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Install Sophos Firewall on KVM

You can install a Sophos Firewall QCOW2 disk on the KVM platform.

Download the QCOW disk

To download the .zip file containing the Sophos Firewall QCOW2 disk for the KVM platform, do as follows:

  1. Go to Firewall Installers.
  2. Scroll to Virtual Installers: Firewall OS for KVM.
  3. Click Download.
  4. Extract and save the disk on the device that has the KVM management tools installed.

Deploy the Sophos Firewall QCOW disk

The following example uses Virtual Machine Manager.

To deploy the Sophos Firewall QCOW disk, do as follows:

  1. Open Virtual Machine Manager.
  2. Click File and click New Virtual Machine.

    Virtual Machine Manager file menu with new virtual machine selected.

  3. Select Import existing disk image and click Forward.

    New VM dialog step one.

  4. Click Browse.

    New VM dialog step two.

  5. Select PRIMARY-DISK.qcow2 and click Choose volume.

    Choose storage volume dialog with prmiary-disk.qcow selected.

  6. Click Forward.

  7. Set Memory (RAM) to at least 4096 MB and CPU to 1. Click Forward when done.

    New VM dialog step three with RAM and CPUs selected.

  8. Select Customize configuration before install and click Finish.

    New VM dialog step four.

  9. Enter a name and click Apply.

    Configuration window overview tab.

  10. Select your NIC and configure the following options:

    • Network source: Select your network from the drop-down.
    • Device model: Select Hypervisor default.

    Click Apply when finished.

    Dialog showing NIC 1 set to hypervisor default.

  11. Select IDE Disk 1, expand Advanced options, and select VirtIO from the Disk bus drop-down.

    Configuration window IDE Disk 1 tab.

  12. Click Apply.

  13. Click Add Hardware.
  14. Select Network and configure the following options:

    • Network source: Select the network you want from the drop-down.
    • Device model: Select virtio.

    Dialog showing NIC 2 set to virtio.

  15. Click Finish.

  16. Click Add Hardware, select Storage, and click Select or create custom storage.
  17. Click Manage, select AUXILIARY-DISK.qcow2, and click Choose volume.

    Locate existing storage dialog with auxiliary disk selected.

  18. Select VirtIO from the Disk bus drop-down and click Finish.

    Add new virtual hardware dialog with auxiliary disk selected.

  19. Click Begin Installation to create the firewall.

Note

If you're using Proxmox, go to the VM settings and turn off Use QEMU Guest Agent. You must do this to make sure the firewall VM works properly.

Configure Sophos Firewall

To power on and configure the virtual firewall, do as follows:

  1. Select your firewall and click Open.

    Virtual machine manager with firewall open and running.

  2. Enter the administrator password admin.

  3. Enter https://172.16.16.16:4444 into your web browser to connect to the firewall.
  4. Select Start to open the setup assistant and complete basic setup and registration.

    Restriction

    The setup assistant won't start if you've changed the default password from the CLI console. You can complete the basic setup manually or reset the firewall to default to use the setup assistant.

To manage your Sophos Firewall licenses and subscriptions, see Licensing.