2.0 New Features and Changes

This is a partial list of the new features and major changes in the pfSense® software 2.0 release.

Operating System

  • Based on FreeBSD 8.1 release.

  • i386 and amd64 variants for all install types (full install, nanobsd/embedded, etc.)

  • USB memstick installer images available

Interfaces

  • GRE tunnels

  • GIF tunnels

  • 3G support

  • Dial up modem support

  • Multi-Link PPP (MLPPP) for bonding PPP connections (ISP/upstream must also support MLPPP)

  • LAGG Interfaces

  • Interface groups

  • IP Alias type Virtual IPs

  • IP Alias VIPs can be stacked on CARP VIPs to go beyond the 255 VHID limit in deployments that need very large numbers of CARP VIPs.

  • QinQ VLANs

  • Can use Block Private Networks / Block Bogon Networks on any interface

  • All interfaces are optional except WAN

  • All interfaces can be renamed, even LAN/WAN

  • Bridging enhancements - can now control all options of if_bridge, and assign bridge interfaces

Gateways/Multi-WAN

  • Gateways, including dynamic gateways, are specified under System > Routing

  • Gateways can have custom monitor IPs

  • Gateways can have a custom weight, allowing load balancing to have ratios between WANs of different speeds

  • Gateways can have custom latency, loss, and downtime trigger levels.

  • Gateway monitoring via icmp is now configurable.

  • Multiple gateways may exist per interface

  • Multi-WAN is now handled via gateway groups

  • Gateway groups can include multiple tiers with any number of gateways on each, for complex failover and load balancing scenarios.

General Web GUI

  • Set to HTTPS by default, HTTP redirects to HTTPS port

  • Dashboard and widgets added

  • System > Advanced screen split into multiple tabs, more options available.

  • SMTP email alerts and growl alerts

  • New default theme - pfsense_ng

  • Some community-contributed themes added

  • Contextual help available on every page in the web interface, linking to a webpage containing help and documentation specific to that page.

  • Help menu for quick access to online resources (forum, docs, paid support, etc.)

Aliases

  • Aliases may be nested (aliases in aliases)

  • Alias autocomplete is no longer case sensitive

  • IP Ranges in Aliases

  • More Alias entries supported

  • Bulk Alias importing

  • URL Aliases

  • URL Table Aliases - uses a pf persist table for large (40,000+) entry lists

Firewall

  • Traffic shaper rewritten - now handles any combination of multi-WAN and multi-LAN interfaces. New wizards added.

  • Layer7 protocol filtering

  • EasyRule - add firewall rules from log view (and from console!)

  • Floating rules allow adding non-interface specific rules

  • Dynamically sized state table based on amount of RAM in the system

  • More Advanced firewall rule options

  • FTP helper now in kernel

  • TFTP proxy

  • Schedule rules are handled in pf, so they can use all the rule options.

  • State summary view, report shows states grouped by originating IP, destination IP, etc.

NAT

  • All of the NAT screens were updated with additional functionality

  • Port forwards can now handle create/update associated firewall rules automatically, instead of just creating unrelated entries.

  • Port forwards can optionally use “rdr pass” so no firewall rule is needed.

  • Port forwards can be disabled

  • Port forwards can be negated (“no rdr”)

  • Port forwards can have source and destination filters

  • NAT reflection improvements, including NAT reflection for 1:1 NAT

  • Per-entry NAT reflection overrides

  • 1:1 NAT rules can specify a source and destination address

  • 1:1 NAT page redesigned

  • Outbound NAT can now translate to an address pool (Subnet of IPs or an alias of IPs) of multiple external addresses

  • Outbound NAT rules can be specified by protocol

  • Outbound NAT rules can use aliases

  • Improved generation of outbound NAT rules when switching from automatic to manual.

IPsec

  • Multiple IPsec p2’s per p1 (multiple subnets)

  • IPsec xauth support

  • IPsec transport mode added

  • IPsec NAT-T

  • Option to push settings such as IP, DNS, etc, to mobile IPsec clients (mod_cfg)

  • Mobile IPsec works with iOS and Android (Certain versions, see IPsec Remote Access VPN Example Using IKEv1 with Xauth)

  • More Phase 1/2 options can be configured, including the cipher type/strength

  • ipsec-tools version 0.8

User Manager

  • New user manager, centralizing the various user configuration screens previously available.

  • Per-page user access permissions for administrative users

  • Three built-in authentication types - local users, LDAP and RADIUS.

  • Authentication diagnostics page

Certificate Manager

  • Certificate manager added, for handling of IPsec, web interface, user, and OpenVPN certificates.

  • Handles creation/import of Certificate Authorities, Certificates, Certificate Revocation lists.

  • Eliminates the need for using command line tools such as EasyRSA for managing certificates.

OpenVPN

  • OpenVPN wizard guides through making a CA/Cert and OpenVPN server, sets up firewall rules, and so on. Greatly simplifies the process of creating a remote access OpenVPN server.

  • OpenVPN filtering - an OpenVPN rules tab is available, so OpenVPN interfaces don’t have to be assigned to perform filtering.

  • OpenVPN client export package - provides a bundled Windows installer with certificates, Viscosity export, and export of a zip file containing the user’s certificate and configuration files.

  • OpenVPN status page with connected client list – can also kill client connections

  • User authentication and certificate management

  • RADIUS and LDAP authentication support

Captive Portal

  • Voucher support added

  • Multi-interface capable

  • Pass-through MAC bandwidth restrictions

  • Custom logout page contents can be uploaded

  • Allowed IP addresses bandwidth restrictions

  • Allowed IP addresses supports IP subnets

  • “Both” direction added to Allowed IP addresses

  • Pass-through MAC Auto Entry - upon successful authentication, a pass-through MAC entry can be automatically added.

  • Ability to configure calling station RADIUS attributes

Wireless

Server Load Balancing

  • relayd and its more advanced capabilities replace slbd.

Other

  • L2TP VPN added

  • DNS lookup page added

  • PFTop and Top in GUI - realtime updates

  • Config History now includes a diff feature

  • Config History has download buttons for prior versions

  • Config History has mouseover descriptions

  • CLI filter log parser (/usr/local/bin/filterparser)

  • Switched to PHP 5.2.x

  • IGMP proxy added

  • Multiple Dynamic DNS account support, including full multi-WAN support and multi-accounts on each interface.

    • DynDNS Account Types supported are:

      DNS-O-Matic, DynDNS (dynamic), DynDNS (static), DynDNS (custom), DHS, DyNS, easyDNS, No-IP, ODS.org, ZoneEdit, Loopia, freeDNS, DNSexit, OpenDNS, Namecheap.com

  • More interface types (VPNs, etc) available for packet capture

  • DNS Forwarder is used by the firewall itself for DNS resolution (configurable) so the firewall benefits from faster resolution via multiple concurrent queries, sees all DNS overrides/DHCP registrations, etc.

  • DHCP Server can now handle arbitrary numbered options, rather than only options present in the GUI.

  • Automatic update now also works for NanoBSD as well as full installs

  • More configuration sections can be synchronized via XMLRPC between CARP nodes.