Re: host based firewall for windows 2003 server?

[Graham Toal <gtoal () UTPA EDU>]

> I would recommend WIPFW, which is based on the FreeBSD IPFW 
> firewall and it is free. It allows for blocking inbound and 
> outbound traffic. The biggest disadvantage or advantage, 
> based on your point of view, is that the entire configuration 
> is in a text file. 

A bigger disadvantage is that it's not host based, which is
what the O.P. was asking for.

However, I do myself have an old PC under my desk running
OpenBSD solely for its firewall features (in fact it's been
there so long I've several times forgotten it was there until
I tried to do something that didn't work, and then realised
why it didn't work, and then realised that I was glad that
it hadn't worked :-) ).

Fully transparent bridging firewall, easily configured as
pointed out above from a text file.

It has kept me out of trouble several times!

I did once hear a rumor that it is possible to configure a
single PC with vmware and both Windows and OpenBSD, and route
all the packets for the windows machine through the openbsd, 
even though the boot host that's running the vmware is in fact
the windows machine.  However it was a little too complicated
for me to work out the details and I didn't have a lot of
incentive to put hours into it given that it was easier to
just grab a spare x86 box.  (very low spec, 5yr old equipment is
quite sufficient)

G