I gave firewall builder (fwbuilder) a try. It looks like a superb program for those with a deep understanding of the concepts and inner knowledge of the ports required for every service one wishes to use on the net (aim, msn messenger, yahoo messenger, dict.org, web pages, secure web pages, online games etc etc). I sat in front of it's configurations like an ox before a mountain. In the end, I uninstalled it and got myself a copy of Guarddog. Guarddog has these protocols (tcp/udp, whatever all that means, and the required ports for these) already coded and all you have to do is open the one you want to use up. Simple as that. The rest are closed by default. Okay, my own case was not quite that cut and dried, since I also use vmware and had to figure out how to let vmnet1 and vnmet8 work, but that's another issue. Guarddog is highly recommended by me and after setting it up and subjecting it to some online security tests, it passed with flying colours, and that for a guy who doesn't know much about iptables and rules. ______________________________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
