Which Firewall do you use?

humbletech99 · 12-05-2006, 12:12 PM

I am comparing firewalls. We currently use smoothwall but I am not that impressed with it. I wonder if an appliance solution would be better and would like to get some feedback from my fellow techies...

What firewall do you use and why?

If I implement another smoothwall then I have to buy a new machine for it by which time I may as well just buy an appliance. I wouldn't mind seeing the back of smoothwall, but if I am to consider another solution it must interoperate with smoothwall in order keep vpns between sites etc...

All feedback welcome.

msound · 12-05-2006, 12:15 PM

I really liked IPCop when I used it. I installed a bunch of the add-on modules and the thing just seemed to work pretty well. However I believe it is very similar to smoothwall, and if you don't like smoothwall than maybe ipcop isn't for you :/

moxieman99 · 12-05-2006, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by humbletech99

I am comparing firewalls. We currently use smoothwall but I am not that impressed with it. I wonder if an appliance solution would be better and would like to get some feedback from my fellow techies...

What firewall do you use and why?

If I implement another smoothwall then I have to buy a new machine for it by which time I may as well just buy an appliance. I wouldn't mind seeing the back of smoothwall, but if I am to consider another solution it must interoperate with smoothwall in order keep vpns between sites etc...

All feedback welcome.

My first question is: What is it that you DON'T like about smoothwall? My linux machine is not hooked up to the internet, so I have no dog in any inet fight, but if you post what you do and don't like about smoothwall, then not only could people save time in their suggestions, but they might be able to help tweak your wall.

In any event, you'd be helping others doing their own evaluations later, and isn't that the point of this forum?

Moxieman

humbletech99 · 12-05-2006, 12:48 PM

I don't like the fact that it can be fussy about hardware. I installed version 4 which installed and then wouldn't boot. I installed version 5 which wouldn't work with a modem it used to work with version 3.

I just think that I could save myself some grief buying a solution that works before I buy it.

Also, if I have to buy a computer to install it on, and then the smoothwall software, which isn't that cheap either, then I may as well just buy a hardware firewall.

acid_kewpie · 12-05-2006, 03:04 PM

i was interested in the package that astaro had put together, and depending on the situation you use it in it can be free. for not big piles of cash you could look at something great like a pix 501, pitched at SoHo markets. not massively powerful in terms of throughput, but good for a small implementation. sure ebay can do you a good deal.