How to Install OPNsense on OpenBSD

OPNsense is an open-source firewall and router platform that offers a wide range of functionality and features for effective network security. If you are using OpenBSD and want to install OPNsense, follow the steps listed below.

Prerequisites

Before installing OPNsense, you must have the following prerequisites:

• A system with OpenBSD installed
• A USB drive with a minimum capacity of 4GB
• A reliable internet connection

Procedure

Here are the steps to install OPNsense on OpenBSD:

1. Download the latest version of OPNsense from the official website at https://opnsense.org/download/. The latest version should be compatible with OpenBSD.

2. Write the OPNsense image file on the USB drive. You can use a utility like 'dd' to accomplish this. The following command will write the image file of OPNsense to the USB drive:

   dd if=/path/to/OPNsense-<version>.img of=/dev/rsd<x>c bs=1m
   

   Replace "/path/to" and "" with the directory path and version number in the file name you downloaded.

3. Plug in the USB drive into the OpenBSD system and reboot it.

4. During the boot, press the F12 key to enter the boot device menu. Select the USB drive as the boot device, and press Enter.

5. When the OPNsense bootloader screen appears, select 'Install OPNsense'.

6. Choose the keyboard layout, and press enter.

7. Choose the desired console resolution, and press enter.

8. Select 'OK' to confirm the default network settings.

9. Choose the installation mode. If you are installing OPNsense on the entire disk, select 'Auto (ZFS)'. For manual partitioning, select 'Manual (UFS)'.

10. If you choose 'Auto (ZFS)', the disk will be completely partitioned and formatted with the ZFS filesystem. After that, select the disk to install OPNsense.

11. If you choose 'Manual (UFS)', you will be prompted to create a partition layout for the OPNsense system manually. The recommended partitions are as follows:

• /dev/sd0a - root partition
• /dev/sd0d - swap partition
• /dev/sd0e - /tmp partition
• /dev/sd0f - /usr partition
• /dev/sd0g - /var partition
• /dev/sd0h - /home partition

12. Wait for the installation process to complete, and reboot the system.

13. After rebooting the system, a message will display to select the interface for the configuration. Select the interface (e.g., em0) that connects to the internet, and configure it with an IP address and subnet.

14. Open a web browser and enter 'https://' on the address bar, where '' is the IP address assigned to the OPNsense interface by the system administrator.

15. Once you have entered the IP address, a dashboard screen should appear, indicating that the OPNsense installation was successful.

Conclusion

This tutorial has provided clear steps on how to install OPNsense on OpenBSD. By following these steps, you can easily install OPNsense and set up a powerful firewall and router platform that offers high-level network security.

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