Basic IP Firewall Dialog Box (Regular/Offline Profile)

Use this dialog box to define, edit, export, import and delete online (regular) or offline firewall rules. 

The IP Firewall lets you control network traffic that is not controlled by NetworkLock's list of managed protocols and is not allowed by the Protocols White List, thus increasing security of network communication. You can configure and use the firewall to track TCP and UDP packets, allowing only authorized traffic. 

The IP Firewall uses a set of rules that either allow or block traffic over a network connection. Each rule specifies the criteria that a packet must match and the resulting action, either allow or deny, that is taken when a match is found. When a client computer attempts to connect to another computer, the firewall automatically checks all the incoming and outgoing traffic packets against your pre-configured rule set. At the first match, the firewall either allows or denies the packets.

By using firewall rules, you can allow only specific network connections, based on the direction of the traffic, protocol, remote computer address, and destination ports.

You can define the following parameters for a firewall rule.

• Name Specifies the name of the firewall rule.

• Protocol Specifies the protocol over which the packet is being transferred. The available options are: TCP and UDP.

• Type Specifies the action to take with packets that match the specified criteria. It can be one of the following: 

• Allow. The traffic is not secured; it is allowed to be sent and/or received without intervention.

• Deny. The traffic is blocked. Please note that the traffic is blocked only if the amount of data transferred in either direction (incoming or outgoing) exceeds 8 KB.

• Direction Specifies the direction of traffic to which the rule applies. The available options are: 

• Incoming. The rule applies to incoming traffic.

• Outgoing. The rule applies to outgoing traffic.

• If this rule triggers Specifies the following additional actions to be performed when the rule triggers: 

• Send Alert: Specifies that an alert is sent whenever the rule triggers. DeviceLock sends alerts on the basis of alert settings. These settings specify where and how the alerts should be sent. Before enabling alerts for a specific firewall rule, you must configure alert settings in Service Options.

• Log Event: Specifies that an event is logged in the Audit Log whenever the rule triggers.

• Hosts: Specifies the remote hosts to which the rule applies. The remote hosts are the computers that communicate with client computers running DeviceLock Service. Hosts may be specified in any of the following formats:

• DNS name (for example, www.example.com). You can use the asterisk (*) wildcard character in DNS names (for example, *.example.com denotes that the host name is any server whose name ends in the specified name). 

• IP address (for example, 12.13.14.15). You can specify a range of IP addresses separated by a dash (-) (for example, 12.13.14.18-12.13.14.28).  

Multiple hosts must be separated by a comma (,) or semicolon (;). You can also press ENTER after each entry. You can specify multiple hosts in different formats described above (for example, www.microsoft.com; 12.13.14.15, 12.13.14.18-12.13.14.28). NOTE: If you specify hosts and do not specify ports, the rule will either allow or block all client connections to the specified hosts.

• Ports: Specifies the ports on remote hosts to which the rule applies. You can specify either a single port or an inclusive range of ports separated by a dash (-). For example, to open port 110, specify 110. To open ports 5000 to 5020 inclusive, specify 5000-5020. Multiple ports or port ranges must be separated by a comma (,) or semicolon (;). For example, 110, 36; 8080, 5000-5020. You can also press ENTER after each entry. NOTE: If you specify ports and do not specify hosts, the rule will either allow or block all client connections to the specified ports.

To define a firewall rule

1. In the left pane of the Basic IP Firewall dialog box, under Users, click Add. The Select Users or Groups dialog box appears.

2. In the Select Users or Groups dialog box, in the Enter the object names to select box, type the names of the users or groups for which you want to define the firewall rule, and then click OK. The users and groups that you added are displayed under Users in the left pane of the Basic IP Firewall dialog box. To delete a user or group, select the user or group, and then click Delete.

3. In the left pane of the Basic IP Firewall dialog box, under Users, select the user or group. You can select multiple users or groups by holding down the SHIFT key or the CTRL key while clicking them.

4. In the right pane of the Basic IP Firewall dialog box, under Rules, click Add. The Add Rule dialog box appears.  

5. In the Add Rule dialog box, specify the firewall rule parameters. 

6. Click OK. The rule you created is displayed under Rules in the right pane of the Basic IP Firewall dialog box.

7. Click OK or Apply.

To edit a firewall rule

1. In the left pane of the Basic IP Firewall dialog box, under Users, select the user or group for which you want to edit the rule. By selecting users or groups, you can view the firewall rules applied to them under Rules in the right pane of the dialog box.

2. In the right pane of the Basic IP Firewall dialog box, under Rules, select the rule you want to edit, and then click Edit.

      - OR - 

      Right-click the rule, and then click Edit. The Edit Rule dialog box appears.

3. In the Edit Rule dialog box, modify the rule parameters as required to meet your needs.

4. Click OK to apply the changes.

To export firewall rules 

1. In the right pane of the Basic IP Firewall dialog box, under Rules, click Save. The Save As dialog box appears.

2. In the Save As dialog box, in the Save in box, browse to the location where you want to save the .ipp file. When you export firewall rules, they are saved in a file with an .ipp extension.

3. In the File name box, type the file name you want.

4. Click Save.

To import firewall rules 

1. In the right pane of the Basic IP Firewall dialog box, under Rules, click Load. The Open dialog box appears.

2. In the Open dialog box, in the Look in list, click the location that contains the file you want to import. 

3. In the folder list, locate and open the folder that contains the file.

4. Click the file, and then click Open. You can import only one .ipp file at a time. 

To delete a firewall rule 

• In the left pane of the Basic IP Firewall dialog box, under Users, select the user or group to which the rule is applied. In the right pane of the Basic IP Firewall dialog box, under Rules, select the rule, and then click Delete or right-click the rule, and then click Delete.