Many of our customers take a "trust but verify" approach when assessing upgrades and new releases from any software provider. Testing a beta release in your specific environment and reporting issues are critical steps that help us refine the software before advancing to a Release Candidate (RC) and a general availability release.
Release Notes for pfSense Plus 24.11-BETA are available for review. This release brings several major features that our users have requested, along with over 70 other improvements and bug fixes. Major features include:
Kea DHCP Enhancements, including support for High Availability, as well as increased integration into Unbound. Among other things, this allows for DHCP client registration in the Unbound DNS Resolver and smoother updating of Unbound. Learn more about the move towards Kea here.
Multi-instance Management Early Look (more details below)
System Aliases in Custom Rules
NTP Authentication
We want to express our sincere thanks to all users willing to test this BETA release. Your community involvement is essential to making Netgate's pfSense Plus product a stronger solution for everyone.
The early look into pfSense Plus Multi-instance Management is available in our 24.11-BETA release. Interested users can explore this new capability in their test environments.
This early look will include a new web UI and a set of APIs for monitoring and managing multiple pfSense Plus instances. While not the full suite of planned APIs, the available endpoints are functional and ready for end-user testing.
We welcome feedback from early adopters to help shape the future development of multi-instance management.
Sign Up Here if you would like to try the Early Look.
pfSense Software Tip - Multi-instance Management (MiM) Setup and Configuration Process
Netgate has prepared a video to guide you through the Multi-Instance Management (MIM) setup and configuration process. You can select a pfSense Plus instance to also be a MIM controller, and then configure up to three additional pfSense Plus instances to be managed.
This is a very straightforward process. You will first need to enable some firewall rules, then enable Multi-Instance Management on the controller and on the instances to be managed. Finally, you will need to share controller information with your managed instances and instance information with your controller.
We are pleased to announce the release of TNSR software version 24.10. This regularly scheduled release includes additional hardware support, updates, and bug fixes.
Major changes and features include:
VPF for NAT and Filters: VPF is a stateful packet filter which supports filtering and NAT tasks in a more robust and flexible manner than the similar features native to the VPP dataplane. Although the existing dataplane NAT will be deprecated in the future, it remains in this release. Because VPF replaces the previous NAT and ACL functions, the two are not intended to work together. All TNSR users are encouraged to switch to the new VPF system. Consult our conversion documentation for more information.
DHCP Relay Support:
With this release, TNSR now implements a DHCP relay agent. This allows administrators to run their DHCP services from a central location on a dedicated server, isolated from direct client contact. This can improve security, and performance and can have administrative advantages. The TNSR DHCP relay agent can relay DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 requests and responses.
Over 45 Enhancements and Fixes: Continued development has been done on such systems as the CLI, routing engine, mobile IPsec, and much more.
TNSR software is an incredibly powerful router and VPN aggregator that can outperform the competition at a fraction of the cost. We invite you to learn more. Contact usto schedule a consultation and a free trial.
TNSR Software Tip
One of the significant enhancements in the release of TNSR software 24.10 is the addition of VPF. This stateful packet filter supports filtering and NAT tasks in a more robust and flexible manner than similar features native to the VPP dataplane. With VPF, NAT and ACLs now work together in the same system. This allows much greater flexibility in configuring NAT and filter rules and increased stability for NAT.
“The interface is very good. The configuration options are excellent. All of its capabilities are quite useful. It's more capable than what we need it for. I like having the ability to have additional capabilities compared to others.
pfSense's flexibility is great. I would rate it pretty high based on that.
We immediately witnessed the benefits of pfSense.”
pfSense software from Netgate received 35 awards in the G2 Fall 2024 report. G2 is a technology review platform where businesses can find and compare software solutions based on user reviews and ratings. pfSense software has been recognized across various business segments and performance areas, with Enterprise, Mid-Market, and Small Business awards in categories such as Best Results, Best Relationship, Best Usability, and Most Implementable for both the Firewall Software and Business VPN groups.
Thousands of users trust Netgate to protect their data and workloads on the cloud. pfSense Plus and TNSR software can connect you to and protect you on the cloud at a fraction of the cost of other solutions. Some users spend more in one month than they would for an entire year using pfSense Plus software on AWS or Azure. We offer no-cost proof of concept trials for qualified opportunities. Visit Netgate in the Cloudfor more details and to get started!
Technical Assistance Center
The Netgate Technical Assistance Center (TAC) provides world-class technical assistance for pfSense Plus and TNSR software.
Each Netgate Security Gateway appliance and cloud instance comes with TAC Lite, which provides software updates and zero-to-ping support for effortless setup and configuration. TAC Lite ensures that your Netgate appliance, equipped with pfSense Plus, AWS, or Azure firewall, is Internet-ready and connects to at least one client on the network.
Additionally, every Netgate Secure Router and TNSR software cloud instance includes TAC PRO as standard, with the option to upgrade to TAC Enterprise.
Beyond TAC Lite, there are TAC Professional and TAC Enterprise tiers, which provide quicker response times and cover a broader range of support issues. No matter your support level, TAC is available 24/7/365 to assist you. If you would like to upgrade your current TAC subscription, please contact sales@netgate.com
What Our Customers Say About TAC
“I was amazed at how fast I got a reply with the right image for my Netgate appliance. It took literally two minutes, and I got the e-mail with the link to download the image. Thanks again. Great Support.” - Jasmin Facic, Customer
“The quickest responses I have seen from a support team!” - Don Taber, Home User
“TAC was patient with my lack of networking knowledge. While they diplomatically suggested I needed TAC Pro, they didn't abandon me or my issue.”
- Al Ortiz, Sourced
“It was a difficult case, and they worked diligently to resolve it. VERY HELPFUL!!!”
- Robert Williams, Datacare
“Going into it, I didn't expect much support; however, I was shocked by the responsiveness via email and the willingness to provide remote assistance.”
- Byron Tobe, DwellCC
“Great products and exceptional customer service!.” - Rick Kruse, Griffin News
Netgate Holiday Schedule
As the holidays near, please be aware that Netgate will be closed on the following dates except for Technical Support. Considerations should be made for possible delays due to these closures:
November 28- Thanksgiving
November 29- Thanksgiving
December 24- Christmas Eve
December 25- Christmas
January 1- New Year's Day
February 17 - President's Day
Our 24/7/365 Global Support Technical Assistance Center (TAC) is fully staffed and operational for all holidays. The engineering, sales, manufacturing, and shipping teams will be off for the holidays listed above.
We Want Your Feedback
Thank you for subscribing to the Netgate newsletter, and for your continued support of Netgate and our products. We are always looking for ways to improve and value your feedback. If you have suggestions, please reply to this email, contact us, or send an email to mktg@netgate.com. You can also talk to us on social media, or visit our forum.
Netgate is a registered trademark of Rubicon Communications, LLC TNSR is a registered trademark of Rubicon Communications, LLC pfSense is a registered trademark of Electric Sheep Fencing, LLC Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Netgate, 4616 W Howard Lane, Suite 900, Austin, TX 78728, USA, +1 (512) 646-4100
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