Create a PFSense installation.
Create a PFSense installation.
You should prioritize hardware with AES-NI support. Consider newer models beyond the 775 socket, as they’ll accommodate future pfSense releases. While the 775 works for 200M connections, VPN performance may suffer with Site-to-Site or inbound mobile VPNs. Modern CPUs using AES-NI can handle encryption/decryption faster on the chip itself. I’ve used similar boards before; the Intel 82562G PCI adapter is ideal for pfSense setups, especially if you had a 150/30 connection. Avoid older PCI expansion boards—they cause noticeable interruptions when pushing 200M. If budget allows, a newer 775 with Intel PCI is better than a cheaper alternative. What’s your budget? What usage and features are important to you?
About $150, I’m looking for a decent router with strong protection against unwanted attacks. I won’t be using it for a VPN directly, but I’d like to route my VPN connection through it to my VPS. I expect only a few devices online at once. If 2.5 is significantly better, I feel confident spending on an updated board.
Use the PCI-Express adapter built into the WAN port and select one of the Dual Intel nic ports for LAN or several LAN connections. The dual PCI cards often experience significant interruptions when handling high data rates. I’m here to assist you in improving performance, but this issue was a key factor in why the board was marked as problematic due to high latency during busy operations.
I would connect the two PCI LAN ports using a bridge and switch the bridge interface to that port. Even with the interrupt problems, it provides an extra port for future use when you need something less demanding. I’m placing my printer on the slowest port in the box since it’s only used briefly during print jobs, ensuring it won’t affect performance. I expect others to notice any clear improvements or changes when pfSense 2.5 is released. Most updates will likely remove unnecessary features until security patches stop coming. This should give you a year or more to think about upgrades.
Did you check out similar boards? The link provided looks promising. @MysticalGnome suggested it and it seems to work well. Downloading at maximum speed (100Mb/s) using only the torrent client put about 45% CPU usage, with snort active on both local and remote connections.
Consider the ongoing snort activity across both interfaces, noting it consumes significant resources. The current PRIQ traffic control and limiting mechanisms are quite simple. /EDIT Also this was just a demonstration.