Welcome to the October 2017 Newsletter! It's been a busy month here at Netgate® and there's a lot of news to share.

Here are the highlights:

• Release of pfSense® software version 2.4.1 and WPA-2 KRACK Vulnerability Fix
• The SG-3100 is now shipping
• pfSense Software in the Cloud
• Technical tip of the month
• This month's pfSense Gold Hangout
• pfSense software version 2.3.5 coming soon
• Official pfSense Training

pfSense software version 2.4.1 release

We are excited to announce the release of pfSense software version 2.4.1, now available for new installations and upgrades!

pfSense software version 2.4.1 is a maintenance release bringing security patches and stability fixes for issues discovered in pfSense 2.4.0-RELEASE, including a patch for the recently announced WPA-2 KRACK vulnerability.

pfSense 2.4.1-RELEASE updates and installation images are available now!

The SG-3100 is now shipping

With the release of pfSense software version 2.4.1, the SG-3100 is now ready to ship. We will be fulfilling backorders first, but the SG-3100 is also available to expedite.

This is the second ARM-based system we've produced, and the first system with a switch. The dual-core Cortex-A9 processor runs at 1.6 GHz and the system is dual-WAN capable.

pfSense Software in the Cloud

Netgate’s pfSense virtual appliance is also available to protect your Amazon Web Service (AWS) or Microsoft Azure deployment infrastructure deployments. You can choose the instance sizing that's right for you and the navigation is identical to your hardware-based pfSense software.

It takes a couple of days to publish a new release to the cloud, so you should see version 2.4.1 up shortly. If you need it sooner, you can launch an earlier version and perform an update through the pfSense dashboard.

If you're new to running pfSense software in the cloud, you can now get a first month free software trial of the Netgate pfSesne Firewall/VPN/Router software on both AWS and Azure.

Technical tip of the month

Abrupt power loss can sometimes cause data corruption. There is a "fsck" command that can run a filesystem check and correct that corruption, but there's an easier way to do that now starting with version 2.4.0 of pfSense software.

From the serial console, choose option 5 to reboot. When you do, you get some new options that weren't in previous versions. Notice that "F" will reboot and run a filesystem check.

Even with this new option, you should try to avoid abrupt power loss by using a UPS. When you shut down your system, do it from the console menu shown above or from the Diagnostics tab in the web configurator.

October Gold Monthly Hangout

The monthly hangout for October 2017 will be occurring on Friday, October 27, 2017 at 1:00pm Central US Time / 2:00pm Eastern US Time. The topic is going to be on the best firewall practices using VoIP, covering NAT, Firewall Rules, QoS, etc.

The Monthly Hangout is a recurring webinar that goes in depth on an advanced pfSense topic. The hangouts are only available to pfSense Gold Subscribers and they are a great resource. Not only do you get access to the hangout with a Gold subscription, you also get access to the video archive of all the previous hangouts, so you can go back to review a topic that's already been covered.

pfSense software version 2.3.5 coming soon

We're working hard to get pfSense software version 2.3.5 out, hopefully before the end of the week. Since the 2.4.x line of pfSense software doesn't include i386 and NanoBSD support, we have promised to deliver security and stability fixes for one year on the 2.3.x branch of the software until October 2018. Watch our blog and social media channels for news of this release.

Netgate Global Support

Netgate Global Support subscriptions are designed to meet the needs of any organization – public or private, large or small. Netgate Global Support now has support plans starting at $29 a month (less than $1 a day) on hardware purchased from Netgate at the point of sale, 24x7x365 enterprise-level support coverage with SLAs, and Netgate Global Support Professional, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus.

We're always on! Our team is staffed 24x7x365. We are committed to delivering enterprise-class, worldwide support at a price point that is more than competitive when compared to others in our space.

 Official pfSense Training Schedule

pfSense online classes now enrolling

Netgate offers two different classes: The 2-day pfSense Fundamentals and Advanced Application class, and the 1-day pfSense Supplementals I class.

The training schedule for the remainder of 2017 has been published. Sign up today to reserve your spot. Seats are filling quickly.

Don't forget our pfSense Slack Channel! To enroll, send an email to slack@netgate.com with your name and company contact info. In return, we'll send your invitation and login instructions.

If you've already enrolled, just click here!

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