I read that if you make a ISO backup. then you can restore to another hardware setup… This is what i notice, making an iso backup , creates two isos, one around 500MB and one around 530MB, the 530MB iso has a much longer name with the date included , I am using virtualbox to develop the firewall as I am trying to replace untangled that has screwed us over so well, i have booted this and during install i says there is a backup do i want to install and restore with that backup… i indicate yes and it finishes the install and boot right up… i then login to console and run setup… this allows me to setup my networking to access the firewall , however on accessing webGUI, i noticed none of the PAKFIRE packages are installed. which means none of those settings saved that were along with it… I also know this because gaurdian is no longer there, so i attempting to restore the backup.ipf file that was created along side the iso. however it doesnt seem to restore… no messages just flashes the webpage and thats it… so how do you setup your firewall in a development VM, then export/backup so that you can actually install that iso on the the real hardware? according to documentation this iso was suppose to * create an ISO image with your current settings, which can be burned to a CD-R in order to install the complete system again including your settings. This is especially useful in case of hardware failure. what am I doing wrong here? or is the documentation lacking in not saying the packages will not be included?
Your backup is there.
But you have to install the packages / apps. Again.
This is true
In the backup wiki page
https://www.ipfire.org/docs/configuration/system/backup
the following statement is written
Backing up your addons won’t save the actual addons themselves. They will, however, back up their configuration files. After restoring, it is necessary to manually install the addons and then restore the configurations.
Yes i understood this for the addon individually but not for the entire ISO. I thought the ISO was basically an IMAGE of what you created. hince the ability to restore on hardare failure. not having to go through and rebuild it again.
unfortunately the ISO portion of the backup makes it sound like its creating a image of what you have so you can restore in the event of a failure. not having to rebuild… so now i will have to list out all the packages and note them down , so do i install the packages and then run the restore backup ipf file? followed up by the addon ipf files?
yes that is it
Awesome thanks.
so what is the difference between the two ISO files that get created?
one is a copy you would download from IPfires web site
the other has your back up config files
The bigger ISO contains the configs of the system and the addons. After new install from this file, (mainly) all newly installed addons have the config of the old system.
well i tried both, one installs blank no config no addons, the other boots and installed with some config, but missing addons
One contains your backup configuration files, and the other is a copy that you might obtain from IPfire’s website.
See Post #4
EDIT: I just did a backup:
backups
Backup from 2024-11-09-1554.ipf Size 290.89 MB
- This is just the config files and settings for IPFire core items (no add-ons)
Backup from ipfire-2.29-core189-x86_64-2024-11-09-1554.iso Size 793.00 MB
- This is ISO image of the entire image, downloaded from IPFIre, plus the config files and settings for IPFire core items (no add-ons)
Backup from ipfire-2.29-core189-x86_64.iso Size 502.00 MB
- This is ISO image of the entire current image download from IPFIre
- No config, no add-ons.
Add-Ons
Backup from avahi Size 1 KB Date Sat Nov 9 15:54:05 2024
Backup from monit Size 9 KB Date Sat Nov 9 15:54:05 2024
Backup from netatalk Size 6 KB Date Sat Nov 9 15:54:05 2024
Backup from pmacct Size 108485 KB Date Sat Nov 9 15:55:35 2024
Backup from rpz Size 2 KB Date Sat Nov 9 15:55:35 2024
Backup from rsnapshot Size 2 KB Date Sat Nov 9 15:55:35 2024
- these are the config file and setting for each add-on.
8 posts were split to a new topic: Alternate backup suggestion
Hi Dave - I beat you to it!
I have decided to go with OPNsense, IPfire just doesnt have the features I need , coming from Untangle to IPfire is not cutting it… OPNsense is a closer option. Thanks for all help.
I am curious. Is this related to the backup or other features. In other words, what was missing from IPFire?
Key Differences:
User Interface: YES, IPFire seems to have a simpler, more streamlined interface designed for ease of use, though i found myself jumping around trying to confgure a lot. While OPNsense provides a more complex, feature-rich interface with greater customization potential. The latest version updated the GUI to more friendly interface, I prefer dynamic dashboard, with live updating and adding, moving around and removing of items.
Security Focus: IPFire prioritizes built-in security with a robust IPS, whereas OPNsense offers a strong firewall foundation but requires additional configuration for advanced security features, that being said the IPS/IDS is available, GEOIP is easier to drill down to.
OPNsense Advantages:
Advanced Features: Supports a wider range of advanced networking features like traffic shaping, multi-WAN, and more complex firewall rules. floating rules are a game changer. Options of Aliases is similar to tagging under untangle, though i will miss policy manager, you can do something similar with OPNsense using zenarmor Backups are much simpler , google drive backup support just like I had with untangle.
Customization: Offers greater flexibility for tailoring the firewall to specific network requirements. VMWare/Virtual box support. I can build a VM firewall if wanted and its supported and comes with the plugins needed.
Modern UI: Features a visually appealing and intuitive web-based interface. I dont like the IPfire having to manually refresh the dashboard. its also outdated.
believe me if i had the option i would have stayed with untangle i been with them for over 6 years, the interface beats both hands down, the tagging and use tagging with policy manager is hard to beat with any firewall i have deployed. But Arista RUINED it. and now become Greedy !! #sonsofbitches.
Hi Mike,
It took me a few tries to get a valid restore from backups.
When you create the backups make sure you also save the Add Ons backup files as well as the main backup. I also go to the pakfire page and copy the installed add ons list so I know what I’ve installed.
Then during a restore I follow these steps:
Install IPFire.
Run setup and configure the network.
Install addons (from the list I saved).
Restore backup.
Restore Add Ons backups.
I’ve only ever restored backups to the same system they were created from and not a different hardware configuration.
From the backup page:
Import your main backup first and then the backup(s) of the add-on configuration(s).
Only the backed up add-on configuration file(s) will be restored, not the installed add-ons!
Also make sure that the backups keep their original file names.
A side note on OPNsense, if you have multiple nics and you bring down one (not the one you connected to the web console), then bring it back up, you might experience strange behavior, I’ve tried this with multiple installs with different nics and it always borked the installs for some reason.
Oh, and there is also sophos xg firewall home edition but it is gimped.