OPNsense Forum
Archive => 20.1 Legacy Series => Topic started by: pablo on May 14, 2020, 01:31:17 pm
-
Hi everyone,
I am sure everyone knows the power of having OPNsense use a centralized, open-format configuration file. I thought I'd share how I plan on implementing Bridging without the need to be physically in front of my router.
Background
We're introducing a Raspberry Pi in our outdoor enclosure to monitor temperature and other goodies. It will be connected to a Smart Switch and presented to the router via a VLAN.
We want to Bridge the VLAN with the LAN.
Problem
During the Bridge creation, there's a step when access to the GUI via the VLAN is lost.
Solution
When I was proving out OPNsource as a viable solution, I created a virtualized test lab. It simulates my needs: N-Cable Modems, houses connected to their respective Cable Modem, etc. etc.
My lab allows me to slurp in a modified Production XML backup to simulate Production.
A simple sed script is used to change the Interface names from Production and my lab. After running the script, the config file is ready for my lab machine.
I was able to create the Bridge in my lab, diff the before and after XML files to confirm that I can import the config to Production. After importing, Production should come up with the Bridge set up.
By doing it above, the only outage will be when I reboot Production with the new config file.
I absolutely love how the XML file strives to abstract the functionality. By doing it this way, it makes the above possible. Thank you smart people who developed OPNsense. I truly appreciate the thinking behind it.
Very cool!