appa-net/pfsense.home.arpa/INDEX.md

pfsense.home.arpa Documentation Index

Quick reference to all configuration files and guides in this folder.

Files in This Directory

📘 README.md (Main Configuration Guide)

Comprehensive reference for managing your pfSense router. Covers:

• VLAN structure and definitions
• Step-by-step configuration instructions
• DHCP setup
• Firewall rules and access control
• Troubleshooting guide

When to read: When you want detailed explanations or reference material
Length: ~400 lines (detailed)

⚡ VLAN-QUICKSTART.md (Implementation Checklist)

Step-by-step checklist to implement VLANs. Use this for hands-on setup.

• Pre-implementation checklist
• 6 phases with checkbox items
• Testing procedures
• Backup & documentation steps

When to read: When actively configuring your pfSense
Length: ~300 lines (action-oriented)

📊 VLAN-CONFIG.md (Configuration Reference)

YAML-formatted configuration definitions and quick lookup.

• VLAN definitions (IDs, subnets, purposes)
• Firewall rule summary (matrix view)
• DHCP configuration
• Device assignments
• Implementation checklist
• Design rationale

When to read: For quick lookup of VLAN IDs, subnet ranges, firewall rules
Length: ~150 lines (reference)

🗺️ VLAN-TOPOLOGY.md (Visual Architecture)

Network diagrams and traffic flow visualization.

• High-level topology ASCII diagrams
• Detailed dataflow examples
• Firewall rule chain visualization
• Port connectivity diagrams
• Traffic examples (allowed and blocked)
• Isolation guarantees

When to read: To understand network architecture or debug traffic issues
Length: ~250 lines (visual/conceptual)

Quick Navigation

I want to...

Task	File	Section
Set up VLANs for the first time	VLAN-QUICKSTART.md	Phase 1-6
Understand VLAN architecture	VLAN-TOPOLOGY.md	High-Level Topology
Look up a VLAN subnet	VLAN-CONFIG.md	VLAN Definitions
Configure firewall rules	README.md	Step 4: Configure Firewall Rules
Set up DHCP	README.md	Step 3: Configure DHCP
Troubleshoot a problem	README.md	Troubleshooting section
Debug traffic	VLAN-TOPOLOGY.md	Traffic Examples
Backup my config	README.md	Backup & Recovery
Add a new device to a VLAN	VLAN-CONFIG.md	Device Assignments

File Relationships

README.md
  ├─ Detailed explanation of all features
  ├─ References: VLAN-CONFIG.md, VLAN-TOPOLOGY.md
  └─ Use with: VLAN-QUICKSTART.md for hands-on setup

VLAN-QUICKSTART.md
  ├─ Step-by-step checklist
  ├─ References: VLAN-CONFIG.md
  └─ Use with: README.md for details

VLAN-CONFIG.md
  ├─ Quick reference data
  ├─ Subnet/VLAN ID lookup
  └─ Use with: README.md, VLAN-TOPOLOGY.md for context

VLAN-TOPOLOGY.md
  ├─ Visual architecture
  ├─ Traffic flow examples
  └─ Use with: README.md for firewall rule explanations

Setup Workflow Recommended

1. Read VLAN-TOPOLOGY.md (understand the architecture)
2. Review VLAN-CONFIG.md (familiarize yourself with IDs and subnets)
3. Follow VLAN-QUICKSTART.md (step-by-step implementation)
4. Reference README.md (for detailed explanations during setup)
5. Store backups/ folder (save pfSense XML configs here)

Directory Structure

pfsense.home.arpa/
├── README.md                      # Main configuration guide
├── VLAN-QUICKSTART.md            # Hands-on setup checklist
├── VLAN-CONFIG.md                # VLAN reference data
├── VLAN-TOPOLOGY.md              # Network diagrams
├── INDEX.md                       # This file
├── backups/                       # Store pfSense backups here
│   └── pfsense-config-YYYY-MM-DD.xml
└── scripts/                       # Optional: Automation scripts
    └── (future: Ansible, Terraform, etc.)

Backup Location

All pfSense configuration exports should be saved to backups/ folder:

# After exporting from pfSense WebUI:
mv ~/Downloads/config.xml backups/pfsense-config-2026-04-22.xml
git add backups/
git commit -m "pfSense: Backup after VLAN configuration"

Future Additions

As your network grows, consider adding:

• FIREWALL-RULES.md — Detailed firewall rule documentation
• DHCP-RESERVATIONS.md — Static IP assignments for devices
• DNS-CONFIG.md — DNS resolver and record configuration
• SCRIPTS/ — Ansible playbooks, Terraform configs, or backup scripts
• MIGRATION-GUIDE.md — How to restore from backup or migrate to new pfSense instance

Version History

Date	Version	Changes
2026-04-22	1.0	Initial VLAN configuration (3 VLANs: Secure, AIWorkload, IoT)

Related Documents

• Root README.md — Project overview
• zet.home.arpa/PROXY-SETUP.md — Squid proxy on VLAN (future: will reference this VLAN config)

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Last Updated: 2026-04-22
Current Configuration Version: 1.0