Virtual & Cloud based Installation — OPNsense documentation (2024)

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Introduction
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Installation and setup
- Hardware sizing & setup
- Initial Installation & Configuration
- - Local/Server
    - General tips
    - VMware ESXi
    - Xen
    - HyperV
    - KVM
    - Others
    - Hosted
    - opnsense-bootstrap
  - Amazon AWS EC2 Cloud
  - Microsoft Azure
  - Common Issues
    - File copy failed during installation
    - Disk Errors on VMware
    - NAT issues on XenServer
    - Traffic Shaper does not work on VMware
- Updates
- Included software
- Setup guides
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Installation and setup »
Virtual & Cloud based Installation

Local/Server¶

Installing OPNsense on a virtual machine can be done by using the DVD ISO image.Full instructions are available in chapter Initial Installation & Configuration .

General tips¶

For optimum performance and compatibility, these guides are given:

Minimum required RAM is 1 GB
See Also
pfSense Reviews, Competitors and Pricing Bien sûr, voici l'article que vous avez demandé :Learn About the pfSense Project OPNsense® is a true open source firewall and more
Minimum recommended virtual disk size of 8 GB
Disable all off-loading settings in Interfaces ‣ Settings

VMware ESXi¶

VMware offers full instructions for installing FreeBSD, these can be foundhere.

To install the VMware tools just goto System ‣ Firmware ‣ Plugins and installos-vmware by clicking on the + sign next to it.

Note

While other network setups may work fine, the VMXNET 3 is the recommended one according to VMware’s Compatibility Guide.

Xen¶

To install the Xen tools just goto System ‣ Firmware ‣ Plugins and installos-xen by clicking on the + sign next to it.

HyperV¶

HyperV Generation 1 and 2 are supported out of the box, no additional driversor tools are needed.

Secure Boot setting must be un-ticked in the Hardware > Security section for the VM.
See Also
OPNsense firewalls

KVM¶

i440FX chipsetOPNsense on KVM works with virtio disks and network devices (confirmed on QEMU 5.0).

Q35 chipsetAs of 22.1.x, OPNsense is based on FreeBSD 13.0, which includes support for the virtualized Q35 chipset and newergeneration of KVM virtio devices.Note that this was a relatively recent addition to FreeBSD, so it may not be as well tested as the i440 support.

Others¶

OPNsense can be installed on all virtual machines that support FreeBSD (such as Bhyve, VirtualBox).

Hosted¶

For hosted installations where you can’t install using the DVD ISO an alternativeapproach is available in the form of opnsense-bootstrap.

opnsense-bootstrap¶

opnsense-bootstrap(8) is a tool that can completely reinstall a running systemin place for a thorough factory reset or to restore consistency of all the OPNsensefiles. It can also wipe the configuration directory, but won’t do that by default.

It will automatically pick up the latest available version and build a chain oftrust by using current package fingerprints -> CA root certificates -> HTTPS -> OPNsensepackage fingerprints.

What it will also do is turn a supported stock FreeBSD release into an OPNsenseinstallation. Both UFS and ZFS installations are supported.

opnsense bootstrap is available for ourgithub source repository

Amazon AWS EC2 Cloud¶

Installing OPNsense into the Amazon cloud can be a daunting task as no console isoffered. Luckily an easy to install AMI is also available in the aws marketplace.

See also our how-to for Installing OPNsense AWS image.

Microsoft Azure¶

OPNsense is also available in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace as an easy installable virtual appliance.

See also our how-to for OPNsense Azure Virtual Appliance.

Common Issues¶

Some common issues have been reported for different virtual environments.You can find known solutions to these problems below.

If your problem is not listed always try the General tips mentioned in thearticle first.

File copy failed during installation¶

This issue is most likely caused by low memory setting. Make sure your virtualOPNsense installation has a minimum of 1 GB of RAM.

Disk Errors on VMware¶

This issue can be caused by a defective drive. Changing the drive mode to IDE hasbeen reported to help for certain ESXi versions.

NAT issues on XenServer¶

This issue has been reported to be solved by disabling checksum offloading on bothOPNsense domU and Vifs.

Traffic Shaper does not work on VMware¶

If you are using vmxnet3 drivers try to switch to E1000.

Virtual & Cloud based Installation — OPNsense documentation (2024)

FAQs

Can OPNsense be installed as a virtual machine? ›

OPNsense can be installed on all virtual machines that support FreeBSD (such as Bhyve, VirtualBox).

Read On ›

How to install OPNsense on AWS? ›

To install an OPNsense instance on AWS, you may follow the steps explained below.

Step 1 - Select OPNsense AMI ...
Step 2: Choose an Instance Type ...
Step 3: Configure Instance Details ...
Step 4 - Add Storage ...
Step 5 - Add Tags ...
Step 6 - Configure security group ...
Step 7 - Review Instance Launch and Select Key Pair

More items...

