Gen3 Linux Firewall

Overview:

Mag-Net recommends this Firewall/Router as it is non-proprietary in nature and provides a very secure, flexible and scalable platform designed to give you control of your network. This system is designed to handle a number of different functions and utilizes the Linux open source operating system. Linux greatly enhances the flexibility and scalability of the system and allows us to use a “generic” white box computer for the host machine.

Objectives:

To provide you with control over your network and allow secure access to and from the Internet.
To provide routing and gateway services for all computers connected to your network.
To allow controlled access to your network from remote locations via standard Virtual Private Network protocols.
To provide user level and global management of allowable content to and from the World Wide Web.
To provide control of the above through a web based interface with quick and easy access to administrative functions.

Description:

Mag-Net’s Gen3 Linux Firewall is specifically designed to handle a number of network functions including routing and firewall services. This system allows you to safely connect your network to the outside world through an “always on” Internet connection. Gen3 also provides your company with the ability to connect to your office network from home or elsewhere utilizing the widely supported PPTP[1] VPN[2] protocols that are built into the Windows operating systems. In addition, the Gen3 Linux Firewall can provide content management and control access to the World Wide Web.

Details:

The Gen3 Linux Firewall is built on generic “white box” computer equipment, which in our testing has proven to be very reliable, inexpensive and readily available. This configuration allows you to keep spare parts that can be utilized at a moment’s notice and avoids the need for expensive “service contracts”.Your in-house IT staff have the ability to quickly repair failures and minimize downtime to significantly lower levels than most name brand systems could hope to achieve. Mag-Net can provide a system or give you specifications for obtaining a system of your own. Once a system is acquired, we can then build your Gen3 Linux Firewall.

The overall cost of building the system is defined in two areas – the acquisition of the hardware, and the labour involved to install and configure the system for your environment. All software used is open source with no restrictions on functionality. There are no hidden costs here.

Mag-Net can set up the Gen3 firewall with applications to provide the following, if desired:

Content filtering and control
Web-based proxy reporting
Packet capturing software for network monitoring (low-level or Ethernet sniffing)
Packet sniffing software for network monitoring (high-level or protocol sniffing)
Stateful firewall
Network time protocols
Web-based GUI[3] administrative interface for firewall and user management
Port scanning software
File system intrusion detection

Minimum Recommended Hardware Specifications:

Intel Pentium IV 2.0GHz Processor
512 MB DDR RAM
40 GB Hard Drive2 x 10/100Mb Network Cards

[1] PPTP: Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol
[2] VPN: Virtual Private Network
[3] Graphical User Interface