Emily Bennett
How To Set Up a pfSense VM Shell in Proxmox: Part 2 Guide
Introduction
Getting pfSense up and running in Proxmox isn’t exactly plug-and-play, but it’s doable if you follow the right steps. Basically, you want a VM that acts as your router/firewall, and Proxmox makes it pretty flexible. Just have your pfSense ISO ready, some basic familiarity with Proxmox, and you’ll be good. No rocket science, but some quirks are worth knowing.
Step 1: Upload the pfSense ISO Image
This part is straightforward but important: your ISO image needs to be on the server before creating the VM. The web interface makes it simple:
- Navigate to the Datacenter in Proxmox.
- Select your storage (like local-lvm or whatever you use) and then switch to the ISO Images tab.
- Hit the Upload button, pick your downloaded pfSense ISO, and wait. Sometimes it stalls, especially if your network is flaky, so be patient.
Pro tip: If uploading via GUI feels slow, you can toss the ISO directly via command line—something like scp or copying it into /var/lib/pveiso/ (depending on your setup). This can save time if you have a big ISO.
Step 2: Create the Virtual Machine
Now that the ISO’s sitting pretty, making the VM is a matter of a few clicks—unless you like to overthink it. This is where some confusion might pop up, especially with storage and network defaults.
- Right-click your node (say, btnhd) and pick Create VM.
- Name it something meaningful, like
pfSenseRouter. - Next, pick the ISO Image you uploaded from the drop-down. If it’s not there, make sure the path is right (it should be in your ISO store).
- Stick with default settings for the System, unless you want specific hardware passthrough.
- Change disk size — I recommend at least 20-50 GB, but 100 GB is safer. Use virtIO for better performance if possible.
- Assign 2 vCPUs if possible; more if your hardware can handle it. Better for performance, especially if you’re planning to do more than just basics.
- Memory, at least 2 GB, maybe more if you’re planning on heavy load. pfSense isn’t a resource hog but better safe than sorry.
- Set your network to vmbr1 (usually your WAN bridge). For LAN, add a second NIC later — don’t mess that up now.
- Review everything and hit Finish.
Expect a quick creation process, but if the VM doesn’t start properly, double-check the ISO selection. Sometimes, the VM tries to boot from the wrong device if defaults are off. Also, on some setups, you might want to tweak BIOS settings—usually, UEFI is fine, but some setups prefer SeaBIOS.
Step 3: Configure Additional VM Settings
This part can be a little tricky, especially if networking isn’t behaving as expected:
- Open the VM, go to the Hardware tab.
- Click Add > Network Device and assign the LAN interface, probably to a different bridge—say, vmbr0.
- Switch to the Options tab, find KVM hardware virtualization. If it’s enabled, you might run into boot issues with pfSense, so toggle it off (uncheck). On some things I’ve tried, leaving it enabled causes weird boot failures, especially with nested or nested-like setups.
- Save and reboot the VM. Sometimes, you need to do this a couple of times, or restart the entire host if things are weird.
Extra Tips & Common Issues
In my experience, the biggest hangups happen because of network or BIOS misconfigurations:
- Make sure your bridges are configured properly in Datacenter -> Node -> System -> Network.
- If pfSense won’t boot from ISO, check if the virtual CD-ROM is attached and set as primary boot device.
- Sometimes, on older hardware or certain BIOS settings, UEFI mode causes problems. You might need to switch to SeaBIOS in the VM options.
- If the VM boots but doesn’t see the network, verify your bridge settings and the NIC attached to the VM in hardware settings.
- And for the love of all that is networked, don’t forget to back up your VM configs once everything is dialed in. It’s easy to break things with updates or changes.
Conclusion
Following these steps should get your pfSense VM up and running on Proxmox. The key is making sure your ISO is correctly uploaded, your network bridges are configured right, and you’ve disabled unnecessary hardware virtualization options if you bump into boot issues. Sometimes, it takes a bit of trial and error, especially with BIOS and network settings, but once sorted, you can focus on the fun stuff—setting up pfSense proper.
Frequently Asked Questions
What version of pfSense should I use?
Always go for the latest stable. Stability and security matter, and the latest version typically has better support for virtualization features. Check the pfSense official downloads.
Can I change the VM settings later?
Sure, but some things like CPU and memory do require you to power down the VM first. Networking stuff might be tweakable on-the-fly, but it’s safer with the VM off.
What if my VM does not boot after setup?
First, double-check that the ISO is mounted correctly and set as boot device. Also, look at your BIOS/UEFI settings—sometimes switching the firmware type helps. If the VM starts but stalls, that might be a sign to review the network bridge setup or disable hardware virtualization in options. In some cases, resetting the VM or updating Proxmox can fix sneaky compatibility hiccups.
Summary
- Make sure ISO is uploaded correctly.
- Carefully assign networks—double-check your bridges.
- Disable hardware virtualization if the VM won’t boot.
- Review BIOS/UEFI settings in VM options if needed.
- Backup configs that work—don’t rely on memory alone.
Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone. Setting up pfSense in Proxmox isn’t a nightmare if you know where the quirks are. Fingers crossed this helps.