In this guide, we will walk through the process of installing the pfSense open-source firewall (Community Edition) on a virtual machine using VMware Workstation Pro. We will configure a topology that includes a WAN connection and two separate LAN segments to simulate a realistic network environment.
Before installing, it is essential to understand the network layout we are building. The pfSense firewall will act as the central router connecting three networks:
Visit pfsense.org and select the download option for the Community Edition (CE) ISO installer. You will need to add the "ISO for virtual machines" to your cart and complete a $0 checkout process to access the download link.
In VMware Workstation Pro, create a new virtual machine using the downloaded ISO. Configure the hardware with at least:
This is the most critical step. You need three distinct network adapters to match our topology:
Note: Ensure your client VMs (Windows 11 and Linux Mint) are assigned to LAN Segment 1 and LAN Segment 2 respectively to ensure they connect to the correct interface on the firewall.
Power on the VM. Accept the distribution notice and choose "Install pfSense".
During boot, the installer will detect your interfaces (em0, em1, em2). You will be prompted to assign them:
em0 (the bridged adapter).em1 (LAN Segment 1).The installer will ask to configure the VAN/LAN network operation modes. Proceed with the defaults, select "Install CE" (Community Edition), use the "Auto (ZFS)" file system, and confirm the disk format. Once complete, reboot the system.
After the reboot, you will see the pfSense console menu. Currently, the LAN IP might default to 192.168.1.1, which we want to change.
Select option 2 (Set interface(s) IP address). Select the LAN interface (2) and configure it as follows:
10.1.1.12410.1.1.100 to 10.1.1.199Finally, select option 3 to reset the admin account password to something secure.
Switch to your Windows 11 VM (connected to LAN Segment 1). It should automatically receive an IP (e.g., 10.1.1.100) via DHCP.
Open a web browser and navigate to http://10.1.1.1. Log in with admin and your new password.
Run through the setup wizard:
We need to manually enable the third interface for the Linux Mint machine.
Go to Interfaces > Assignments. You should see an available network port (em2). Click Add and then Save.
Click on the new interface (OPT1), rename it to "LAN 2", and enable it. Set the IPv4 Configuration Type to Static IPv4 and assign the IP 10.2.2.1/24.
Navigate to Services > DHCP Server, select LAN 2, enable the server, and set a range (e.g., 10.2.2.100 to 10.2.2.199).
By default, new LAN interfaces block all traffic. We need to add rules to allow connectivity.
Go to Firewall > Rules and select LAN 2. Click Add.
Save and Apply Changes. Your Linux Mint machine on LAN 2 should now be able to ping the Windows machine and access the internet.