Launching our new IPFire Mini Appliance - Available for Pre-Order Now

Hardware
21

Let’s be honest, creating a replica is possible. I am not soldering my own CPU together, this one is in Intel platform. I am not making my own RAM, this is also bought in. But there is a lot of work spent on selecting these components and a lot of work is going into the software working really well with all selected components.

It is basically like going to a Michelin star restaurant. They cook with water, salt, eggs, broccoli, steak, chicken, you name it. All ingredients are available at the next supermarket although their quality may vary. A lot of skill is coming from how to put all these ingredients together and make a dish out of it. That is how I see our appliances. Yes you can buy the same components and yes you follow or make up some recipe to get quite close to the original. But it will cost you a lot of time and effort to get it right at some point and the question you will have to ask yourself is whether it is worth your own time and if you are remotely as qualified as a Michelin star chef. The secret is always in the special sauce…

So we do charge something extra for putting that work in and we spend a lot of time to test and patch drivers. Look out for the strengths and weaknesses of this platform and sometimes we even test appliances with our customers. All this is something that you get when you buy an appliance here. Otherwise you are on your own.

In the end, it does not really matter to our customers what is working inside the appliance. We create a package for smaller businesses (like with the IPFire Mini Appliance) or something bigger (like the IPFire Enterprise Appliance). The clue is in the name. They are designed for a certain environment and usually our customers know in which box they fit. We on the other hand guarantee a perfect device for this environment and for that it does not really matter what CPU is in it exactly. Customers trust us that we right-sized it.

So, if you want to build a replica I would at least expect you to buy one, open it up and then go out and search for suppliers. I am not going to give you that information for free. You might want to criticise this as not being open, but we need to fund this whole show somehow.

The previous version of the IPFire Mini Appliance was available as a 4G option, but there was very little demand for it. So I was not really looking at spending too much time to update this to 5G, although I have some modems in the office for testing. We recently added support for QMI so I believe that we would achieve excellent bandwidth and I have a partner who really understands how to make this all work where reception is bad. We have realised some projects for some customers which were quite exciting.

This new IPFire Mini Appliance has a spare M.2 slot (because that was part of the requirements list) and so there is space for a 4G/5G modem. I believe that most people are just using the subsidised USB dongles that they are getting from their ISPs although I believe that we have way better modems and external antennas are helping quite a long way.

If there is demand I would be happy to add this back to the shop again.

Regarding battery powered appliances: I believe that this one might be consuming slightly too much to be really fun as a battery powered appliance. But I know that people have been using the older model in a camper van and things like that…

I don’t know. I did not look into this and as we are currently running this appliance on the AMI BIOS that comes with it.

22

And that’s exactly the point I wanted to make. Either you keep asking such impertinent questions in order to gain an advantage… but since absolutely everything is communicated transparently here, I initially assumed that it was a hidden hint to draw attention to the fact that you build your own computer with so much detailed information and therefore give less information than the others.
Of course, this does not apply to small companies/offices or private users who also want to pay for warranty and support.

In terms of price, the new part is on a par with my box, which is already four years old and not as well equipped, but has more RAM. However, I still have no reasons that would justify an exchange.

Since I see the future in 5G or 6G, I’m currently playing with the idea of getting a portable router. In terms of speed, even a 4G router would be enough for me to try it out for the first time, because I think the prices for 5G routers are exorbitant in comparison. Besides, the market here is not particularly large yet and it’s almost not worth doing it yourself because it would be quite large in comparison.
Of course, this would also be interesting for areas that are reached faster by the 5G network than by fast fiber optics, or as a redundant solution, if that is also supported. I would definitely put this somewhere in the shop as a possible option.

I have my eye on a few specific devices. I think it’s extremely unlikely that I’ll build one myself, at least not in this handy size. I’m not going to name the devices now, but I’d rather be able to install an Ipfire on it.
Once you’ve had the luxury of trying this, you’ll always miss it elsewhere :smiley:

23

thank you for the coreboot info :information_source:
if one who knows is found please add the info :man_shrugging:

i have another question if i may :bulb:
how high is the maximum achievable throughput
with PPPoE of the new mini appliance :question:
[no rules nor filters active :wink: ]

24

I have not tested this personally, because I don’t have a fast PPPoE connection handy, but I don’t see any reason why it should not achieve line speed.

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lucky you :four_leaf_clover:

maybe the customers with very high speed PPPoE
connections >250MBiT can test and report then. :crossed_fingers:

26

And what about the “old” mini appliance, is it now obsolete. Y or N.

27

It depends on what you mean by Obsolete.

From my perspective I would say N.

The machine will keep on working.

The old mini appliance was not replaced because it was noi good. It was replaced because AMD stopped supplying the CPU chip and PC Engines could not find any alternative to create a new design so they decided to stop doing the PC Engines stuff.

See the thread
https://community.ipfire.org/t/implication-of-eol-firmware-announcement-for-apu-boards/9316

2 Likes
28

What Ligthing Wire Labs is selling is a computer, therefore, as any other (r)e-tailer, should provide a full spec sheet of the hardware that they’re selling and making profit on. On the site, on the supposed datasheet (which missing the univoque processor number, quite important data in my book)

As @ms stated, is not fair to ask for the brand/OEM which realize that, it’s still fair that as any trader should make a profit on devices that they’re selling. Probably I will be able in a future to catch it, but in any way I won’t publish here the information.
For the older mini appilance, was at least… 6-8 years available on market and PC engines already communicated EOL/EOS of that box.

