The Web Hosting Tech Support Forum

[Kamloops]

should we install a firewall on our linux server?

would it be a good idea to have one?

I like to sleep at night

[admin]

Hi there Kamloops

I fully understand your security concerns, and yes a hardware firewall is always a good idea.

But did you know that Linux already comes with its own firewall? Yes, and it is called IP Tables.

For the most part, iptables will protect a Linux server pretty well by <binding to a port> a specific service or specific process.

It works fine in most cases. Of course you can always add a seperate firewall on top of all that as an added layer of security, but the great majority of Linux users do not...

If you wish to go that route, look at hardware firewalls such as Cisco, Juniper or Sonicwall. My favorite is Cisco, but thats just me.

Hope that helps

The tech support group,
Avantex Hosting
http://www.avantex.org/

[eCom]

--kamloops

FYi we don't have one on our linux server. We just rely on iptables and it usually does a pretty good job I think.

my 2 cents

[Tommy]

Good response admin