What's New in pfSense 2.4.5-p1? Download and Upgrade Guide

How to Download and Install pfSense 2.4.5-p1

If you are looking for a powerful, flexible, and reliable firewall and router software, you might want to consider pfSense. pfSense is a free and open source software that can run on any hardware, from a dedicated appliance to an old PC. It has many features and capabilities that make it a great choice for securing your network and connecting to the internet.

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 download

In this article, we will show you how to download and install the latest version of pfSense, which is 2.4.5-p1. This version is a maintenance release that fixes some bugs and security issues that were present in pfSense 2.4.5. We will also show you how to configure pfSense for your network needs.

What is pfSense and why it is a popular firewall and router software

pfSense is a software that acts as a firewall and router for your network. A firewall is a network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predefined rules. A router is a device that forwards data packets between different networks or subnets.

pfSense has many advantages over other firewall and router solutions, such as:

• It is completely free and open source, which means you can use it without paying any license fees or subscriptions.

• It can run on any hardware, which means you can use it on any device that meets the minimum requirements or buy a pre-configured appliance from Netgate.

• It can work both as a basic firewall and router or as a complete security system with additional features such as VPN, IPS/IDS, content filtering, load balancing, high availability, etc.

• It gives you the flexibility to customize it according to your needs by changing the settings or adding additional packages.

• It always follows either default or custom rules, which makes it a stronger firewall than some of its competitors.

What is the latest version of pfSense and what are the changes and improvements

The latest version of pfSense is 2.4.5-p1, which was released on June 9th, 2020. This version is a maintenance release that fixes some bugs and security issues that were present in pfSense 2.4.5.

Some of the changes and improvements in this version are:

• Fixed an issue with IPsec VTI interfaces not working properly after an upgrade.

• Fixed an issue with OpenVPN clients not being able to connect after an upgrade.

• Fixed an issue with DHCPv6 leases not being renewed after an upgrade.

• Fixed an issue with DNS Resolver not resolving some domains after an upgrade.

• Fixed an issue with Captive Portal not working properly after an upgrade.

• Fixed an issue with WireGuard not working properly after an upgrade.

• Fixed several security vulnerabilities, such as CVE-2020-10749, CVE-2020-12695, CVE-2020-11108, and CVE-2020-11651.

For a complete list of changes and improvements, you can check the official release notes.

How to download pfSense 2.4.5-p1

To download pfSense 2.4.5-p1, you need to visit the official website of pfSense and click on the Download button. You will be taken to a page where you can choose the installation media and image for your hardware and environment.

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 release notes

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 iso download

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 upgrade guide

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 memstick installer

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 netgate adi image

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 serial console installation

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 dvd image installer

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 sha256 checksums

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 archive.org download

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 bug fixes and stability improvements

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 security and errata updates

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 freebsd version and patches

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 openvpn client export package

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 wireguard support and configuration

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 suricata package update and ruleset management

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 zabbix agent package installation and monitoring

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 acme package and letsencrypt certificates

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 haproxy package and load balancing setup

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 squid package and web proxy configuration

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 snort package and intrusion detection system

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 pfblockerng package and dnsbl configuration

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 ntopng package and network traffic analysis

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 unbound package and dns resolver settings

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 avahi package and zeroconf networking

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 freeradius package and radius server setup

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 darkstat package and bandwidth usage statistics

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 nut package and ups management

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 arpwatch package and mac address monitoring

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 cron package and scheduled tasks management

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 iperf package and network performance testing

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 lcdproc package and lcd display support

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 mailreport package and email reports generation

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 nmap package and network scanning tool

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 openvpn-client-export utility download link

pfsense 2.4.5-p1 backup and restore configuration guide

pfsense 2.4 firewall software download page link

how to install pfsense software from usb drive tutorial

how to upgrade to the latest version of pfSense software guide

how to verify the integrity of pfSense software download files tutorial

how to create a bootable dvd from pfSense software iso file guide

The installation media can be either a CD image (ISO) or a USB image (memstick). The CD image can be burned to a CD or DVD and used to boot from a CD/DVD drive. The USB image can be written to a USB flash drive and used to boot from a USB port.

The image can be either AMD64 (64-bit) or i386 (32-bit), depending on the architecture of your CPU. The AMD64 image is recommended for most modern hardware, while the i386 image is only for older hardware that does not support 64-bit instructions.

The image can also be either VGA or Serial, depending on the type of console you have. The VGA image is for systems that have a monitor and keyboard attached, while the Serial image is for systems that have a serial port and terminal emulator attached.

For example, if you have a 64-bit CPU, a USB port, and a monitor and keyboard, you should choose the USB memstick installer AMD64 VGA image. If you have a 32-bit CPU, a CD/DVD drive, and a serial port and terminal emulator, you should choose the CD ISO installer i386 Serial image.

After choosing the installation media and image, you need to click on the Download button and save the file to your computer. The file size is about 700 MB for the CD image and about 900 MB for the USB image.

How to verify the integrity of the downloaded file using SHA256 checksums

Before installing pfSense, it is important to verify the integrity of the downloaded file using SHA256 checksums. A checksum is a string of numbers and letters that is generated from a file using a mathematical algorithm. It can be used to check if the file has been corrupted or tampered with during the download process.

To verify the integrity of the downloaded file, you need to compare its checksum with the one provided by pfSense on their website. You can use any tool that can calculate SHA256 checksums, such as sha256sum on Linux or Mac OS X, or CertUtil on Windows.

For example, if you downloaded the USB memstick installer AMD64 VGA image, you can use the following command on Linux or Mac OS X to calculate its checksum:

sha256sum pfSense-CE-memstick-2.4.5-RELEASE-p1-amd64.img.gz

The output should look something like this:

8c8f8f18a1d6f5f51b7f0f9d8826e9d7c4a507a3e3e5ef6e59f0597b6a995d46 pfSense-CE-memstick-2.4.5-RELEASE-p1-amd64.img.gz

You need to compare this output with the one provided by pfSense on their website, which should look like this:

SHA256 (pfSense-CE-memstick-2.4.5-RELEASE-p1-amd64.img.gz) = 8c8f8f18a1d6f5f51b7f0f9d8826e9d7c4a507a3e3e5ef6e59f0597b6a995d46

If they match exactly, it means that the file is intact and safe to use. If they do not match, it means that the file is corrupted or modified and you should download it again.

How to install pfSense 2.4.5-p1

After verifying the integrity of the downloaded file, you are ready to install pfSense 2.4.5-p1 on your hardware. The installation process is similar for both CD and USB images, but we will use the USB image as an example in this article.

How to boot from the installation media and start the installer

To boot from the installation media, you need to insert the USB flash drive or CD/DVD into your hardware and power it on. You may need to change the boot order in the BIOS or UEFI settings to make sure that the system boots from the USB or CD/DVD first.

Once the system boots from the installation media, you will see a menu with several options. You can choose either Install or Quick/Easy Install. The Install option will allow you to customize some settings during the installation, while the Quick/Easy Install option will use the default settings and skip some steps.

We recommend choosing the Install option for more control over the installation process. After choosing this option, you will see a welcome screen that asks you to accept the license terms. Press I Agree to continue.

How to accept the license terms and choose the rescue options

After accepting the license terms, you will see a screen that asks you to choose between