Oct 25, 2023

Discover More Details ›

What can you install OPNsense on? ›

OPNsense® is available for x86-64 (amd64) bit microprocessor architectures. Full installs on SD memory cards, solid-state disks (SSD) or hard disk drives (HDD) are intended for OPNsense.

How to install OPNsense kvm? ›

Installing Opnsense with virt-install on KVM

Convert to a qcow2 disk image: qemu-img convert -f raw -O qcow2 OPNsense-24.1-nano-amd64.img OPNsense-24.1-nano-amd64.qcow2.
Resize to give us more space for logs, etc: qemu-img resize OPNsense-24.1-nano-amd64.qcow2 +8G.

More items...

Jun 7, 2024

See Details ›

Should I virtualise OPNsense? ›

If you don't have the capacity or do not intend to do this, virtualisation does not offer any advantages, only drawbacks. OPNsense can be difficult to virtualise depending on the hypervisor and give variying performance results depending on the network interface presented by the hypervisor.

Find Out More ›

How to run OPNsense on VirtualBox? ›

Install OPNsense Firewall and Router in VirtualBox

Download OPNSense Download.
Extract the downloaded .bz2 file.
Launch Virtualbox.
Create a New VM by selecting Machine > New. Name: OPNSense. ...
Click Create.
On the Create Virtual Hard Disk dialog. ...
Click Create.
Select the VM and Click Settings.

More items...

Tell Me More ›

What is better, OPNsense or pfSense? ›

If you want high customizability and a large support community, pfSense is a good option. If you prioritize an easy-to-use interface and frequent updates, instead, OPNsense may be better. Ultimately, pfSense offers more flexibility for seasoned users, but OPNsense provides a more polished out-of-box experience.

Show Me More ›

What version of FreeBSD does OPNsense use? ›

Versions

Version	FreeBSD Base	Release message
OPNsense 24.7 (current stable version)	FreeBSD 14.1-RELEASE-p2	24.7
OPNsense 24.1	FreeBSD 13.2-RELEASE-p9	24.1
OPNsense 23.7	FreeBSD 13.2-RELEASE-p1	23.7
OPNsense 23.1	FreeBSD 13.1-RELEASE-p5	23.1

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Explore More ›

How much RAM is needed for OPNsense? ›

Component selection

Scope of application		Equipment
	Network throughput (Mbps)	RAM
Reasonable (OPNsense standard features, all functions can be used, but possibly only for fewer users or lower loads)	151 - 350	4 GB
Recommended (OPNsense standard functions, meets most use cases)	350 - 750+	8 GB

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Jan 30, 2024

How many cores does OPNsense need? ›

CPU & Memory

We recommend at least dual core (preferable 4 core if you also host database on the firewall) cpu system. Single core cpu score is more important than having lots of cpu cores; for that, a Quad Core i7 PC system is more likely to perform better than a 12-core intel xeon server system.

Show Me More ›

What is the difference between embedded and full version of OPNsense? ›

Embedded image store logging and cache data in memory only, while full versions will keep the data stored on the local drive. A full version can mimic the behavior of an embedded version by enabling RAM disks, this is especially useful for SD memory card installations.

Read The Full Story ›

Can you run OPNsense in a VM? ›

Installing OPNsense on a virtual machine can be done by using the DVD ISO image. So, download the DVD ISO image from the OPNsense mirror site which is closest to you. After downloading the bzip compressed ISO file ( OPNsense-21.1-OpenSSL-DVD-amd64.

See Details ›

Can OPNsense run on Proxmox? ›

Once you feel comfortable with the configuration of OPNsense, you may plug the Proxmox management interface (and the OPNsense LAN interface) into an interface on your network switch that is not assigned to any VLANs. Then plug the modem/ONT into WAN interface of OPNsense which will be the second 2.5G interface.

Get More Info Here ›

What is the default root password for OPNsense? ›

The default user is root and the password is opnsense.

Can pfSense be installed on a virtual machine? ›

pfSense software installation

When the VM starts it will boot into the installer automatically. From there, follow the installation steps as usual, and reboot when finished. See Installation Walkthrough for a detailed walkthrough of the installation process.

Can you install Raspbian on a virtual machine? ›

Install Raspberry Pi OS Desktop on your virtual machine. After you've started Raspberry Pi OS Desktop from VirtualBox for the first time, you'll get a menu asking you to choose between running or installing the OS. Choose “Graphical install” with your keyboard arrows, and press ENTER.

View Details ›

Can you run a VPN inside a virtual machine? ›

The Convergence: VMs Meet VPNs

Enhanced Privacy and Security: Running a VPN on a VM can provide a double layer of security. The VM protects your main system from direct exposure, while the VPN shields your online activity from prying eyes.