PC-BSD Quick Guide

Network configuration

PC-BSD comes with an easy network configuration tool where you can set up your network and your network interfaces in no time.

There are two ways to configure your network interfaces:

Either you don't mind using any IP address from your ISP or you don't know what your DNS servers are, in which case you will use the DHCP protocol (recommended)
Or you have a small network of two or more computers, and you want to assign a local IP address to each of them such as 192.168.0.1, 192.168.0.2, etc... In which case you will need to know the DNS servers

To start configuring your network interface, click the Start Menu in the lower-left corner (red ball) and click "Settings > Internet & Network > Network Settings". The main window will appear. Resize the window so that you can see the lower buttons:

Network settings on PC-BSD

As you can see, for security reasons, all options are greyed out. To edit the settings, you need to click the "Administrator Mode..." button and type your administrator password at the prompt. Then you will be able to set up your network interface. To do so, double-click one of the network interfaces listed in the main window. A popup window appears for you to adjust various settings:

Network settings

Select either "Automatic - DHCP" (Recommended) or "Manual", accordingly. If you selected "Manual", you need to type the following information:

IP address: The IP address you want for the selected network interface. This IP address cannot be a public IP and needs to belong to private network IP addresses
Netmask: Can be set using numbers (ie: 255.255.255.0) or using hexadecimal values (ie: 0xffffff00)
Activate when the computer starts: This option should be checked if you want to use your network interface automatically when you start your computer
Description: Type a name to identify your network interface
Gateway: If you connect to the Internet through another computer, server or router, also known as "gateway", type its IP address

Click "OK", and repeat the procedure for other network interfaces if you have several that are to be used. If you have a gateway, click the "Routes" tab where you should have your gateway listed and the network interface through which the route will go:

Network settings

If you selected "Manual" setup, click the "Domain Name System" tab to set up your DNS. This does not apply if you selected "DHCP" for your network interface.

Network configuration

Add at least one DNS here. It is advised that two DNS are set, so that you don't rely on just one. If you don't know your DNS, either get in touch with the technical support of your ISP, or ask some one who lives in your geographical region and who is "computer-savvy".

When you are done, click "OK" and your network interfaces are set up. You should be able to access the Internet and other computers of your network if you have them. If you have a DSL connection that you need to dial from your computer manually or if you use a dialup connection, please get in touch with us on the forum for more details to assist you.

Post-installation section will now help you test the water and customize your new operating system to your own taste.

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