Use a USB Drive to Configure Interface Settings

When your Firebox uses the factory-default configuration, the external interface of the device uses DHCP to get an IP address. If your Firebox runs Fireware OS v11.7.3 Update 1 or higher and cannot use DHCP to get an IP address, you can still connect to the Deployment Center or to the Manage Products web page to use RapidDeploy for your device, but you must use another method to assign an IP address to the external interface. You can use a USB drive to configure the device to either use a static IP address or use PPPoE to get an IP address. To configure your device to use one of these options, you create a CSV (comma-separated values) file on a USB drive, and then connect the USB drive to the device before you power it on.

The USB drive must be formatted with the FAT, VFAT, or FAT32 file system and must be writable.

Create the CSV File

You can create one CSV file with the interface settings for more than one Firebox. For each device, you can specify either Static or PPPoE for the address type in a single line in the CSV file. The details that you specify in the CSV file for each device are not case sensitive.

You can use a program such as Microsoft Excel to create the CSV file with the customized interface settings for your Fireboxes. When you use Microsoft Excel, or a similar program, to create the CSV file, make sure to save the file as the CSV (Comma Delimited) (*.csv) file type so that the CSV file has the correct encoding, particularly for any special characters in the file.

If you use a text editor to create the CSV file, you must separate each information element with a comma and manually format the file for special characters. If you set the address type to PPPoE, and the user name or password includes a comma or quotation marks, you must use two quotation marks and put quotation marks around that user name or password. For example, "my,password" or "my""password".

Devices that use Fireware v11.9.x or lower do not support an interface number other than 0 in the CSV file for RapidDeploy.

To create a CSV file with the interface settings for your Firebox:

  1. Create a new CSV file with the name rapid_ip.csv.
  2. In a single line or row, type this information for each device:
    • Serial number
    • Interface number (for example, 0)
    • Interface type — ext (External)
      External is the only available option.
    • IP address type:
      • Static
      • PPPoE
    • If you set the address type to Static, type this information:
      • IP address with subnet mask
      • Default gateway IP address
      • Primary DNS server IP address
      • Secondary DNS server IP address (optional)
    • If you set the address type to PPPoE, type this information:
      • User name
      • Password
      • IP address (optional)
  3. Save the file to the USB drive in the root directory of the first partition.

To use the same CSV file for more than one Firebox, repeat Steps 2–3 and add the information for the other devices to the CSV file.

Here is an example of two lines in a CSV file. One line configures a Firebox to use to a static IP address for the External interface, and the other configures a second device to use PPPoE to get an IP address:



Some editing tools can create a CSV file that is not correctly formatted. We recommend that you test your CSV file with one local device to make sure a Firebox can successfully read the file. If a Firebox cannot use the CSV file, try to use a different tool to create the file.

Use the USB Drive

After you have created the CSV file and saved it to the USB drive, the Firebox can get its external interface settings from the connected USB drive.

Before you use the USB drive, make sure that it is writable. The USB drive must be writable so that the Firebox can create an error file on the USB drive if an error occurs when the device tries to get the interface settings from the CSV file.

To use the USB drive to specify the interface configuration for a device:

  1. Connect the power cord and interface cables to the device, but do not power on the device. Make sure that you connect the external interface you specified for this device in the CSV file to the switch or router that connects to the Internet.
  2. Insert the USB drive with the CSV file into the USB port on the device.
  3. Power on the device.
    The device gets the interface settings from the CSV file.

If an error occurs when the device tries to get the configuration from the CSV file, a file that includes a description of the error is saved in the root directory on the USB drive. The file name for this error file is rapid_ip.err.<serial number of the device>. For example, rapid_ip.err.70XX00777X777.

See Also

Review the Deployment Status of Your Devices

Activate Your Devices
