software firewall for a server

[dcw@pr]

yes yes i know that hardware firewalls are much better - please do not tell me that here!

but can anyone recommend a software firewall specifcally for a web server?

[Plotloss]

Have a look at the Zonelabs Professional/Corporate series of products.

[JonRB]

If your web server is running Linux you could run two network cards and make the box itself into a full-blown firewall and run the web server (eg. Apache) behind it.

[beanbag]

dcw@pr said:

yes yes i know that hardware firewalls are much better - please do not tell me that here!

but can anyone recommend a software firewall specifcally for a web server?

Just wondering.....how can a hardware firewall be better? (I simply just don't understand).

Especially if you get dedicated Linux Firewall Distros. Surely they are much better as they more customisable or am I missing something?

[Plotloss]

beanbag said:

dcw@pr said:

yes yes i know that hardware firewalls are much better - please do not tell me that here!

but can anyone recommend a software firewall specifcally for a web server?

Just wondering.....how can a hardware firewall be better? (I simply just don't understand).

Especially if you get dedicated Linux Firewall Distros. Surely they are much better as they more customisable or am I missing something?

Hardware firewalls generally are linux powered.

However a seperate machine or a seperate network is a preferable security solution to an in box/in net software firewall.

[beanbag]

Plotloss said:

beanbag said:

dcw@pr said:

yes yes i know that hardware firewalls are much better - please do not tell me that here!

but can anyone recommend a software firewall specifcally for a web server?

Just wondering.....how can a hardware firewall be better? (I simply just don't understand).

Especially if you get dedicated Linux Firewall Distros. Surely they are much better as they more customisable or am I missing something?

Hardware firewalls generally are linux powered.

However a seperate machine or a seperate network is a preferable security solution to an in box/in net software firewall.

Ah, ok then. So the iedal solution would be a dedicated box with a linux firewall distro installed on it?

[dcw@pr]

no, its running windows (unfortunately). Zone Labs don't seem to do server software that I can see.

[beanbag]

dcw@pr said:

no, its running windows (unfortunately). Zone Labs don't seem to do server software that I can see.

It wouldn't be ZoneLabs that deliver it. Try Checkpoint (part of ZoneLabs)

[Plotloss]

To a point.

The specialist firewalls have bespoke software thats based on POSIX I believe. I dont really know that much about hardcore security as such but firewalls with stuff like Stateful Packet Inspection I believe are bespoked.

[PJLarge]

If you can put a box in front of your server, this is pretty good (and free...)
www.smoothwall.org/get/

[timsta]

PJLarge said:

If you can put a box in front of your server, this is pretty good (and free...)
www.smoothwall.org/get/

Seconded.

[mph999]

dcw@pr said:

yes yes i know that hardware firewalls are much better - please do not tell me that here!

but can anyone recommend a software firewall specifcally for a web server?

Try Kerio ...