tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7968135.post-1092711843856214662004-08-16T20:03:00.000-07:002004-08-16T20:04:03.856-07:00All firewalls run firewall software, and they all run it on some sort of hardware, but the terms hardware firewall and software firewall are used to distinguish between products marketed as an integrated appliance that comes with the software preinstalled, usually on a proprietary operating system, and firewall programs that can be installed on general purpose network operating systems such as Windows or UNIX. <br />Hardware firewalls can be further divided into those that are basically dedicated PCs with hard disks and those that are solid state devices built on ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) architecture. This kind of firewalls are generally faster performers and don’t have the hard disk (a mechanical device) as a potential point of failure. <br />Hardware firewalls are often marketed as turn key because you don’t have to install the software or worry about hardware configuration or conflicts. Those that run proprietary operating systems claim greater security because the OS is already gardened (however, many of the proprietary systems have been exploited nonetheless). A disadvantage of hardware firewalls is that you are locked into the vendor’s specs. For instance, a firewall appliance will have a certain number of network interfaces, and you are stuck with that number. With a software firewall, you can add NICs to the machine on which it is running to increase the number of available interfaces. You can also more easily upgrade the standard PC on which the software firewall runs, easily adding standard RAM or even multiple processors for better performance. <br />Software Firewalls <br />Software firewalls are often less expensive and easier to configure than hardware firewalls. Software firewalls also don’t require you to move any cables around. Depending on the software you choose, a software firewall can offer features beyond those of router firewalls, such as protecting your computer from spy ware (a component of some free software that tracks your Web browsing habits) and Trojan horses ( a program that claims to do one thing, but does another, malicious thing, such as recording your passwords. If you travel with a laptop, a software firewall is a necessity—you need protection wherever you connect to the Internet, and your hardware firewall can protect you only at home. <br />firewall softwarehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11056230181044279673noreply@blogger.com