2024/02/25
Posted Tag: #Linux
Other Tags: #Windows, #Personal, #All
Probably some eight years or more ago I discovered what at the time was named Sophos UTM and is a free edition of their enterprise firewall software. I installed the software in a virtual machine on Windows 7 at the time on a Intel Core 2 Duo with 4GB of memory for the virtual machine. I installed a 4 port Intel Ethernet PCI card to provide me the extra 2 ports I needed for Sophos UTM. I used this for a couple of years till I decided to upgrade the computer. I went without a firewall for a time but eventually decided to build a small computer capable of running the UTM software and place it in my hall closet where my IPS connection enters.
But before I go over what I built, I need talk about a DMZ port on your ISP router. A DMZ port bypasses the IPS router and places the actual Internet connection straight to a your specified port. I cabled this port to the input or WAN port for the UTM. This how to do it on my ISP router from AT&T. I actually did this many years ago to place a router behind my ISP router with an other than AT&T router at the time. All ISP routers or routers in general can have a port in DMZ mode. Just type your ISP name and DMZ in a search engine to discover how to do it for your ISP router.
Back to the mini computer. I bought the below case. A M350 Enclosure from Mini-Box that accepts a mini ITX motherboard along with one of their external power supplies at the time costing me about $69 US.
I bought a Gigabyte J1900N-D3V mini ITX motherboard motherboard with two Ethernet connections for the UTM.
Two Crucial 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3L 1333 memory modules for 8GB total.
And finally a Crucial BX500 2.5" 120GB SATA III 3D NAND Internal Solid State Drive to install the UTM on.
Grand total plus shipping and tax of $237.91 US. Not really cheap but reasonable small. It was plugged into a UPS till it died so now a APC power strip. But with my ISP router with a port in DMZ mode cabled to the WAN port on the UTM and a Linksys 5 Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch, since my place has an Ethernet cable to every room. So one port of the switch is cabled to the output of the UTM.
So that is the firewall I have been using for at least four years now and the software for at least eight or so. I will leave you with a image of the software which updates automatically and runs all the time.
Wish to add a comment? Your email address will never be shared with anyone. Please specify a user name for your comment or use anonymous.