Built-in services

FreeSense ships a set of network services as part of the base system. They are updated with System updates, not as Optional Packages. Design each one with an owner, the interfaces it serves, its data sources, where it logs, and what happens when it fails. The procedures are in core services.

The built-in services

In the 1.1 top menu, Services is a grouped panel. The built-in entries are:

Group	Service	Menu path	Daemon
Network	DNS Resolver	Services → DNS Resolver	Unbound
Network	DNS Forwarder	Services → DNS Forwarder	dnsmasq
Network	DHCP Server, DHCPv6 Server	Services → DHCP Server, Services → DHCPv6 Server	Kea
Network	DHCP Relay, DHCPv6 Relay	Services → DHCP Relay, Services → DHCPv6 Relay	`dhcrelay` (IPv4 and IPv6 instances)
Network	Router Advertisement	Services → Router Advertisement	`radvd`
Network	Dynamic DNS	Services → Dynamic DNS	Dynamic DNS and RFC 2136 clients
Network	NTP	Services → NTP	`ntpd`
Routing	IGMP Proxy	Services → IGMP Proxy	`igmpproxy`
Security	Captive Portal	Services → Captive Portal	Portal zones
Monitoring	SNMP	Services → SNMP	`bsnmpd`
Other	PPPoE Server, UPnP IGD & PCP, Wake-on-LAN	Services → …	-

Optional Packages add their own entries to the same groups, for example BIND under Network, FRR under Routing, Threat Shield and Suricata under Security, HAProxy and the Web Gateway under Proxy. UPnP IGD & PCP is only listed when more than one interface is configured.

Name resolution

Run one DNS service on the firewall unless you have a specific reason to run both: the DNS Resolver (Unbound) resolves recursively or forwards, the DNS Forwarder (dnsmasq) only forwards. In 1.1 Unbound is never bound to the same address twice, and DHCP lease registration in DNS is only active while the DNS Resolver is enabled; turning the resolver on or off reconfigures the DHCP server.

Address assignment

The DHCP and DHCPv6 servers use Kea; ISC DHCP is not used. Each interface with a static address can have a DHCP scope with pools, static mappings, and options. 1.1 adds a Log Level setting on the DHCP and DHCPv6 server settings pages.

Both settings pages also have a Custom Configuration section that takes raw Kea JSON. Because it can load Kea hooks and choose file paths, editing it requires the admin account or the root-equivalent privilege WebCfg - Services: DHCP Server: Edit Custom Kea Configuration; for other users the field is read-only. See system administration.

Router Advertisement (radvd) announces IPv6 prefixes and controls whether clients use SLAAC, DHCPv6, or both. Match it to the DHCPv6 design on the same interface.

Time

NTP serves time to clients and keeps the firewall’s own clock correct. Accurate time is required for certificates, logs, VPN authentication, and updates, so make sure the time servers in System → General Setup are reachable and permitted.

Edge services

Captive Portal, PPPoE Server, IGMP Proxy, SNMP, UPnP IGD & PCP, and Wake-on-LAN are scope-sensitive. Bind each one only to the interfaces that need it and restrict who can reach it: a service on the wrong network is an exposure. The Captive Portal default logo and colours are the FreeSense design in 1.1; upload your own portal page under Services → Captive Portal → File Manager if needed.

Checking service state

Status → Services lists every service with start, stop, and restart controls, and Status → System Logs has tabs for DHCP, NTP, and other service logs. In 1.1 nginx (the WebUI web server) logs only to its own log, not to the system log. See monitoring and logs.