How and WHY update pfSense

What is UPDATE or UPGRADE?
Why we need it?

"Updates are additions to software that can help prevent or fix problems, improve how your computer works, or enhance your computing experience."

"Upgrades introduce improvements and new features"

"Upgrades address/correct bugs encountered in prior versions."

and a lot more...

Now that you have an idea how important updates are, let's proceed to our next step...


Prepare your pfSense for an update/upgrade....

Anything can happen,and for some reasons, your system may become unstable while updating or maybe after the update. So it is a good idea to back up first your configuration settings before doing the update. So that if the update goes wrong, you have a chance to go back to your previous stable state...

Here's how to back up your configuration:


1. Go to DIAGNOSTIC tab of your pfSenseGUI and click Backup/Restore.

    1.1. Diagnostics: Backup/restore page will open and you have now the option to Backup or Restore configuration

2. Click DOWNLOAD CONFIGURATION and save it on a secure location or directory.





That's it. You now have a backup of your configuration. (Settings, Rules, Packages, more...)



Now that we have the backup configuration, we can now proceed on updating our pfSense.
 
As of now 2.1.5 is the new and latest version. - "The 2.1.5 release follows shortly after 2.1.4 and is primarily a security release."  read more here

Here's how to update your pfSense:

1. Check the VERSION Status section of your pfSense on your dashboard.



    1.1. You will see UPDATE AVAILABLE if there's an update available for you as you can see on the picture above. If your pfSense is updated, then it will tell you that "You are on the latest version."

    1.2. Click CLICK HERE to open the update page.




2. As you can see on the picture above, the current version that I have is 2.1.4 and the newer version is 2.1.5... Click INVOKE AUTO UPGRADE to update/upgrade pfSense.


3. pfSense will download the updates now.





    3.1. Be patient. Wait. Your pfSense will reboot if it is done.





4. Once it is done, access your pfSense webgui again and check the VersionStatus. You must see 2.1.5 Release and "you are on the latest version"


-Done! :) Good job!


Note: If something is wrong about the new and updated version, you can go back to your previous configuration or setup using the backup that we did earlier... just upload the backup config file on Diagnostic Backup/Restore page.

pfSense

 

pfSense : super firewall + router

Let me share to you how to INSTALL and CONFIGURE some basics in pfSense.
[blocking https sites like Facebook , squid and squid guard for web filtering , captive portal and more...]

my pfSense guide will cover :

# How to Install pfSense
I'm installing the 2.1.3 version of pfSense

# How to block HTTP and HTTPS websites (e.g. Facebook)
I'll block Facebook website as example... http and https.

# How to filter web browsing with squid+squidguard
Blocking bad sites (e.g. PornSites) using BlackList, restrict downloads, torrents, etc...

# How to set up a captive portal
Authenticate (username and password required) a user before giving access to the Internet.

# How to block Youtube
Block Youtube using pfSense and OpenDNS

# How to setup Web Proxy Report 
Set up Lightsquid to generate network usage reports

Video versions of tutorials here.

About pfSense:

"The pfSense® project is a free, open source customized distribution of FreeBSD specifically tailored for use as a firewall and router that is entirely managed via web interface. In addition to being a powerful, flexible firewalling and routing platform, it includes a long list of related features and a package system allowing further expandability without adding bloat and potential security vulnerabilities to the base distribution. The pfSense project has become a fairly popular project with more than 1 million downloads since its inception, and proven in countless installations ranging from small home networks protecting a single computer to large corporations, universities and other organizations protecting thousands of network devices." [source: https://www.pfsense.org/about-pfsense]

Details about my actual setup:

-- My pfSense box as router and firewall

-- I have Windows Server 2008R2 serving more than 200PC with hundreds of users. I'm using the Active Directory feature for my Captive portal setup.

-- I also have a WiFi router and some switches. 

My pfSense specs:

                CPU - Pentium4 3.0Ghz
                Board - Old Gigabyte socket775
                RAM - 4Gig DDR2 (2x2G)
                HDD - Seagate 160G SATA
                NIC - 2 Intel Pro/100+

Minimum Hardware Requirements:

• CPU - Pentium II processor
• RAM - 256 MB
• 1 GB hard drive

Yes, you can use your old working PC. :D

For more details about pfSense like list of features, hardware requirements, support and other services...

please visit the official website .