Build your own PFSense router or firewall using a Dell Wyse 5060 and an M.2 second Ethernet card.
Build your own PFSense router or firewall using a Dell Wyse 5060 and an M.2 second Ethernet card.
I recently completed an exciting build I thought worth showing off. I purchased a Dell Wyse 5060 terminal paired with a Quad-core AMD GX-424 processor at 2.4GHz for £35. I installed 16 GB of DDR3 RAM and a 128GB SSD that fits into the SATA DOM slot after removing the plastic casing. Then I mounted an M.2 Gigabit Ethernet adapter and drilled a hole in the back panel to accommodate the socket (my Dremel abilities weren’t top, I might have rushed). Result? A powerful router and firewall running pfSense for under £100. I’d love to add more than one extra Ethernet port but couldn’t locate a keyed M.2 card.
I attempted to install a 2.5Gbit port on a mini PC via M.2, suspecting an adapter was involved. After replacing it with a PCIe-to-M.2 adapter (which wasn’t perfect but I had one on hand), the connection resolved. It seems the original card might have been built for a smaller x4 slot or the adapter was mislabeled, only supporting USB instead. These adapters appear to be inconsistent, often from unknown manufacturers with questionable quality. Perhaps using a Gigabit device would simplify things since it likely starts at x1.
Can you stop the Wyse5060 using "shutdown -h now" or by pressing the power button? With the extra M.2 NIC and Realtek 8111 connected, after shutting it down or pressing the button it restarts right away. The only way to fully turn it off is to disconnect the power source.
Regardless of the situation, whenever I attempt to shut down the Wyse5060 using an additional NIC connected to the M.2 port, it instantly restarts. When the M.2 slot is empty, all shutdown methods function correctly.