Virtualizing pfSense Software with VMware vSphere / ESXi (2024)

This article is about building a pfSense® virtual machine on vSphere / ESXi.Article explains how to install any major pfSense software version on VMwarevSphere.

Warning

Depending on the version of pfSense software in use, there may be specificvSphere / ESX version requirements as well. For example, versions of pfSensesoftware based on FreeBSD 12.x require ESX 6.7 or later while versions basedon FreeBSD 14.x require ESX 7.0 or later. Typically the VM hardware versionmust also be at that level or greater. While older versions may work, theymay be unstable.

Refer to both Versions of pfSense software and FreeBSD and the VMware Guest OSCompatibility Guide to find the base OS and requirements for each version.

The article does not cover how to install vSphere or how to configure pfSensesoftware to do any of the many amazing things it can. A basic, working, virtualmachine running pfSense software will exist by the end of this document.

Note

If the pfSense software instance will be running as a perimeter firewall foran organization and the “attack surface” should be minimized, many will sayit is preferable to run it unvirtualized on stand-alone hardware. That is adecision for the user and/or organization to make, however. Now back to thetopic.*

This guide starts at the point with a vanilla ESXi install connected using thevSphere client. If other VMs are already running on ESXi, then it is not likelynecessary to follow the networking steps too closely. However, skim through itto see what is suggested before building the pfSense software virtual machine.

Assumptions¶

vSphere host is up and running and the user can login to the web interfacethrough its management network adapter.
The reader has an understanding of network addressing.
vSphere host has a working datastore.
The pfSense software installation .iso image is present in a datastore.

The following steps include the necessary vSphere web client configurationrequired to get a VM for pfSense software running.

Basic vSphere web client networking setup¶

Before creating a new VM in vSphere web client, create two virtual switches andtwo port groups. First, create Virtual switches for WAN and LAN and after thattwo port groups for the WAN and LAN. If there are existing virtual switches inthe environment which can be used for this VM, skip this step.

Open the vSphere web interface
Click Networking, Virtual switches tab
Click Add standard virtual switch
Configure the vSwitch as follows:
vSwitch Name:
WAN
Uplink 1:
vmnic1
Click Add
See Also
General User Interface — OPNsense documentation Initial Installation & Configuration — OPNsense documentation How to Install OPNsense on AWS? - zenarmor.com Virtual Machines and VPNs in 2024: How Do They Work Together?
Repeat the process and add another vSwitch named LAN for vmnic2

Creating port groups¶

After creating Virtual switches, now create port groups. If there are existingport groups in the environment which can be used for this VM, skip this step.

Click Networking, Port groups tab
Click Add port group
Configure the port group as follows:
Name:
WAN
Virtual switch:
WAN
Click Add
Repeat the process and add another port group named LAN for the LANvSwitch.

Creating a Virtual Machine¶

With the required networking configured, the next step is to create a virtualmachine.

Click Virtual Machines on the left Navigator pane
Click Create/Register VM
Select Create a new virtual machine on the first wizard
Click Next
Configure the Select a name and guest OS screen of the wizard as follows:
Name:
pfSense or another meaningful name, such as firewall.
Compatibility:
The latest version available (e.g. ESXi 7.0 U2 virtual machine)
Guest OS Family:
Other
Guest OS Version:
FreeBSD 12 (64-bit) or whichever version best matches the version ofFreeBSD used by the chosen version of pfSense software. SeeVersions of pfSense software and FreeBSD for a list.
Click Next
Select the datastore where the VM disk will live
This is where ESX will allocate storage to hold the configuration andoperating files for the virtual machine. There may be multiple datastoresavailable to ESX, local or even remote NFS volumes.
See Also
Install OPNsense Firewall and Router in VirtualBox
Local disks are faster and more reliable, but pfSense software does notrequire a fast disk in most use cases, so in those environments it can run offan NFS disk if necessary.
Click Next
Click Add network adapter to create a second NIC
Configure the items on the Customize settings screen as follows:
CPU:
Use a single CPU socket.
If the hypervisor host has sufficient cores available, click to expand theCPU options and set a higher Cores per socket count.
Memory:
Depending on the number and type of packages that will be installed on thepfSense software, a basic firewall VM should run comfortably in 1024MB ofRAM. For deployments which require more or larger packages, increase the RAMas needed.
Hard Disk 1:
Give the VM at least 16 GB of space, more for larger packages.
SCSI Controller 0:
The default LSI Logic SAS is compatible, leave it as-is.
Network Adapter 1:
Select the WAN port group.
For best performance, use VMXNET 3 type of adapters which is the currentdefault in vSphere 7.x. Click to expand the interface options and ensureit’s set to VMXNET 3.
New Network Adapter:
Select the LAN port group.
Click to expand the interface options and ensure it’s set to VMXNET 3.
CD/DVD Drive 1:
Select Datastore ISO file* and then browse to and pick the pfSensesoftware installer ISO.
The remaining options can remain at their default values, or change to suitthe needs of the environment.
Click Next
Review the settings for the VM
If anything is incorrect, go back to the previous screens and correct it.
Click Finish

pfSense software installation¶

The vSphere web interface will now have an entry for the new VM.

Click Virtual Machines in the Navigator panel on the left
Click the name of the VM in the list to open it
Click Power on to start the VM
Click inside the console window to open the console view to continue theinstallation.

When the VM starts it will boot into the installer automatically. From there,follow the installation steps as usual, and reboot when finished.

Installing Open-VM-Tools¶

Once the pfSense software installation is complete, upon first boot install theOpen-VM-Tools.

Navigate to System > Packages, Available Packages tab
Find Open-VM-Tools in the list or search for it
Click Install
Confirm the installation

Make sure the Open-VM-Tools service is running under Status > Services.

Virtualizing pfSense Software with VMware vSphere / ESXi (19)

Congratulations, the installation of pfSense software on ESXi is complete!

Additional Information and Tips¶

Dedicated Management Network¶

The best practice is to separate the ESXi Management network from othernetworks. The example in this recipe uses a dedicated management network, whichis common in well-designed networks. Separation can be accomplished using VLANsor an additional NIC on the ESXi host dedicated only for ESXi management. ThevSphere client PC may need additional routing or networking connections to reachthe dedicated management network.

Identifying Interfaces¶

If multiple physical interfaces are available in the ESXi host, it can be a bitof a struggle to work out which one has been identified as vmnic1,vmnic2 and so on. If the MAC address of each NIC is noted down along withthe slot it occupied when it was installed in the machine, look at the NetworkAdapters screen under the Configuration tab to match up the MAC addresses.However, having that foresight is rare, so lacking that information the easiestway to match physical NICs to vmnic entries is to plug a PC or switch intothem, one at a time. The speed and duplex on the Networking or Network Adaptersscreens should change as the interface comes up. Click Refresh to update thelist.