The Ideal Firewall

This section would not be complete without at least a mention of one of the most secure operating system and firewall setups available to home users. Although WinRoute is an exceptional firewall running on Windows operating systems, some Unix-based alternatives are also available. OpenBSD is a free operating system that is available from www.openbsd.org. It is considered one of the most secure operating systems in existence. Using OpenBSD has a steep learning curve if you are only used to Windows systems. Plenty of help and documentation are available if you are serious about setting up an advanced and highly secure firewall system. Following is a quick list of what you will need:

• OpenBSD operating system (the latest version is 2.9)

• IPF and IPNAT software (comes with the operating system)

• Laptop with an Intel Pentium processor

• Two network cards

• Time and willingness to learn

A laptop makes a great firewall. It has its own built-in battery and its own monitor that you can use to see alerts from intrusion attempts. With OpenBSD installed on a laptop, you need two network cards to set up routing between your cable or DSL line and your internal home network. After your network cards are set up and you can ping computers both on the Internet and on your home network, you are ready to configure the IPF and IPNAT software. This software allows your home computers to share the Internet connection through IPNAT and sets up a secure firewall using IPF.

Computing with OpenBSD is perhaps more advanced than computing with Windows. We only recommend trying this setup if you are familiar with Unix operating systems or if you have the time and patience to learn. After you get things set up, you can rest assured that you have a secure firewall for your home network.

More detailed information on setting up OpenBSD firewalls can be found from www.bsdtoday.com and www.openbsd.org.