuration (choose No).
   • Reboot once the installation is complete.

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Configuring Interfaces

1. Assign Interfaces

   • Press
     Copy

     1

     to assign interfaces.
   • VLAN Setup: Select No.
   • Assign network adapters based on their MAC addresses:
     • WAN → Adapter with VMNET5 MAC.
     • LAN → Adapter with VMNET4 MAC.

2. Set IP Addresses for Interfaces

   • Press
     Copy

     2

     to configure interface IPs.

   WAN Configuration:

   • Number of interfaces: 1.
   • DHCP: No (Static IP).
   • Assign:
     • IP Address (e.g., 192.168.50.101).
     • Subnet Mask (e.g., 24).
   • Gateway: Leave blank.
   • IPv6: No.
   • HTTP: Yes.

   LAN Configuration:

   • Number of interfaces: 2.
   • DHCP: No.
   • Assign:
     • IP Address (e.g., 192.168.40.101).
     • Subnet Mask (e.g., 24).
   • Gateway: No.
   • IPv6: No.
   • HTTP: Yes.

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Finalize pfSense Setup

1. Verify Configuration

   • Check the assigned IPs on Debian 1 and Debian 2.
   • Ensure they are in the correct subnets (40.x for LAN, 50.x for WAN).
   • Test pinging between the machines (this will fail initially).

2. Access pfSense Web GUI

   • Press
     Copy

     2

     in pfSense for interface configuration.
   • Note the displayed IP address (e.g., 192.168.40.101 for LAN).
   • Access the Web GUI from a browser:
     Copy

     http://<LAN_IP>

     .

3. Wizard Configuration in Web GUI

   • Follow the wizard:
     • Next → Next
     • Assign hostname.
     • DNS server: Skip.
     • Verify static IP configurations.
     • Change the default admin password.
   • Complete the wizard and finish setup.

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Firewall Rules

1. Go to Firewall Rules in pfSense.
2. Apply rules to allow communication between LAN and WAN.

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Verify Connectivity

• After setting firewall rules, ping Debian 1 and Debian 2.
• The machines should now be able to communicate successfully.

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