The Wychwood Online Club
In association with Oxfordshire Rural Broadband
In association with Oxfordshire Rural Broadband
Copyright © ORB 2009
Get the answers to those questions you've always wanted to know but never got round to asking
Q
What are Firewalls and where you get one
A
A firewall is a set of related programs, located at the network gateway, that protects the private network from users from other networks. Basically, a firewall, examines each network request to determine whether to forward it toward its destination. Usually they are configured to allow all traffic within the private network but to control traffic to and from the external network. A firewall is often installed in a specially designated computer separate from the rest of the network so that no incoming request can get directly at private network resources.
There are a number of firewall screening methods. A simple one is to screen requests to make sure they come from acceptable (previously identified) domain name and Internet Protocol addresses. For mobile users, firewalls allow remote access in to the private network by the use of secure logon procedures and authentication certificates.
A number of companies make firewall products. Features include logging and reporting, automatic alarms at given thresholds of attack, and a graphical user interface for controlling the firewall.
An example is Zone Alarm which is downloadable for free. Just click on Zone Alarm and save the file to a folder on your system. When the download is finished, open the folder where you saved the file and run the file.
Most commercial Internet Security software packages include firewall software, a firewall is also included in Windows XP software. We would recommend that only one firewall software is installed on your computer to avoid conflict. Use the Control Panel to turn on or off the Windows Firewall. If you connect to the Internet via a router this may also have a separate firewall giving you extra protection.