Installation of pfSense Plus Software Version 23.01 on Older 1100 and 2100 Devices

Netgate recently released version 23.01 of its pfSense® Plus software. This powerful release incorporates a number of highly-desired new features, as detailed here.

Netgate customers who purchased our security gateways with ARM64-based processors (1100, 2100, or 2100 MAX) two or more years ago with pfSense Plus software version 21.02-p1 or older may need to follow a different update process for the newest release.

The details for that update process, including how to check if your device is affected, may be found here:

We want to strongly encourage these customers to install version 23.01 on their security gateways, which can take 10-30 minutes, for these reasons:

1. A Strong Foundation. Like all software, pfSense Plus is built on the foundation of other software. It runs on the FreeBSD operating system, using the PHP language. When there are updates to these foundational elements (like a new release of FreeBSD, or a new version of PHP), a major part of each pfSense Plus release involves supporting those updates. This can mean new or improved features, often resulting in better performance.
2. ZFS. One of the most important recent enhancements in pfSense Plus software is support for ZFS (Zettabyte File System). ZFS is a major improvement in file and volume management, enabling pfSense Plus software to include powerful features like ZFS Boot Environments. Of particular relevance to Security Gateway owners is the improved data integrity. Power loss or fluctuations (whether from a blackout, a lightning strike, or even the accidental unplugging of a power cord) can cause file corruption. ZFS is more resilient when faced with these types of challenges, keeping your security gateway up and running.
3. Security. The third reason is a philosophical one. Any hardware or software that is part of your network security needs to be kept updated. Security vulnerabilities, and updates to fix them, are common these days. If you are not keeping your hardware and software up-to-date, you are not fixing these vulnerabilities - and hackers thrive on taking advantage of vulnerabilities.

With support for features like ZFS Boot Environments, alignment with the latest releases of FreeBSD and PHP, and improvements in IPSec and OpenVPN implementations, pfSense Plus software release 23.01 helps ensure that your security gateway is operating at its best and is ready for future releases.

If you have further questions or need assistance, please reach out to our Technical Assistance Center at https://www.netgate.com/support. We are here 24/7 for you.