Prev: [UPDATE] Zindus v 0.8.20
Next: Saving Openoffice 3.x as 2.4??
From: Whirled.Peas on 28 Jun 2010 07:52
The Linux Ware Weekly #19

Welcome to the Linux Ware Weekly, a series of posts intended to introduce
Linux users to software they may find useful for completing their various
tasks. Each week I plan to bring you a list of applications that are
suited to a certain task. I don't guarantee that the lists will be
exhaustive by any stretch. In fact I can guarantee that I will probably
overlook several applications since there are so many different programs
written for Linux and forks upon forks of the popular ones.

This week we are going to look at firewall distros.

Many people are running small home networks with multiple computers.
Maintaining security on those computers can be cumbersome and time
consuming if you are trying to maintain a separate firewall on each
device. Sure, if all you have is one computer and you're running Linux,
you don't need anything beyond iptables. If setting up the chains and
rules makes your head swim, there are gui interfaces for iptables that
greatly simplify matters.

However, if you have multiple computers, it makes sense to set up and old
Pentium 2 or 3 machine to be a headless firewall appliance between your
network and the internet connection. Relying on your router's NAT is not
going to be enough for the security minded individual. For example, NAT
does not do anything to block outbound packets from programs that wish to
“phone home.” One of the areas in which Linux truly shines is in
security. These firewall distributions are all easy to setup and
configure. In an hour or two, you could have a solid firewall watching
the incoming and outgoing traffic and allowing only what YOU wish to get
through in either direction.

I am including Distrowatch page links so you can browse the reviews given
to each of these solutions (Where such reviews exist).


ClearOS
Homepage: http://www.clearfoundation.com/Software/overview.html
Distrowatch page: http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=clearos
ClearOS is an integrated network server gateway solution for small and
distributed organizations. The software provides all the necessary server
tools to run an organization including email, anti-virus, anti-spam, file
sharing, groupware, VPN, firewall, intrusion detection/prevention,
content filtering, bandwidth management, multi-WAN, and more. Through the
intuitive Web-based management console, an administrator can configure
the server software along with integrated cloud-based services.


m0n0wall
Homepage: http://m0n0.ch/wall/
Distrowatch page: http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=monowall
m0n0wall is an all-in-one firewall software package that is based on
FreeBSD. It is geared towards embedded PCs, but it also works on standard
PCs. It includes an easy-to-use Web interface like commercial firewall
boxes do. PHP is used instead of shell scripts, and the entire system
configuration is stored in a single XML-formatted file. There is support
for VPN, traffic shaping, captive portal, VLANs, and more.


Astaro Security Gateway
Homepage: http://www.astaro.com/
Distrowatch Page: http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=astaro
Astaro Security Gateway is an all-in-one network security gateway that
includes a firewall, intrusion protection, virus protection, spam
protection, URL filtering, and a VPN gateway. Features include stateful
packet inspection, deep packet filtering, intrusion detection and
prevention, portscan detection, content filtering, virus detection for
email and Web traffic, profile handling, L2TP, IPSec, SSL, and PPTP VPN
tunneling, spam blocking, proxies for HTTPS, HTTP, FTP, POP3, SMTP, DNS,
VoIP, SOCKS, and Ident, logging, and reporting. It supports Ethernet,
VLAN, PPP, PPPoE, PPPoA, Cable Modem, QoS, Link Aggregation, WAN-Uplink-
Loadbalancing in routing, and bridge mode. The WebAdmin, the Install
Wizard, and Up2Date service make it easy to install, manage, and update.


Endian Firewall
Homepage: http://www.endian.com/en/community/
Distrowatch Page: http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=endian
Endian Firewall is an all-in-on Linux security distribution that turns
any system into a full-featured security appliance. It features a stateful
packet inspection firewall, application-level proxies for various
protocols (HTTP, POP3, SMTP), anti-virus support, virus and spam
filtering for email traffic (POP and SMTP), content filtering of Web
traffic, and a "hassle free" VPN system based on OpenVPN.


