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OPNsense Bare Metal vs Virtualization (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/selfhosted@lemmy.world
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Looking for some advice / recommendations / considerations on running OPNsense on bare metal vs virtualized, and if virtualized how best to do so.

I currently have OPNsense running bare metal on a Protectli FW6E Vault, with the following specs:

  • Intel i7-8550U CPU @ 1.80GHz
  • 120GB mSATA (1% utilization)
  • 16GB RAM (6.5% utilization)
  • 6 Gigabit Ethernet NIC ports

The Vault running OPNsense is the primary firewall and router, any wireless devices connect through a dumb AP running OpenWRT. Connected over Ethernet I have a RPi running HomeAssistant OS (would probably also move to virtual if that's the chosen direction) as well as a TrueNAS setup.

How much of a performance hit would be expected running in some sort of container vs the current bare metal setup? Are there any other concerns with running the main firewall / router virtually vs bare metal to take into account?

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[–] 5 points 1 year ago* (4 children)

I went with a dedicated mini PC with one of those motherboards that are designed for building a network appliance. It has been running very smoothly for a few years, and I just log in occasionally to run system updates.

I want my network and Internet connection to continue working, regardless of my tinkering with home server stuff.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (3 children)

    Can you tell more about hardware/mini PC you have?

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Sure! It's completely solid-state; no fans or other moving parts. The case is designed to dissipate the heat. The CPU is some low-power Intel Pentium. I don't remember exactly which model.

    I ordered a pre-built one from Protectli because I needed it fast, but you can save quite a bit if you prefer to build one. These little motherboards and cases can be found pretty easily online.

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