Building a Powerful Home Router with ESXi and pfSense - A Step-by-Step Guide

As a long-time fan of VMware's ESXi product, I've had the opportunity to experiment with various DIY server solutions in my home network. In this article, I'll share my experience building a powerful home router using ESXi as a hypervisor and pfSense as a virtual machine.

The motivation for this project was the upgrade of my home ESXi/router system's hardware. The existing setup was getting old, and I saw an opportunity to take advantage of newer technology. Specifically, I was drawn to the Intel Core i7 Fanless units that Rohit had recently covered in his articles on passive firewall systems.

I decided to combine my love for ESXi and pfSense by creating a DIY home router. This setup has been working flawlessly ever since, and I'll outline the steps involved in setting it up below.

Hardware Requirements:

* 1x Intel Core i7 Fanless unit

* 6x 2.5GbE I225 network interfaces

* Less good rear DC input

* 6x RJ45 Ethernet ports

Software Requirements:

* VMware ESXi 14 (Lisence: 'vmware workstation pro 14 lisence')

* pfSense 2.7.x or later

Step-by-Step Installation Guide:

1. Install the Intel Core i7 Fanless unit and ensure it is powered on.

2. Insert the ESXi installation media (USB drive or CD/DVD) and boot from it.

3. Follow the ESXi installation wizard to install the operating system, making sure to select the 'Install ESXi' option.

4. Once installed, configure the network settings for each of the 6x 2.5GbE I225 network interfaces.

5. Install pfSense as a virtual machine within ESXi by creating a new virtual machine and installing the pfSense operating system from the installation media.

6. Configure pfSense to use the newly created virtual machine, assigning it an IP address and setting up the necessary firewall rules.

Tips and Tricks:

* Make sure to update your ESXi installation to the latest version before proceeding with the setup.

* You can customize your pfSense configuration to suit your specific needs by adjusting the settings in the web-based interface.

* Consider adding additional hardware components, such as a USB drive for backups or a dedicated storage device.

Building a home router using ESXi and pfSense is a great way to create a powerful and customized solution for your network. With this setup, you can take advantage of the features offered by both products, including advanced networking capabilities and robust security features. By following this step-by-step guide, you should be able to replicate my DIY project and enjoy a more streamlined and efficient home network.

Vmware workstation pro 14 lisence