Install PfSense On Ubuntu 20.04: A Step-by-Step Guide

Hey everyone! So, you're looking to get pfSense up and running on your Ubuntu 20.04 system, huh? That's awesome! pfSense is a seriously powerful open-source firewall and router platform, and integrating it with Ubuntu can open up a whole world of possibilities for network management and security. Whether you're a home lab enthusiast, a small business owner, or just someone who loves tinkering with their network, this guide is for you. We're going to walk through the entire process, making sure it's super clear and easy to follow. So, grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and let's get this done!

Why pfSense on Ubuntu? The Ultimate Combo!

Alright guys, let's talk about why you might even want to install pfSense on Ubuntu 20.04 in the first place. It's not exactly a walk in the park, and there are other ways to deploy pfSense. But, hear me out, the combination is pretty sweet! pfSense is renowned for its robust firewall capabilities, traffic shaping, VPN options, and an incredible package system that lets you extend its functionality. Think intrusion detection, load balancing, captive portals, and so much more. Now, Ubuntu 20.04, on the other hand, is a rock-solid, widely-used Linux distribution known for its stability, vast software repositories, and a massive community. When you bring these two powerhouses together, you're essentially creating a highly customizable and powerful networking appliance on a familiar and flexible operating system. This means you can leverage all the benefits of pfSense while also having the flexibility of a full Linux environment. You can run other services on the same hardware, manage your network via SSH, script complex automations, or even integrate pfSense's data into other monitoring systems. It's like getting the best of both worlds! For instance, imagine you want to set up a VPN server for your business, but you also want to host a web server or a database on the same machine. Instead of managing two separate boxes, you can potentially consolidate them using pfSense on Ubuntu. This approach offers significant cost savings and simplifies management. Plus, if you're already comfortable with Linux administration, you'll find yourself right at home managing pfSense within an Ubuntu environment. You can use familiar tools like apt to manage software, systemd to control services, and standard Linux networking tools to troubleshoot issues. This synergy is what makes the pfSense on Ubuntu 20.04 setup a compelling choice for advanced users and network administrators looking for ultimate control and flexibility. We're not just installing a firewall; we're building a versatile network command center.

Prerequisites: What You'll Need Before We Start

Before we dive headfirst into the installation process, let's make sure you've got everything you need. Skipping this step is like trying to bake a cake without eggs – it's just not going to end well! First and foremost, you'll need a server or a virtual machine running Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa). This could be a physical machine, a virtual machine in VMware, VirtualBox, KVM, or even a cloud instance. Just make sure it's a fresh installation, or at least one you're comfortable wiping if things go sideways. We're aiming for a clean slate here. You'll need at least two network interfaces (NICs). One will be for your WAN (Wide Area Network) connection – this is your internet gateway. The other will be for your LAN (Local Area Network) – this is where your internal devices will connect. The more NICs you have, the more flexibility you'll have later on, but two is the absolute minimum. Ensure your Ubuntu system has internet access for downloading necessary packages. This is pretty straightforward if you're setting it up on a VM or a machine already connected to your network. You'll also need root or sudo privileges on your Ubuntu system. We'll be running commands that require elevated permissions, so make sure you know your password or have sudo configured correctly. Lastly, a bit of patience and a willingness to learn goes a long way. Network configurations can sometimes be tricky, and troubleshooting is part of the game. Don't get discouraged if you hit a snag; that's what guides like this are for!

Hardware Considerations for Your pfSense Box

When you're thinking about the hardware for your pfSense on Ubuntu 20.04 setup, it's crucial to get this right. The performance of your network, especially under heavy load, will depend heavily on the hardware you choose. For a basic home or small office setup, a relatively modest machine might suffice. However, if you plan on running more advanced features like VPN tunnels with high encryption, deep packet inspection, or handling significant internet speeds, you'll want to beef things up. Processor (CPU): A dual-core processor is usually a good starting point. For more demanding tasks, consider a quad-core or higher. The clock speed also matters, especially for tasks like encryption and decryption in VPNs. Memory (RAM): At least 4GB of RAM is recommended. If you plan on using features like proxy caching (Squid) or running multiple packages, bumping this up to 8GB or more would be beneficial. pfSense itself isn't extremely RAM-hungry, but the packages you add can be. Storage: You'll need enough space for the operating system, pfSense, and logs. A small SSD (Solid State Drive) is highly recommended over a traditional HDD. SSDs offer much faster read/write speeds, which are crucial for responsiveness and log file handling. Aim for at least 32GB, but 64GB or more provides ample room for growth and extensive logging. Network Interface Cards (NICs): This is arguably the most critical component. You must have at least two NICs: one for WAN and one for LAN. It's highly recommended to use Intel network cards if possible. They are known for their excellent driver support and performance within pfSense and Linux environments. Avoid using onboard NICs that are known to have poor driver support or are based on Realtek chipsets for critical network interfaces, especially the WAN, as this can lead to instability and performance issues. Ensure your NICs are recognized by Ubuntu before proceeding with the pfSense installation. Virtualization: If you're setting this up in a virtual environment, ensure your hypervisor is configured correctly to pass through network interfaces to the pfSense VM. This often involves setting up promiscuous mode on your virtual switches and ensuring the VM has direct access to the physical NICs or virtual network adapters mapped correctly. Power Supply: Don't overlook this! A reliable power supply unit (PSU) is essential for a stable system. A system that powers down unexpectedly can cause network outages and data corruption.