IMVHO there are… two major cases: for people/companies who already have it or are gonna buy it.

If you don’t have the hardware yet (hardware fleet manager/ tech excluded) and can afford the newest device, it’s simply no brainer as value: €730.78 for having 5x computational power than the one at €462.38; the latter simply does not make sense.

If you already have it, and suits your current ISP/speed needs, IMVHO do not make sense to change it “only because it’s not sold anymore”; as security manager perspective, probabily the subscription for updated firmware/bios (not provided, AFAIK, from Lightning wire labs but don’t quote me on that) is a sensible choice, but only for specific need (starting from compliance to certifications). But again, it’s not a so wide usecase.

Mantainers of a wide variety of devices, well… it’s a longer and more complicated analisys, and widely OT here.

1 Like
29

IMOO

Try going to the Watchguard, Cisco websites and try to get their “computer” specs…

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30

Neat little box.
Just curious why 4 pcie ethernets instead of utilising the 3 on chip ones.

31

is the goal to get ipfire_
on par with cisco or securepoint :thinking:

quite strange to see fanboy-like cheering on that :man_shrugging:

so let us see if one aquires the new appliance
and engages to obtain all these infos to post
them here on the internet :bulb:

32

Only time will tell.
Both this one and the other ones they are selling look like Supermicro’s designs but there are a lot of copycats from China too.

33

I am amazed at this controversy. What is the problem? Are you so lazy that you want others to do your work for you for free? What Michael does seems right to me. It is logical. What do you want?

It is enough that the software is not proprietary and only integrates with X hardware that is only provided by the software manufacturer. Is that what you want?

MICHAEL and his group DO NOT MONETIZE THEIR WORK WITH IPFIRE!!!. IPFIRE is FREE!!!. You are free to implement it where and how you want respecting the rules. Of course.

This is just an opinion without offending or creating controversy.

Cheers to all.

8 Likes
34

Is the controversy simply that the cpu model was not disclosed in the specs? Maybe this is common in Europe, or with firewall-specific hardware? But in the US, I don’t ever recall looking at a PC’s specs without seeing the specific cpu model disclosed. It was odd to me, and did come off as “secretive”, but maybe I’m biased because I’m in the US or don’t look at a lot of firewall-specific hardware?

35

You seem to have missed my point, I cannot stand them! Especially since I’ve used both in the past and currently have to put up with the pains of Watchguards at the corporate level. If the upper echelon would let me I would have all IPFire appliances at all of our locations. I do have friends in the same business that have acquired the IPFire Office Appliances. I could care less about the cpu model specs, etc. What @ms and the team at IPFire does is truly awesome! FYI I’ve been trying to convince my boss at home to let me purchase one. Since BD is coming maybe she’ll let me :wink:

3 Likes
36

Datasheet with the details. As stated.
I’m hoping being polite and providing some reasons for my point of view, not bashing anyone.

37

Feel free to search for this data at:

Watchguard: Firewalls | WatchGuard Firebox Products
SonicWall: https://www.sonicwall.com/products/firewalls
Fortinet: Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) - See Top Products
OpnSense: https://shop.opnsense.com/
Etc…

4 Likes
38

I’m not knocking anyone’s design. Just curious about their methodology of building with this SOC and not using the low latency ethernet that is built into the processor vs. PCIe. I build with other SOC like this one for real time audio in distributive commercial audio/AV and take advantage of those ports on purpose to get low latency AES67 connections.

But if you really want to know, I’m disappointed that build essentials to compile drivers and software are not included.

39

Moderator’s Note:

Alright, everyone, time for a reality check. Let’s remember that Michael and the IPFire team have put significant work into the new Mini Appliance. Buying these devices directly helps fund IPFire’s ongoing development and keeps the project strong for the entire community.

If we’re serious about helping the project thrive, let’s focus on questions and comments that encourage others to learn about or consider the new IPFire Mini Appliance. Moaning and going off-topic won’t help anyone – least of all the project itself.

For those who missed the confirmed specs, here’s a quick summary:

  • CPU: Quad-Core Intel Celeron J6412
  • Network Interfaces: Four 2.5 Gigabit Intel V-226 NICs
  • Cooling: Passive (no fan noise!)
  • Upgradeable Components: RAM and SSD can be swapped
  • Support: Long-term firmware updates are planned

Let’s keep the conversation useful for those interested in the appliance. If you want to discuss other hardware topics, feel free to start a new thread, but let’s keep this one productive and on point.

Thank you!
A G

10 Likes
40

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I quite like the idea of a home device with a locking power supply. Almost like it’s intended to work in someone’s actual house! :smile:

On a serious note, this feature is quite practical for home or small office setups. A locking power connector adds a level of reliability, ensuring the appliance doesn’t get accidentally unplugged, which is great for remote setups where the firewall is installed out of sight. For those of you setting up in a tight space or tucked away in a cabinet, this is a solid feature for keeping things stable.

Thanks,
A G

6 Likes