Run pfSense in a VM to filter network

[dawks]

I have a single Windows PC on my network with a bunch of other wireless devices. Would it be possible to configure my setup, such that I run pfSense in a VM on the Windows PC, and still have pfSense as the network firewall? I have a Cisco switch that I can do VLAN's with.. Can I do it with one NIC, or would I require 2?

Put another way, can a network be configured, such that a VM handles/filters traffic before the host (or specifically host applications) get the traffic..? Im confident this can be done with 2 NICs', but is it technically possible with just one? This is kind of a thought/learning experiment.

 

[PliotronX]

I'm reasonably certain that it cannot be done with a single NIC, particularly one that is shared by a device that is supposed to be on the inside of the LAN. So little talk is on this kind of scenario but if it were to happen, you'd need to involve the PVID and separate VLANs. It's so cheap to throw a dual NIC in a separate recycled core 2 duo that I wouldn't even bother trying.

 

[sdifox]

Possible in real machine, vm on vm host. Not sure about a vm under desktop windows.

 

[mv2devnull]

can a network be configured, such that a VM handles/filters traffic before the host (or specifically host applications) get the traffic..?

A host can have multiple VLAN interfaces on one physical interface and the VM can be hooked up to them.
A host does not have to configure any network address on its interface, and thus applications on it cannot use that interface.
Thought confirmed.

A host ... but I don't know that "Windows" well enough to say whether it is a capable as a host.