Sys 255‐ Lab 01 ‐ Environment Setup - connor0329/repository-1 GitHub Wiki

In this lab I set up a small enterprise network environment by configuring Pfsense (a virtual fire wall) and a windows 10 workstation using VMware and vSphere. I created network connection by assigning network interfaces and IP addresses, that allows for communication between the VMs and the internet.


What we did in the Lab:

  1. Double checking and adding a New network adapter to Pfsense VM

In vSphere I doubled checked that "Network adapter 1" was assigned to the proper WAN and added a new network adapter, "Network adapter 2" to connect to the proper LAN

EX:

  • click on fw01, right click, edit settings
  • network adapter 1 was assigned to the proper WAN, "SYS255-02-WAN"
  • Add new device, network adapter, use the drop-down menu to select the proper LAN, "SYS255-02-LAN-connor.mccracken"

image

  1. Assigning Interfaces in Pfsense VM

I set the IP addresses for the WAN upstream gateway and the LAN's IP address using the Pfsense console

EX:

WAN

  • In the console type "2" to set Interface IP, type "1" to select WAN
  • Don't use DHCP
  • 24-bit subnet mask "255.255.255.0"
  • Upstream gateway is my personal IP address, "10.0.17.108"
  • Don't use IPv6 or DCHP
  • Press for IPv6 configuration
  • Respond no for "HTTP for the GUI"

LAN

  • In the console type "2" to set Interface IP, type "2" to select LAN
  • Don't use DHCP
  • LAN IP address is "10.0.5.2"
  • 24-bit subnet mask, "255.255.255.0"
  • no upstream LAN gateway
  • Press
  • No DHCP
  • Press for IPv6 configuration
  • Don't revert to HTTP

image

  1. Setup proper network configuration on the Windows 10 VM "wks01"

I setup the correct IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and Preferred DNS server to connect to internet using Windows settings

EX:

  • Open Windows settings
  • Ethernet, change adapter options
  • Double click Ethernet0
  • Properties
  • Click on, "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)", properties
  • Fill out properly like this:

image

  • The default gateway and preffered DNS server are both the LAN's IP address
  1. Pfsense GUI configuration

I adjusted the Pfsense firewall using the GUI configuration to connect the Windows 10 VM to the internet

EX:

  • Open Chrome, type in Pfsense's LAN IP address, "10.0.5.2"
  • Sign in, Username: admin Password: pfsense
  • Skip over wizard, check the setting that overrides the DNS server on PPP/WAN
  • In General Information:
    • Hostname: fw1-connor
    • Domain: connor.local
    • Primary DNS: 8.8.8.8
    • Secondary DNS: 1.1.1.1
  • Configure WAN interface:
    • Uncheck, "Block private networks from entering via WAN" from RFC1918 Networks

Important information about the lab:

  • The Pfsense firewall VM was configured with two network interfaces: one for the WAN and another for the LAN
  • WAN (em0): connects the internal network to the external internet, is the gateway for outgoing and incoming traffic
  • LAN (em1): connects your internal devices (like Windows 10 VM) and segregates your network for others.
  • I set basic rules to allow traffic from the LAN to the WAN so devices could access external resources
  • Using the Pfsense console allows for direct management of the firewall settings
  • Once the basic setup was complete, I was able to make further and more user friendly configurations through the Pfsense web GUI (allows for managing the firewall, setting up DNS, adjusting firewall rules, and managing services)

Definitions:

WAN (Wide Area Network)- connects your internal network to external networks, such as the internet, allowing for communication past just your local network

LAN (Local Are Network)- a private network that connects devices within a limited area, like home or office, so they can communicate and share resources

Pfsense- an open-source firewall and router software used to manage network traffic, secure networks, and give advanced routing and filtering capabilities

Upstream Gateway- a network device that routes traffic from your local network to external networks; the next hop for outgoing data

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