forums.xandros.com

Andrew · Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2005 1:54 pm Post subject: Firewall Applications?

Q: What firewall applications are available for Xandros other than the Xandros Personal Firewall?

A: There are 2 popular choices: Guarddog and Firestarter.

They are both available from the XOID Repository, for instructions of how to pull from XOID please go here:
http://forums.xandros.com/viewtopic.php?t=12631

Homepage for Guarddog:
http://www.simonzone.com/software/guarddog/

Homepage for Firestarter:
http://www.fs-security.com/
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mr cellophane · Xplorer Joined: 12 Oct 2005 Posts: 36

which one is better? firestarter, guarddog or xandros firewall Cool

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mike80808 · Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2005 12:04 am Post subject:

Do you mean pointy-clickey firewall management applications?

I personally think that Shorewall is the best one out there. Easy to understand, all of the configs are text files, and you set it and forget it. And the documentation is the best breakdown of what a firewall device is and how it works.

http://www.shorewall.net/

As for GUI-based firewall management consoles, the Webmin firewall module isn't too shabby.

If you are using your linux box for routing, then Shorewall is an excellent choice. It can do the kinds of tricks you're probably unable to get your firewall device to do.

If you're doing run-o-the-mill firewalling, then you should probably just get a dedicated device (probably built into your broadband modem or hub/router) and just use its web-based management console.
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hip.pixl · Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2005 8:55 am Post subject:

I'm happy with a Xandros router with Firestarter. Firestarter is a GUI for the linux firewall and has an 'Internet Connection Sharing' option.

lpbbear · Xendrosian Joined: 19 Nov 2002 Posts: 1794

I'm surprised how many people overlook choices like Smoothwall Express and IpCop for firewalls even with a dialup connection. In fact you can easily bypass all of the hassles of the dreaded Win Modem by using an older system and one of the many decent ISA hardware based modems that are likely hanging around in your junk parts box.
Dig out that old Pentium 1 computer and knock together a simple system with one network card and one modem, a small hard drive, a cd drive for installing the system, a little bit of memory and you are in business.
Download either IpCop or Smoothwall Express, create the cd from the downloaded ISO and install it. Set the system up to be a dialup firewall, plug it into your network or use a crossover ethernet cable to connect it directly to your main Xandros computer if you do not have a hub/switch and no more worries about firewall or Win Modems from hell.

You should have NO problem finding an older computer that is suitable for this purpose. There are tons of them being thrown away by people. Just check the yard sales in your area. I just gave away 12 of them to a guy at my last yard sale for almost nothing.

Of course there is a bit more to it but this points you in the right direction.

http://www.smoothwall.org/
http://www.ipcop.org/

Michael · Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2005 9:23 pm Post subject:

I've just installed a Linksys router and the firewall pretty much kills my access to the net completely. I use DSL and set the firewall to the DSL setting. I even left all the buttons unclicked - which I assume is like haveing no firewall at all. So I'm leaving it off ... unless someone has a better suggestion for me.

Cheers,
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"I'm holding out for a more democratic and cultural definition of literacy that encourages people to read the situation and not just the instructions."
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lpbbear · Xendrosian Joined: 19 Nov 2002 Posts: 1794

amichan · Xplorer Joined: 15 Oct 2005 Posts: 42

I use sonicwall, hardware firewall but I like it.

Brian Wallen · Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2005 4:01 pm Post subject: Firestarter/Gnome vs Guarddog/KDE

In Andrew's first post on this topic, he includes Firestarter and Guarddog as popular firewall choices and provides a link to another forum page which lists packages available from X.O.ID. In the descriptions on that page Firestarter is described as a package for Gnome and Guarddog as one for KDE.

Since Xandros is KDE-based, how could a Gnome-based package be interesting to me as a Xandros user? Are Firestarter and Guarddog both just frontend editors that manipulate the same underlying configuration files and executables?

davidalun · Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2005 7:14 pm Post subject:

I use firestarter behind a router firewall. I guess I use both simply because I can without it causing any grief.

For newbies I recommend GuardDog - seems to me to be a more intuitive interface, and when I first used it I found the online tutorial to be really good. They had an example that matched my system perfectly.
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Xandos 1, 2, 3, 4 ... and now PCLOS.

greg108 · Xplorer Joined: 12 Jan 2006 Posts: 6

Most of the Linksys routers are firewalls. If it is a wireless router you may want to turn off the wireless if you are not going to use that functionality. If the Linksys is already a firewall, you don't need to use the Xandros builtin firewall.[/quote]

I have Linksys, yes it is pretty good, but they hack you by sending trojans through e-mail or while you browse the net and compromising the system that way. So I use antivirus + Prevx. Also I use online mail, when it gets full, I download it and archive on separate Hard drive.
I stopped using Outlook on a regular basis, only for archiving on a completely separate drive. Even with such precautions W2K gets corrupted every 6 months and I have to reinstall.
I wonder if Xandros is any better?. I'll try to use Thunderbird Mail on regular basis, see how long it would lasts.

Davepet · Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 2:50 am Post subject:

NunyaBidness · Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2006 5:00 pm Post subject:

I just installed Firestarter....I've never been able to get Guarddog or the firewall included with 3.0 to work.
Whenever I have activated those two.... it wouldn't allow me to connect to the internet at all...prompting me to uninstall them.
I finally got around to installing Firestarter....and i gotta tell you....I'm impressed.
I went under Preferences....and Under Events and Do not Log Events for the Following......under Ports I added Ping (just click add+ and type Ping)
Afterward I took my computer to Shields Up's website http://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?rh1dkyd2
and got a perfect stealth rating.
It was truly painless.....and it just works. Just like I want my OS to be......
Glenn Condrey
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JohnC · Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 3:37 pm Post subject:

I'm willing to give FireStarter a try. Went to their web-site and looked at the tutorial -- looks pretty painless.

Didn't find Firestarter in XN, so what's the safest way to install it? and where do I get the download? thanks

bobpayne · Xplorer Joined: 31 Dec 1969 Posts: 2

I tried the firewall that comes with Xandros 3.0 and I could no longer access the internet. So I tried Guardog with the same results. I have no problem accesing the Internet until I start up the firewall. I tried installing Firestarter and I get errors every time and it will not fully install. A firewall is important and while I am new to Xandros I don't understand why it is so hard to get one working with it.

Bob