Closing ports
Novell Cool Solutions: Question & Answer
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Q:
I want to install BorderManager so it closes any unnecessary ports running on my NetWare 6.5 sp3 server. Is this pretty easy to do? Is BorderManager overkill for this task?
It's my understanding that BorderManager has VPN and client workstation
firewall capabilities, so maybe I don't really need bordermanager for
locking down the server.
A:
It is easy to do, if you understand filtering thoroughly. You filter all traffic to and from the public interface. BorderManager does this automatically during the install. BorderManager also then sets up certain filter exceptions so that proxy and VPN services can work. Without BorderManager proxy or VPN, you would have to set up specific filter exceptions as needed, which means you need to know exactly what services to allow out to the Internet, as well as how to do it. (You might find my BorderManager filtering book particularly useful here - see www.craigjconsulting.com. You can set up the exact same exceptions without BorderManager).
It is true that you don't need BorderManager to do filtering. However, BorderManager provides proxy services which can really improve security by allowing only the proxy to access the internet, and not the workstations directly.
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