Need a firewall
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Hey, I just the got news that I'm finally going to be getting a high speed internet connection, its been six months in the making and its finally here!! :-D This got me thinking that I will now need to set-up a firewall, does any one have a favorite... should I look at getting a hardware one? Or should I stick software? I also have an old Pentium that has Linux running, I suppose I could set it up as one... but I think it might slow things down, seeing as its only running at ~75 MHz. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, -Ben --------- On the topic of code with no error handling -- It's not poor coding, it's "optimistic" ;)
I took a look at some of the software firewalls that were recommended, some of them were really nice, but in the end I decided to give my old PC the job. Current setup; Hardware: Compaq DeskPro 575 - Pentium ~75 MHz With a whopping 16MB of RAM. Two SMC Elite16 network cards -- old, but nice. 4x CD-ROM -- only because I could not find a cover ;) 500MB Hardrive -- 498MB free :) Software: Freesco 0.27 (www.freesco.org) -- for now, it was quick and easy to setup, so I got lazy and used it. I'm going to try out LRP (www.linuxrouter.org) and GnatBox (www.gnatbox.com) this weekend. Thanks again, -Ben --------- On the topic of code with no error handling -- It's not poor coding, it's "optimistic" ;)
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Hey, I just the got news that I'm finally going to be getting a high speed internet connection, its been six months in the making and its finally here!! :-D This got me thinking that I will now need to set-up a firewall, does any one have a favorite... should I look at getting a hardware one? Or should I stick software? I also have an old Pentium that has Linux running, I suppose I could set it up as one... but I think it might slow things down, seeing as its only running at ~75 MHz. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, -Ben --------- On the topic of code with no error handling -- It's not poor coding, it's "optimistic" ;)
Yeah, you could play with clunker.... But why not just get NetGear DSL-Cable Router/Switch combo. Fast/tiny/0-time setup. Few month electricity bill could probably pay for the thing. Includes firewall,etc etc etc. You can set what ever rules you want like If connection from Internet to Lan and port < 1024 drop; Do not forward 13x netbios packet to internet. Port forwarding. Browser interface. Can never be hacked: 1) because it is dumb as a rock 2) Internal policy will reject any attempt to control it from Internet, and accepts only lan connections. I got mine for $50, blackice went into a trash on the same day. Brian
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i'll second that! this linksys router is an outstanding product i've got my mail, web and IM server running behind the firewall with the correct ports being forwarded through it. works like a champ. now the firewall isn't the most robust firewall, there is no packet filtering, or authentication going on, and some of the other features are limited, but it is a great product nonetheless. it comes with - an integrated dhcp server - all web based configuration, (just point to its' ip address, default is 192.168.1.1), - it can clone the MAC address of the nic that you were originally set up on (some isp's register the nic that you connect with and only work with that mac address, this spoofs that) - one computer dmz (not safe, but for older games/apps that won't work behind a firewall...) very nice product -John
I have one of these units too, and it's fine for what I consider light home use, but if you want a serious firewall product you should look elsewhere. The best home router I've seen is the Umax UGate-2000 unit. It's about twice the codst of the Linksys 4-port, but it's got more features and the number of ports (and port ranges) you can forward is much higher.
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I'll add my vote for zonealarm. A very good product and easy to use and configure. The free version is good but I'd recommend paying the few dollars for the pro version. It gives a lot more control. Michael :-)
I use ZoneAlarm. Works a charm. I use it protect the very old Pentium 120 running Win95 that I use for accessing the web from home. Stephen Kellett -- C++/Java/Win NT/Unix variants Memory leaks/corruptions/performance/system problems. UK based. Problems with RSI/WRULD? Contact me for advice.
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Hey, I just the got news that I'm finally going to be getting a high speed internet connection, its been six months in the making and its finally here!! :-D This got me thinking that I will now need to set-up a firewall, does any one have a favorite... should I look at getting a hardware one? Or should I stick software? I also have an old Pentium that has Linux running, I suppose I could set it up as one... but I think it might slow things down, seeing as its only running at ~75 MHz. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, -Ben --------- On the topic of code with no error handling -- It's not poor coding, it's "optimistic" ;)
> I also have an old Pentium that has Linux running, I > suppose I could set it up as one... but I think it might > slow things down, seeing as its only running at ~75 MHz. Unless you've got a really fast outside line, you are more than fine with that machine. I'm myself running an OpenBSD 2.8 with ipf and NAT on a 486/66 (yes, I saved that machine for this special purpose) with (an overwhelming) 20MB of RAM and an almost ten year old SCSI drive, and the OS has an average load of less than 1% CPU.
