Protectli V1210 Vault Mini PC User Manual
- June 1, 2024
- Protectli
Table of Contents
Protectli V1210 Vault Mini PC User Manual
This User Manual was designed for Protectli V12XX series Mini PCs. Including the typical model V1210 which is a 2 port networks hard ware.
Application
The most important consideration for choosing your hardware is what
application it will be used for. The Protectli Vault can be used in a number
of different applications.
Customers have deployed Vaults as Windows Clients, Linux Desktops and Servers,
Hypervisors, and of course firewalls.
Thinking about the requirements for your use case will help to narrow your choice when it comes to picking your Vault.
Our recommendation: Simple client machines will work great on our smaller 2-port Vaults, while you may want to consider a 4-port or 6-port for firewall or hypervisor applications.
Ports
The number of ethernet ports you need depends on your application. Firewalls can be configured on as little as a two physical ports, but for simplicity and throughput, consider that you may want multiple physical ports to segment traffic for multiple networks (i.e. a ‘secure’ network, an ‘IoT’ network, a ‘guest’ network, etc).
For hypervisor applications, consider that a physical port can be ‘passed through’ to an individual virtual machine so multiple virtual machines may need more physical ports.
The Vault is currently available in 2-Port, 4-Port, and 6-Port variations. In addition, some models have 2.5G or 10G Ethernet ports.
Our recommendation: It is smart to think about future-proofing your Vault from the start, so consider a model with more Ethernet ports and.
Throughput Requirements
Every Vault’s Ethernet ports are PCIe connected to the CPU and can run at linerate of either 1 Gbps, 2.5 Gbps or 10 Gbps.
FIREWALL
As a firewall, every Vault has tested at full wire speed between ports using iperf as a synthetic load. As such, for basic routing applications any Vault is capable of gigabit throughput. However, in most firewall application, additional services will be turned on that consume CPU and thus may reduce throughput. These include modest services such as DHCP and DNS or heavy CPU users such as Deep Packet Inspection (DPI). A key consideration is Virtual Private Networking (VPN) support. VPN requires processor intensive encryption.
Our recommendation: With a modest throughput of up to ~300 Mbps, you can run many firewall applications in ‘basic’ routing and firewall mode on any of our 2-Port or 4-Port port models. With increased throughput (especially gigabit service) or if implementing VPN, DPI, IPS/IDS, SNORT, Sensei, or other firewall add-ons, we recommend a Vault with a performant CPU such as the VP4600 or VP6600.
Note: For sample VPN throughput tests we have performed to show baselined performance across all models, check out our OpenVPN and IPSEC VPN tests.
HYPERVISOR
For hypervisor applications, the Vault’s multiple gigabit ports are ideal for dedicated physical connections passed through to individual VM’s.
Our recommendation: In most circumstances, using a Vault as a hypervisor means that the user will want to run multiple operating systems, requiring CPU, memory, and network connections. As such, we recommend the 6-Port Units.
Security
Security is an important consideration for any network or compute appliance. coreboot is available as an open source BIOS on all the Vaults. In addition, the Vault Pro (VP) series have additional security features.
Our recommendation: If security is important, we recommend coreboot in general and the advanced security features available on the Vault Pro Series.
Workload and Hardware Requirements by OS
The OS you choose to run can greatly affect the performance requirements of the Vault. Some customers use the Vault to run a basic firewall, while others use it as a hypervisor, desktop, or SD-WAN. Therefore, hardware requirements vary widely. Here are a few examples of usage that typically require a stronger CPU.
- Routing all network traffic through a VPN requires higher CPU clock speeds, especially at higher throughput. Click here for more performance results.
- Running add-on packages like pfBlocker (pfSense), SNORT (pfSense), or Sensei (OPNsense)
- Using the Vault to run a hypervisor, and/or having other software running on the same device.
Here are hardware recommendations for common OS’s:
The V1210 Photo
The Front Side.
The Back Side.
The Specifications
| Description | 2x 2.5G Network Port Fanless Appliance |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel® N5105 (64 Bit, 2.0GHz, Turbo 2.9GHz, 4M L3 Cache) |
| Processor Cores | 4 |
| Processor Threads | 4 |
| Intel AES-NI | Supported |
| Virtualization | Intel Vt-x, Vt-d |
| Network | 2x Intel 2.5G Ethernet, RJ-45 |
| Video / Graphics | Intel® UHD Graphics, 1x HDMI 1.4 (with Audio) |
| Audio | Audio over HDMI |
| Memory | 4GB DDR4 (Soldered), 2933 MHz |
| Storage | 32GB eMMC, m.2 NVMe |
| Optional Storage | |
| External I/O | 2x RJ-45 Ethemet |
2x USB 3.0 Type A
1x HDMI
Reset Button (Recessed), GPIO
4x WiFi/LTE Antenna Mounting Holes
1x 12V DC Power Jack, Screw in connector
1x SIM Holder
Internal I/O| 1x M.2 3350 B+E-Key PCIe x1, USB 3.0 for wifi or 5G
1x M.2 2280 M-Key PCIe 3.0 x4 (NVMe/SATA)
BIOS| AMI or coreboot
Indicators| 1x LED Power Indicator (Blue), 1x LED Disk Activity Indicator
(Amber)
Power| 1x 12V DC Power Jack, 2.5×5.5 mm screw in connector
Power Usage|
Chassis| Fanless, Aluminum, Black
Chassis Dimensions|
Mounting Options| Desktop, VESA Bracket, Optional 1RU Rack Mount
Weight|
Shipping Weight|
Operating Temperature| +14°-+122°F, -10° – +50° C
Operating Humidity| 0-95% relative humidity, non-condensing
Approvals| UL (Power Supply), FCC Part 15 Class B, CE, RoHS
Country of Origin| Made in China, Assembled in USA
Optional Connectivity| 1x M.2 for wifi or LTE (PCIe x1)
The Steps For Users
Step One: Plug the power adaptor.
Step Two: Connect any display with HDMI cable.
Step Three: Press the power-on button, color blue.
Step four: Install the OS you needed.
Step Five: Plug in the networks cable and make setting with OS.
