FVS338 ProSafe VPN Firewall 50 Reference Manual

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Introduction

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Chapter 1

Introduction

The ProSafe VPN Firewall 50 with 8 port switch connects your local area network (LAN) to the

Internet through an external access device such as a cable modem or DSL modem.

The FVS338 is a complete security solution that protects your network from attacks and

intrusions. For example, the FVX538 provides support for Stateful Packet Inspection, Denial of

Service (DoS) attack protection and multi-NAT support.The VPN firewall supports multiple Web

content filtering options, plus browsing activity reporting and instant alerts—both, via e-mail.

Network administrators can establish restricted access policies based on time-of-day, Website

addresses and address keywords, and share high-speed cable/DSL Internet access for a local

network.

The FVS338 is a plug-and-play device that can be installed and configured within minutes.

Key Features

The VPN firewall provides the following features:

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One 10/100 Mbps port for an Ethernet connection to a broadband WAN device, such as a cable

modem or DSL modem, and one serial port for a dial-up modem connection to the Internet

through the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

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Dual WAN ports (one broadband and one serial) provide for increased system reliability.

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Support for up to 50 VPN tunnels.

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Easy, web-based setup for installation and management.

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URL keyword Content Filtering and Site Blocking Security.

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Quality of Service (QoS) support for traffic prioritization.

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Built in 8-port 10/100 Mbps switch.

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Extensive Protocol Support.

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Login capability.

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SNMP for manageability.

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Front panel LEDs for easy monitoring of status and activity.

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Flash memory for firmware upgrade.

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Full Routing on Both the Broadband and Serial WAN Ports

You can install, configure, and operate the FVS338 to take full advantage of a variety of routing

options on both the serial and broadband WAN ports, including:

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Internet access via either the serial or broadband port.

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Auto rollover connectivity (fail-over) through an analog modem connected to the serial port

If the broadband Internet connection fails, after waiting for an pre-specified amount of time

the FVS338 can automatically establish a backup dial-up Internet connection via the serial

port on the firewall.

A Powerful, True Firewall with Content Filtering

Unlike simple Internet sharing NAT routers, the FVS338 is a true firewall, using stateful packet

inspection to defend against hacker attacks. Its firewall features include:

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DoS protection. Automatically detects and thwarts DoS attacks such as Ping of Death, SYN

Flood, LAND Attack, and IP Spoofing.

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Blocks unwanted traffic from the Internet to your LAN.

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Blocks access from your LAN to Internet locations or services that you specify as off-limits.

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Logs security incidents. The FVS338 will log security events such as blocked incoming traffic,

port scans, attacks, and administrator logins. You can configure the firewall to email the log to

you at specified intervals. You can also configure the firewall to send immediate alert

messages to your email address or email pager whenever a significant event occurs.

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With its URL keyword filtering feature, the FVS338 prevents objectionable content from

reaching your PCs. The firewall allows you to control access to Internet content by screening

for keywords within Web addresses. You can configure the firewall to log and report attempts

to access objectionable Internet sites.

Security

The VPN firewall is equipped with several features designed to maintain security, as described in

this section.

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PCs Hidden by NAT.

NAT opens a temporary path to the Internet for requests originating

from the local network. Requests originating from outside the LAN are discarded, preventing

users outside the LAN from finding and directly accessing the PCs on the LAN.

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Port Forwarding with NAT.

Although NAT prevents Internet locations from directly

accessing the PCs on the LAN, the firewall allows you to direct incoming traffic to specific

PCs based on the service port number of the incoming request. You can specify forwarding of

single ports or ranges of ports.

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Exposed Host (Software DMZ).

Incoming traffic from the Internet is normally discarded by

the firewall unless the traffic is a response to one of your local computers or a service for

which you have configured an inbound rule. Instead of discarding this traffic, you can have it

forwarded to one computer on your network.

Autosensing Ethernet Connections with Auto Uplink

With its internal 8-port 10/100 switch, the FVS338 can connect to either a 10 Mbps standard

Ethernet network or a 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet network. Both the LAN and WAN interfaces are

autosensing and capable of full-duplex or half-duplex operation.

The firewall incorporates Auto Uplink

TM

technology. Each Ethernet port will automatically sense

whether the Ethernet cable plugged into the port should have a ‘normal’ connection such as to a

PC or an ‘uplink’ connection such as to a switch or hub. That port will then configure itself to the

correct configuration. This feature also eliminates the need to worry about crossover cables, as

Auto Uplink will accommodate either type of cable to make the right connection.

Extensive Protocol Support

The VPN firewall supports the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and

Routing Information Protocol

(RIP).

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IP Address Sharing by NAT.

The VPN firewall allows several networked PCs to share an

Internet account using only a single IP address, which may be statically or dynamically

assigned by your Internet service provider (ISP). This technique, known as NAT, allows the

use of an inexpensive single-user ISP account.

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Automatic Configuration of Attached PCs by DHCP.

The VPN firewall dynamically

assigns network configuration information, including IP, gateway, and domain name server

(DNS) addresses, to attached PCs on the LAN using the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

(DHCP). This feature greatly simplifies configuration of PCs on your local network.

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DNS Proxy.

When DHCP is enabled and no DNS addresses are specified, the firewall

provides its own address as a DNS server to the attached PCs. The firewall obtains actual DNS

addresses from the ISP during connection setup and forwards DNS requests from the LAN.

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PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE).

PPPoE is a protocol for connecting remote hosts to the Internet

over a DSL connection by simulating a dial-up connection. This feature eliminates the need to

run a login program such as EnterNet or WinPOET on your PC.

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Trend Micro Integration

If you have installed the Trend Micro Client/Server/Messaging Suite for SMB on your local

network, you can have the firewall enforce its use. When Antivirus Enforcement is selected, local

PCs will not be allowed Web access unless they have the Trend Micro OfficeScan client installed

and updated with the latest virus definitions.

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The Client/Server/Messaging Suite for Small and Medium Business protects file servers, mail

servers, and PCs on your network - and includes antispam capability. The Client/Server Suite

for Small and Medium Business protects files servers and PCs.

–

Both products deliver a layered defense against viruses and other malicious code.

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Unlike competing antivirus products, both products work your NETGEAR VPN Firewall

to enforce antivirus policies - end users cannot access the Internet unless they have

antivirus protection with current pattern files installed.

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Both products are specifically built to meet the needs of growing businesses and feature

easy installation, automatic transparent updates, and damage cleanup capability.

Activate either product for a free trial.

Easy Installation and Management

You can install, configure, and operate the ProSafe VPN Firewall 50 within minutes after

connecting it to the network. The following features simplify installation and management tasks:

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Browser-based management

. Browser-based configuration allows you to easily configure

your firewall from almost any type of personal computer, such as Windows, Macintosh, or

Linux. A user-friendly Setup Wizard is provided and online help documentation is built into

the browser-based Web Management Interface.

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Smart Wizard

. The VPN firewall automatically senses the type of Internet connection, asking

you only for the information required for your type of ISP account.

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VPN Wizard

. The VPN firewall includes the NETGEAR VPN Wizard to easily configure

VPN tunnels according to the recommendations of the Virtual Private Network Consortium

(VPNC) to ensure the VPN tunnels are interoperable with other VPNC-compliant VPN routers

and clients.

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SNMP.

The VPN firewall supports the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to let

you monitor and manage log resources from an SNMP-compliant system manager. The SNMP

system configuration lets you change the system variables for MIB2.

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Diagnostic functions.

The firewall incorporates built-in diagnostic functions such as Ping,

Trace Route, DNS lookup, and remote reboot.