Introduction; Features And Benefits; Introduction To Firewalls - D-Link DFL-1100 User Manual

Introduction

The DFL-1100 provides four 10/100Mbps Ethernet network interface ports, which are (1)
Internal/LAN, (1) External/WAN, (1) DMZ, and (1) ETH4 port. In addition the DFL-1100 also
provides a user-friendly Web UI that allows users to set system parameters or monitor
network activities using a Web browser supporting Java.

Features and Benefits

Firewall Security
High Availability
Through the use of the Sync port (ETH4) two DFL-1100's can form a
High Availability cluster that will fail over Firewall and VPN sessions.
VPN Server/Client Supported
Supports IPSec LAN-to-LAN or Roaming user tunnels with AES
encryption in addition to PPTP and IPSec over L2TP
Content Filtering
Strip ActiveX objects, Java Applets, JavaScript, and VBScript from
HTTP traffic
Bandwidth Management
DFL-1100 features an extensive Traffic Shaper for bandwidth
management.
Web Management
Configurable through any networked computer's Web browser using
Netscape or Internet Explorer.
Access Control supported
Allows assignment of different access rights for different users, such
as Admin or Read-Only User.

Introduction to Firewalls

A firewall is a device that sits between your computer and the Internet that prevents
unauthorized access to or from your network. A firewall can be a computer using firewall
software or a special piece of hardware built specifically to act as a firewall. In most
circumstances, a firewall is used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing
private networks or corporate LAN's and Intranets. Firewalls are also deployed to prevent
sensitive information about your network from leaking out of your network.
A firewall monitors all of the information moving to and from your network and analyzes
each piece of data. Each piece of data is then checked against a set of criteria configured by
the administrator. If any data does not meet the criteria, that data is blocked and discarded. If
the data meets the criteria, the data is passed through. This method is called packet filtering.
A firewall can also run specific security functions based on the type of application or type
of port that is being used. For example, a firewall can be configured to work with an FTP or
Telnet server. Or a firewall can be configured to work with specific UDP or TCP ports to allow
certain applications or games to work properly over the Internet.