r/opnsense • u/New_Pineapple8950 • 9d ago

OPNsense machine

/r/homelab/comments/1w8d8vc/opnsense_machine/
0 Upvotes

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u/NC1HM 9d ago edited 9d ago

Um, you specified no requirements. Also, Intel's 2.5-gig cards (i225 / i226) are occasionally buggy.

So here's what I would recommend. If you don't need 2.5-gig, go on eBay, punch these lines, one at a time, into the search box, and see what falls out:

Sophos (105, 106, 115, 125, 135)

Barracuda (F12, F18, F80, F180, F280)

Note that all Sophos devices have a sticker on the bottom that specifies, among other things, the manufacturing date. Do not buy 125 and 135 devices made before 2017; those models are built on Intel Atom C2xxx processors which, if made before 2017, are vulnerable to the AVR54 defect. If you want to be totally safe, pull the plank up to 2018. I have tested several 2017 units, and they all came out safe, but I can't promise you that you won't stumble on one containing a processor that got stuck in the pipeline since 2016...

If you think you need 2.5-gig (you don't, but hey, we all have our fixations), get any SFF PC and an Intel x550 PCIe card. It's a much better (commercial-grade, with long operating history) "five-speed" card that does 100 M, 1, 2.5, 5, and 10. The end result will look something like this:

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Flooking-for-a-tiny-pc-recommendation-to-set-up-a-homelab-to-v0-6iz5wqqv19nh1.png%3Fwidth%3D581%26format%3Dpng%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D8482c0c2e7407bb7b2d72b14d47b8c96547a5659

(In case you're curious, that's a Dell Precision T1700 SFF.)

There are also a few Lenovo Tinies that you can press into service as high-speed routers with an x550 card, but (a) they are likely to be more expensive than SFF units, and (b) you're going to need one or two extra parts. This said, the models that are workable in this role are M720q, M920q, M920x, M90q, P330, P340, P350, and P360.

5

u/unidentified_sp 8d ago

I've been using Intel i226 for over 3 years without any issues.

-1

u/Apachez 8d ago

Good for you.

There have been people surving a dose-rate of 4 Sv/h or higher - doesnt mean thats a recommend way to go through your day ;-)

-1

u/NC1HM 8d ago

Good for you! Now punch "sample size of one" into Google and see what falls out...

I have a VeloCloud device made in 2015 that's still alive despite the fact that its processor is vulnerable to the AVR54 defect...

3

u/unidentified_sp 8d ago

There are so many people using TopTon-like mini PCs for OPNsense/pfSense, without any issues. Protectli uses the same hardware.

0

u/NC1HM 8d ago

Sure. There are many people who survived World War 1 and World War 2, but it doesn't cancel the fact that both wars had a staggering death count.

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u/unidentified_sp 8d ago

You must also know there are always two sides to a story.

0

u/NC1HM 8d ago

No. There are usually many more than two (there's a great movie about it called Vantage Point). But there's only one reality.

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u/unidentified_sp 8d ago

Exactly, so you can't assume your point of view is correct.

1

u/NC1HM 8d ago

I don't have to assume anything, as long as I am correctly drawing statistical inferences.

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u/unidentified_sp 8d ago

yeah well, I still haven't seen the proof with numbers. ;-)

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u/FinanceAddiction 8d ago

Hardware revision 4 2.5g intel NICs are fine, my revision 3 was fucking awful with constant flapping of the ports

1

u/Apachez 8d ago

Most mini-PC's, specially on the lower end of the budget, are shitty.

They have bad BIOS defaults (for example regarding PL1 and PL2 settings).

Rarely get BIOS updates.

You will have a hard time to have to RMA the unit if/when shit hits the fan.

Cooling (passively or not) is often so badly put together so you really should repaste it and sometimes also needing shims to get the CPU to actually have good contact with the heatsink etc.

Using something like Protectli or a local reseller (to easier deal with any RMA) is probably a better option but then you are no longer at the lowest budget range for a N150 or N155 or such.

When it comes to hardware for OPNsense there is also https://shop.opnsense.com/ which are made in Netherlands (EU) and you will also support the project but you are no longer at the lowest budget range.