"Jack Gillis" said:I am just getting into DSL and wonder about the desirability of running
XP's firewall behind that of the router. Is there any advantage,
necessity or the like for doing so?
Thank you.
Steve said:Your router protects your computers from undesired traffic coming from
the Internet. Running XP's firewall gives no added protection from
the Internet.
XP's firewall can also block undesired traffic coming from within your
own local area network, which can occur if one of the computers is
infected with a virus or worm. That can be desirable behavior.
However, by default, XP's firewall blocks file and printer sharing on
your network, which can be undesirable.
To share files and printers on a LAN with XP's firewall enabled, open
the following ports: TCP 139, TCP 445, UDP 137, UDP 138.
The Windows Firewall in the upcoming Windows XP Service Pack 2 is
automatically enabled on a local area network and automatically opens
the ports to allow file and printer sharing.
Star said:Even though you are behind a hardware router which may/may not block
undesirable traffic (depends on how you configured it), it does not
block outgoing undesirable traffic. For that reason, I run Zone Alarm
Pro in addition to being behind by router's firewall - I can monitor
and configure what software has to ability to initiate an outgoing
internet request. Many Trojans will arrive to your PC either via
e-mail or chat software, from there, they'll setup camp and attempt to
replicate via outgoing internet access. Also, it can be used to
control what software can/can not roam your internal network, which
was mentioned, can prevent all the PC's on your internal network from
becoming infected. Your call though.
Star Fleet Admiral Q @ your service
Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?
You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.