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Re: [slightly OT]: GUI firewall applications in Linux



On Mon, Nov 28, 2005 at 01:02:27PM -0500, H.S. wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I have managed to convince a friend of mine to try out a Linux based
> machine as a router in the company that he works in. At present, all
> their computers (around 15 or so) run Windows. They have a router (I
> think a consumer grade one) through which they connect their lan
> computers to the internet in some way.
> 
> For quite a while he had been complaining about viruses and spyware in
> this computers. So I suggested he install Firefox and Thunderbird and
> train users not to use IE or Outlook, run spyware and antivirus and
> educate users NOT to click on any random links. So far so good. But he
> still has problems about controlling his network traffic and internet
> security. So now I have convinced him to install Debian (or some other
> flavor of Linux) on a machine and make it a jpowerful and fully
> configurable router.
> 
> That is the story. Now, I personally have a firewall script (iptables)
> set up on my computer. But my friend is not Linux literate at all is not
> going to be confortable with bash scripting and vi editor and iptables
> in the first go. Is there a GUI firewall application for Linux that can
> be installed on router computers to deal with with various applications:
> web browsing, email, databases: oracle & siebel, or other Windows stuff?
> 

Suggest shorewall.  It is not a GUI, but is extremely well documented.
Configuration is done via a group of text files and shorewall has an
easy command-line interface to start, stop and query the firewall.
If their setup is simple (which it sounds like), then reading the
documentation will teach him a great deal about how firewalls work and
why certain things are done.  In the end, it will be better for him to
understand all that stuff.

-Roberto

-- 
Roberto C. Sanchez
http://familiasanchez.net/~roberto

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