Book Image

Learn pfSense 2.4

By : David Zientara
Book Image

Learn pfSense 2.4

By: David Zientara

Overview of this book

As computer networks become ubiquitous, it has become increasingly important to both secure and optimize our networks. pfSense, an open-source router/firewall, provides an easy, cost-effective way of achieving this – and this book explains how to install and configure pfSense in such a way that even a networking beginner can successfully deploy and use pfSense. This book begins by covering networking fundamentals, deployment scenarios, and hardware sizing guidelines, as well as how to install pfSense. The book then covers configuration of basic services such as DHCP, DNS, and captive portal and VLAN configuration. Careful consideration is given to the core firewall functionality of pfSense, and how to set up firewall rules and traffic shaping. Finally, the book covers the basics of VPNs, multi-WAN setups, routing and bridging, and how to perform diagnostics and troubleshooting on a network.
Table of Contents (14 chapters)

Additional pfSense Services

In the previous two chapters, we covered the services and features of pfSense that are essential in most network scenarios. It is difficult to imagine a network of any size not implementing a DHCP server, and captive portals are extremely useful in setting up a public Wi-Fi network. The services that have been omitted until this chapter are those that you may not have occasion to implement on your network, yet they are all vital in their own way.

In this chapter, we will cover the Domain Name System (DNS) and discuss the two different ways to implement it in pfSense. We will also provide a preview of Chapter 6, Firewall and NAT, and demonstrate how to use firewall rules to prevent users from bypassing your DNS settings. We will also cover Dynamic DNS (DDNS), why it is useful, and how to implement it. Finally, we will cover two services that are not...