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Any drawbacks to using an open source firewall?
I'd like to try an open source firewall for our network, but am wondering if there are any disadvantages to using one as opposed to a commercial application?
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6 Answers
I recommend taking a look at Untangle, an open source network gateway that is comparable to the SonicWall application platform. The Untangle appliance can act as a firewall/router or transparent bridge in between your firewall/router and internal network.
Site: http://www.untangle.com/
I've had great results with SmoothWall (not to be confused with SonicWALL), which is a well-done appliance built out of reputable open source security products. Go to smoothwall.org to download a free .iso, burn it, boot it, answer a few questions about your network, and you're up. It runs on a Linux core, but you don't ever have to type a Linux command if you don't want to; it's all configured from web pages. For a small business that needed more than what a consumer-grade NAT router could do I installed it on a retired Pentium II with 64MB with an extra PCI NIC plugged in, and it's overkill for a small LAN with DSL or cable Internet service. Put it on a real computer and it can do serious routing, DMZ, and almost anything else you might need.
Go to smoothwall.com and you can pay for support, and you can add to the free or the paid version Dan's Guardian to keep the kids (your actual children or your staff who need child-level restrictions) out of naughty web sites.
Untangle, mentioned in an earlier reply, is a comparable product. I have no direct experience with it, but I know people who swear by it. Unless you need features only available in the Big Boys' high end products, I can't think of any disadvantages of relying on SmoothWall or Untangle.
We used an OpenBSD based pf for our corporate firewall for some considerable time with good success.
We used an OpenBSD based pf for our corporate firewall for some considerable time with good success. It's main disadvantage is you have to figure out the setup yourself and to some extent know what you're doing.
OpenBSD, despite a tiny market share compared with Linux, is an outstanding platform, and you can certainly run effective software on it. As Mr. Geppert wrote, his system works well but figuring out the setup was a challenge. That's the beauty of an integrated appliance like SmoothWall or Untangle; you answer a few questions while installing and then manage it from rather easy to understand web pages.
I've used both commercial and open source firewalls. Both types are capable of doing a good job in terms of security and performance. The big downfall to an Open Source Firewall is support. If you have the expertise in house, or if you are willing to pay a consultant, to run this software and keep up with patches and security updates, open source will do a good job. If you don't have the expertise or are unwilling to pay someone, go with a commercial product. With a commercial product you may also have to find someone to keep the system patched and running, but this person should be less expensive than a comparable open source expert.
Bill Baltas
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