Ken, We use a pair of Sonicwall Network Security Appliances which are due for renewal and we are upgrading to the latest ones. They are completely seamless, fit in with active directory no problem and are very configurable. Recommended but not cheap!
Dave -----Original Message----- From: ProFox [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Ken Dibble Sent: 21 December 2016 18:22 To: [email protected] Subject: [NF] Hardware vs Software Router/Firewall Recommendations Hi folks, Looks like our "ancient" (2008) CISCO router has died. I would appreciate the benefit of your experience regarding hardware vs software routers/firewalls to help me evaluate replacement options. Our current network uses 1 GB switches and has about 150 machines, and there can be at least that many people simultaneously using the network and our 25 mbps synchronous internet connection (including people hooking into our internet from smart phones and tablets). Most servers, including the domain controller, are virtualized and we are using a SAN for storage (two identical Synology Linux NAS devices). We have a 10 GB switch for virtual server/storage connectivity. We do not host external (internet) email or websites on our network. We've had slow growth in the number of machines and users (+/- 5% per year) over the past decade. We've always used the NAT functionality of the CISCO to provide a firewall and we only rarely allow anything to punch through it. The main exception would be our RDP server, which is in frequent use by between 5 and 10 simultaneous connections. My understanding is that a software router/firewall running on an ordinary PC is likely to be slower than a dedicated hardware device. However, is the difference so significant for a network like mine as to rule out a cheaper software solution? Do you have preferences for specific devices or software packages? What do you all think? Many thanks. Ken Dibble www.stic-cil.org [excessive quoting removed by server] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/[email protected] ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