Step 1: Prepare Your Ubuntu System

Alright, team, let's get our Ubuntu 20.04 system ready for the pfSense magic. This initial setup is super important to ensure a smooth installation later on. First things first, we need to make sure our system is up-to-date. Open up your terminal and run these commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

This ensures that all your current packages are updated to their latest versions, which can prevent compatibility issues down the line. Next, we need to assign static IP addresses to our network interfaces. This is absolutely critical for pfSense to function correctly. You'll have one interface for your WAN (internet) and one for your LAN (internal network). We'll assume eth0 is your WAN and eth1 is your LAN for this example. You might need to adjust these names based on your system's configuration. You can check your interface names using the ip a command.

Configuring Static IP Addresses

We'll be using netplan, which is the default network configuration tool in Ubuntu 20.04. Find your netplan configuration file, which is usually located in /etc/netplan/. It might be named something like 00-installer-config.yaml or similar. You'll need to edit this file. Make a backup first! Seriously, always back up configuration files before you edit them. You can do this with sudo cp /etc/netplan/your-config-file.yaml /etc/netplan/your-config-file.yaml.bak.

Now, edit the file using your favorite text editor, like nano:

sudo nano /etc/netplan/your-config-file.yaml

Your configuration will look something like this. You need to modify it to include static IPs for both your WAN and LAN interfaces.

network:
  ethernets:
    eth0: # Your WAN interface
      dhcp4: no
      addresses: [192.168.1.100/24] # Example IP, set to your ISP's gateway or a public IP if applicable
    eth1: # Your LAN interface
      dhcp4: no
      addresses: [192.168.30.1/24] # This will be your pfSense LAN IP
  version: 2

Important Notes for IP Configuration:

• WAN IP: If eth0 is directly connected to your modem/router from your ISP, you might need to configure it with an IP provided by your ISP or set it to DHCP if your ISP uses that. However, for a typical pfSense setup where it is your main gateway, you'll often assign it a static IP within the subnet of your ISP's gateway or configure it as DHCP if that's how your ISP provides the connection. For this guide, let's assume eth0 will get its IP via DHCP from your existing router for now, or you can set a static IP within your current network's range. This simplifies things as we're not aiming to replace your main router just yet with Ubuntu itself acting as the gateway before pfSense installation.
• LAN IP: The IP address you assign to eth1 (e.g., 192.168.30.1/24) will become the default IP address for your pfSense web interface. Make sure this IP address is NOT in the same subnet as your current network's LAN. For example, if your current home router is 192.168.1.1, then 192.168.30.1 is a good choice for your pfSense LAN interface. This prevents IP conflicts.
• Gateway and DNS for WAN: If eth0 is not getting its IP via DHCP, you'll need to specify the gateway and DNS servers. For instance, if eth0 is static:

  eth0:
    dhcp4: no
    addresses: [192.168.1.100/24]
    gateway4: 192.168.1.1 # Your current router's IP
    nameservers:
      addresses: [8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4] # Google's DNS
  

After saving the file (Ctrl+X, Y, Enter in nano), apply the changes:

sudo netplan apply

Verify that your interfaces have the correct IP addresses:

ip a

You should see your assigned static IPs. If eth0 is your WAN and needs internet access, ensure it has a valid gateway and DNS configured. If you set eth0 to DHCP, it should automatically get an IP, gateway, and DNS from your current network.

Disable Predictive Network Interface Names (Optional but Recommended)

Ubuntu uses predictable network interface names (like enp0s3). While netplan usually handles this fine, some users find it easier to revert to the classic eth0, eth1 naming for pfSense, which is more traditional. If you want to do this:

1. Edit GRUB configuration:

   sudo nano /etc/default/grub
   

   Find the line `GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=