pfSense For Dummies: Setup And Configure Your Own Firewall

pfSense is an open-source firewall and router distribution based on the FreeBSD operating system. It is highly preferred by businesses and individuals for its high-end features and ease of use.

This online course will help understand everything about pfSense from scratch, from understanding different features and how to configure them to troubleshooting common problems.

pfSense For Dummies: Setup And Configure Your Own Firewall Course Overview

In this course, we'll get started with understanding what a firewall exactly is in sessions 1 and 2. We will discuss the principle underlying a firewall, why should we install pfSense as our firewall and why should we utilize one at all in our network. We will also discuss the unique qualities and attributes of pfSense.

In the third session, we'll look at how to get the pfSense Community Edition from the website and then use that file to make a bootable USB stick that we can use to install pfSense on our computers.

The following session 4 will demonstrate how to add a second Ethernet card to your computer such that the incoming connection enters through the first Ethernet card and the outgoing connection exits through the second Ethernet port.

The network strategy, the devices we will use in the network, and how we can link the devices that we are going to include in our actual network scenario will all be discussed in the upcoming session 5.

From session 6 to session 11, we'll check out how to boot from a bootable USB device before moving on to installing pfSense on our machine. We will also set up the WAN network in addition to the LAN network to have an internet connection that comes from the WAN network, passes through our pfSense, and enters our Local Area Network, or LAN network.

The issue with this type of configuration is that setting up all these devices and networks will make it impossible to quickly understand how to use pfSense. We're going to perform the actual configuration using the exact same lab setup that we had here in the virtual setting.

From sessions 12 to 17, we will attempt to recreate the exact scenario from our physical lab in our virtual setting using VirtualBox. We will download the VirtualBox from the Oracle website. We will also download pfSense Community Edition. We will then download the client computer, Ubuntu, and install pfsense and Ubuntu into virtual machines so that we can have both pfSense and a client computer.

From sessions 18 to 20, we will cover the most popular pfSense console options and configurations. We'll also go through how to customize the Web Dashboard and the Web Wizard that will show up the first time you install it.

From sessions 21 to 27, we will cover the advanced administrative and system configuration options. Also, we'll see the package manager, which allows you to install new packages and obtain new features. We'll also view the gateways, where you can set gateway preferences, and the user manager, which enables you to modify, delete, activate, and deactivate new users. You will also learn about the interface selections, assignments, and port forward, which enables you to use your firewall to forward ports.

In sessions 28 and 29, we will set up and configure one of the nicest features of pfSense, the captive portal. We can set it up so that users must check in to the system using a username and password at places like hotels or schools. Alternatively, you could also make coupon codes. The user can log in to the system with either the username and password or the voucher code to access a metered internet connection.

In session 30, Load balancing is one of the various pfsense features that we shall see. Also, we'll show how crucial it is to back up your settings and restore them both via the online interface and the command line interface.

In sessions 31 and 32, we will install website blocking capability for the entire network with the pfsense plugin, pfblocker. With this plugin, you may block specific websites from a list of websites as well as include individual domain names to block them specifically in the network.

Overall, this course will be a wonderful starting point for your pfSense firewall experience. Also, we will provide you a certificate of completion for the course, which you can add to your portfolio for network administration and strengthen your career prospects.

Who is this course for?

• Network Enthusiasts, System Administrators, or Network Administrators who wish to implement firewalls on their premises.