[dba-Tech] Software Firewalls

John,
Of course the one thing the hardware firewall can never do is protect from
malicious programs inside the firewall which a cheap piece of software on
each computer will do. This may not be an issue for most one PC developers
but once you put together a network and/or support clients with networks
this does become an issue. You can avoid using software firewalls by using
internal checkpoint type devices that act as firewalls between networks
segments but I can't say if that is less expensive or better than having a
basic software firewall component on each computer. Probably really depends
on each individual situation.

John B.

-----Original Message-----
From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of John W. Colby
Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 11:13 AM
To: 'Discussion of Hardware and Software issues'
Subject: RE: [dba-Tech] Software Firewalls


In fact a hardware firewall usually does everything that a software firewall
does, plus more.  It is unusual for example for software firewalls to do
stateful packet inspection.  Doing so is extremely processor intensive.  A
good hardware firewall has a co-processor out in the router that does that
stuff and offloads the workstation from doing that.  IF you have a good
hardware firewall, and the cheaper routers are NOT firewalls or are very
limited firewalls, then you truly do not need a software firewall.  I know
of nothing that a software firewall does that a good hardware firewall
cannot be made to do.

Furthermore, the hardware firewall can be made to do it for ALL workstations
at one fell swoop, vs. having to write rules and get them applied to each
and every workstation's software firewall.

I am NOT recommending that everyone out there get rid of their zonealarm.  I
am saying however that if you spend the bucks on a good router with a good
hardware firewall built into it, and you set it up correctly, then you can
safely get rid of Zonealarm (or whatever you use).

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com

Contribute your unused CPU cycles to a good cause:
http://folding.stanford.edu/