Sophos Firewall Rev. 2 - SG/XG hardware with more performance

Sophos has updated and slightly redesigned the 1U models in the SG and XG series (SG/XG 210-450). While the packaging has also been refreshed, the focus is firmly on the technical enhancements.

Strictly speaking, we are already two months late with this announcement. As we migrate from our old blog to the new news section, we are still working through some older updates. With a bit of luck, there may still be one or two announcements you have not yet seen.

Which models are affected?

The new 1U models in the SG and XG series have been available since September 2017. Here is a brief overview of the updated models:

• New: XG/SG 210 Rev. 3 - Previously: XG/SG 210 Rev. 2
• New: XG/SG 230 Rev. 2 - Previously: XG/SG 230 Rev. 1
• New: XG/SG 310 Rev. 2 - Previously: XG/SG 310 Rev. 1
• New: XG/SG 330 Rev. 2 - Previously: XG/SG 330 Rev. 1
• New: XG/SG 430 Rev. 2 - Previously: XG/SG 430 Rev. 1
• New: XG/SG 450 Rev. 2 - Previously: XG/SG 450 Rev. 1

So if you have ordered any of this hardware from our shop since September, you already have the new Rev. 2 devices. Even though we are only now publishing this announcement and there is still no explicit “Rev. 2” note in our shop, we have consistently been shipping the latest hardware.

The XG and SG series are still identical from a hardware perspective, 1:1. The only difference is the pre-installed operating system. The SG runs the UTM operating system, while the XG is shipped with SFOS. However, you can also install and run the new SFOS on an SG. We have documented the process in this guide: Install Sophos XG Firewall on an SG appliance

What’s new?

Beyond a subtle appliance redesign and an updated unboxing experience, the real gains come from technical optimisations:

• The latest Intel processor generation (Skylake) is now used, delivering roughly 20% higher performance.
• The legacy VGA port has been replaced with an HDMI port.
• The serial interface (RS-232) has been replaced with a micro USB connector.
• The status display on the SG/XG now lights up blue instead of orange.
• The 4xx series now supports remote management via IPMI.
• A new module with 2 × 40GbE QSFP+ is available.
• New 4-port and 8-port modules with PoE support are available.
• The new power supplies use a 48V connector. This means every 1U appliance can be operated with a redundant power supply.

The price remains unchanged. 😄

Important: HA clusters only work with the same hardware revision. So if you have, for example, an XG 230 Rev. 1, you cannot use an XG 230 Rev. 2 in the same HA cluster.

More information

• Datasheet: Sophos XG Firewall