Unboxing the Zima Board 2
The packaging was simple but had a premium feel. Inside the box: -> Zima Board 2 (solid metal design, much heavier than the first one) -> Multiple power adapters -> SATA Y cable for hard drives -> Instructions and an orange strap (for removing the board easily) What stood out to me was a little card with an inspiring message about data privacy and digital exploration. I appreciated that touch.Design and First Impressions
Compared to the **Zima Board 1**, this new version feels more futuristic. - **Ports:** Two SATA ports, two USB ports, DisplayPort, and two **2.5GbE Ethernet ports** - **Form factor:** Same compact size as the first board, but the metal chassis makes it feel more durable. - **Upgrades:** PCIe 3.0 slot (vs PCIe 2.0 before) and USB 3.1 ports (vs USB 3.0) I loved the cyberpunk aesthetic of the first version, but this one has a clean futuristic vibe.Hardware Specs (Massive Upgrades)
Here’s why the Zima Board 2 is a big leap forward: - **Processor:** Intel N100 quad-core (up to 3.6GHz) - **RAM:** 8GB LPDDR5X (double the speed of the original’s memory) - **Networking:** Two **2.5GbE Intel Ethernet ports** (a huge upgrade from the 1GbE Realtek ports on the first one) - **Storage:** Onboard storage is minimal, but there are SATA ports and PCIe for expansions - **Graphics:** Integrated GPU up to 1GHz Future proofing: They even have a **16GB RAM model** (which I wish I had gotten!).Why I’m Excited: Networking Performance
Those dual 2.5GbE Intel NICs are a game-changer. Intel chips bring: - Hardware offloading (great for pfSense firewalls) - Lower CPU usage for routing and security tasks - Faster throughput (up to 2.5GbE line speed) This was the main reason I decided to build my new home lab and firewall around the Zima Board 2.Price and Models
- **8GB version:** Early bird pricing started around **$189** - **16GB version:** Slightly higher, but totally worth it for heavy Proxmox use - Special Kickstarter bundles with SATA racks, GPU docks, and accessories were also available 👉 If you’re buying, go for the **16GB model** if you want to run multiple VMs.My Plan: Full Home Lab with Proxmox + pfSense
Instead of just running pfSense directly, I wanted a full hypervisor setup: 1. Install **Proxmox** on the Zima Board 2 2. Run **pfSense** in a VM (with PCI passthrough for the NICs) 3. Add containers (LXC) and other VMs for testing 4. Use it as a portable home lab or air-gapped networkStep 1: Installing Proxmox
I flashed the Proxmox ISO to a USB drive and installed it directly on the Zima Board 2. - Virtualization settings (VT-x and VT-d) were enabled in BIOS by default - Install was smooth, and I could access the Proxmox web UI on port 8006 after assigning a static IP Note: Because this device uses an x86 Intel CPU (unlike Raspberry Pi’s ARM chips), Proxmox installs natively with full virtualization support.Step 2: pfSense VM Setup with PCIe Passthrough
The key to a great firewall VM is **PCI passthrough**: - Assigned both Intel NICs directly to pfSense (bypassing Proxmox) - WAN and LAN interfaces were dedicated to pfSense for best performance - Configured DHCP on the LAN side and tested connectivity I had some hiccups (lost Proxmox access when both NICs were passed through 😅), but eventually got it working using a temporary PCIe Ethernet card and then a virtual bridge.Step 3: Adding VMs and Containers
With pfSense running, I created: - **Ubuntu Desktop VM** (2 cores, 3GB RAM) for lab testing - **LXC containers** for lightweight services like Pi-hole Performance was solid: Even with IDS/IPS enabled in pfSense, the Zima Board 2 could handle >1Gbps throughput in my tests.Throughput and Performance Testing
- With **IDS/IPS disabled**, Iperf showed ~1.09Gbps (line speed) - With **IDS/IPS enabled**, throughput dropped slightly, but still impressive for a small board - CPU utilization hovered around 60–80% during heavy loads The biggest bottleneck? **RAM**. 8GB works for a small setup, but if you plan to run multiple VMs, containers, and IDS/IPS, the 16GB model is the way to go.Why I Love This Device
The Zima Board 2 hits a sweet spot: - Small and portable → perfect for travel labs - Dual 2.5GbE Intel NICs → great for firewalls - x86 CPU → full compatibility with Proxmox, pfSense, Docker, and LXC - PCIe and SATA expandability I can run pfSense, Pi-hole, containers, and VMs all on this single device. It’s crazy how much tech you can learn hands-on with something so compact.🔗 Related: How I Built My Cybersecurity Lab at Home – Learn how I use VirtualBox and vulnerable machines for ethical hacking.
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