IPCop
Homepage: http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/ipcop/wiki
Distrowatch Page: http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=ipcop
IPCop Linux is a complete Linux distribution whose sole purpose is to
protect the networks on which it is installed. After seeing the direction
certain Linux Distributions were heading in, a group of dissatisfied
users/developers decided that there was little reason for the idea of a
GPL Linux Firewall Distribution of such potential to be, simply,
extinguished. By implementing existing technology, outstanding new
technology and secure programming practices IPCop is the Linux
Distribution for those wanting to keep their computers/networks safe. The
IPCop Linux Team is dedicated to doing the very best job possible to keep
your systems safe, as you can see on our site. "The Bad Packets Stop
Here!"


IPFire
Homepage: http://www.ipfire.org/en/index
Dtstrowatch Page: http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=ipfire
IPFire is a Linux firewall distribution that is built from source and
comes with lots of additional features. It is easy to set up and
administer. It features a firewall with stateful inspection, a content
filtering engine, traffic control (QoS), VPN technology, and a lot of
logging.


Smoothwall Express
Homepage: http://www.smoothwall.org/
Distrowatch Page: http://distrowatch.com/table.php?
distribution=smoothwall
SmoothWall Express is a network firewall, designed with home and small
business users in mind. It is based upon a security-hardened subset of
the GNU/Linux operating system and is completely free to use, download,
and distribute. SmoothWall Express offers facilities and features
normally only seen in expensive commercial offerings.


Untangle
Homepage: http://www.untangle.com/
Distrowatch Page: http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=untangle
Untangle is a Linux-based network gateway with pluggable modules for
network applications like spam blocking, Web filtering, anti-virus, anti-
spyware, intrusion prevention, VPN, SSL VPN, firewall, and more.


pfSense
Homepage: http://www.pfsense.org/
Distrowatch Page: http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=pfsense
pfSense is a m0n0wall-derived operating system platform with radically
different goals, such as using Packet Filter, FreeBSD 6.x (or DragonFly
BSD when ALTQ and CARP is finished) ALTQ for excellent packet queueing,
and an integrated package management system for extending the environment
with new features.


Coyote Linux
Homepage: http://coyotelinux.com/
Distrowatch Page: http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=coyote
Coyote Linux is a mini distribution designed for setting up network
utility services such as Internet connection sharing, firewalling, or
wireless access points. The goal is to make it as quick and easy as
possible to set up a Linux system with only a minimal amount of Linux
knowledge.



--
If you try, you can envision peas on earth.
From: Nemesis on 28 Jun 2010 14:55
On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:52:45 +0000, Whirled.Peas wrote:

> The Linux Ware Weekly #19
> This week we are going to look at firewall distros.
I use Brazilfw (coyote was abandoned, this is a later version) as
my router, on an old K6400. It runs in about :

total: used: free: shared: buffers: cached:
Mem: 64151552 7413760 56737792 0 0 3022848

Very little memory, does not need a harddisk,floppy, a monitor or
a keyboard , and can be configured remotely. I run it off a CDRom, so it
cannot be permanently hacked. Reboot and changes are cancelled.

http://www.brazilfw.com.br/forum/index.php

Using version 2.30.1, as a link to my wireless ISP.
[]'s
From: Whirled.Peas on 28 Jun 2010 17:43
On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:55:41 +0000, Nemesis wrote:

> On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:52:45 +0000, Whirled.Peas wrote:
>
>> The Linux Ware Weekly #19
>> This week we are going to look at firewall distros.
> I use Brazilfw (coyote was abandoned, this is a later version) as
> my router, on an old K6400.

I wasn't sure. I had thought coyote had gone inactive, but distrowatch
lists it as active, and the homepage shows an update from April of this
year.

The "about" page indicates that the original floppy disk version has been
continued as Brazil FW and seems to imply that coyote is still in
development. Admittedly, I am not very familiar with the project. I've
always been a fan of m0n0wall and Endian.


--
If you try, you can envision peas on earth.
 | 
Pages: 1
Prev: [UPDATE] Zindus v 0.8.20
Next: Saving Openoffice 3.x as 2.4??