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Steps for Initial Configuration and Setup of the pfSense Firewall via the Console Interface and then the WebGUI

First: Configuration via the Console Interface

After booting, the pfSense system console screen appears, displaying version details and the current IP addresses of the interfaces (WAN and LAN).

IP Address Configuration (Option 2):

  • Interface number 2 (LAN) was selected to modify its settings.

  • A new IP address was assigned to the LAN interface: 172.16.200.100/24.

  • DHCP on the LAN interface was disabled, and the HTTP protocol was enabled to allow access to the management interface.

Interface Assignment (Option 1):

  • The Interfaces Assignment menu was used to define and map physical ports (such as em0, em1, em2, em3) to logical interfaces.

  • The WAN interface was assigned to em2, and the LAN interface was assigned to em3.

Adding the DMZ Zone and Additional Interfaces (OPT):

  • An additional interface (OPT1) was enabled and assigned to em1.

  • An IP address was assigned to OPT1: 172.16.100.100/24.

  • A second additional interface (OPT2) was enabled and assigned to em0, with its IP address obtained automatically via DHCP.

Final Summary:\ The final console screen displays all four interfaces (WAN, LAN, OPT1, OPT2) along with their respective IP addresses.

Second: Configuration via the WebGUI

Login:

Access the firewall through a web browser at http://172.16.200.100 using the default username admin and password pfsense.

Setup Wizard:

  • Steps 1 & 2: Welcome message and information about Netgate support.

  • Step 3 (System Settings): Configure the Hostname, Domain, and DNS servers.

  • Step 4 (Time Server): Configure time settings and select the time zone (Africa/Cairo).

  • Step 5 (WAN Interface): Review the external interface settings and confirm the static IP address 172.16.10.100.

  • Step 6 (LAN Interface): Review and confirm the internal network address 172.16.200.100.

  • Step 7 (Password): Change the default administrator password to a new secure password.

Apply Settings:\ Click the Reload button to save and apply all changes made through the wizard.

Third: Final Dashboard

Configuration Complete:

A confirmation message appears: “Congratulations! pfSense is now configured.”

Dashboard:

The dashboard provides a complete system overview, including the pfSense version, CPU type, system uptime, and memory status.

Interfaces Status:

An interface status table shows that all interfaces (WAN, LAN, OPT1, OPT2) are Up, operating at 1000baseT (Gigabit) speed, with each interface’s assigned IP address displayed.

✅ pfSense DONE