Customer Reviews

Configuring SonicWALL Firewalls

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've been using sonicwalls for the last 5 years. I was exited to see a sonicwall specific book that would take me past the help files and cds that come with the units themselves. At times, it does, and at others leaves you yearning for more.

For the record new users of sonicwalls will benifit from the use of this book - others, wanting to become Sonicwall guru's, will need something else.

For example it takes you step by step to set up a site to site vpn in SOnic OSe. Well covered. Hoever the section on the Sonicwall Global VPN client is pretty much the help file rewritten.

Also for those of you using the Sonic OS standard it eliminates that OS as a version worth using (which it is). So if you are not going to have multiple interfaces with different zones this book isn't for you.

Additionally it does not cover older versions of the sonicwall operating system. For those long time users of the sonicwall product line that need to figure out how to move from the older platform to the new this book is of no help. If are willing to to start with the new OS as a new user (willing to throw out "the way it worked before") and start over this book WILL help.

I was also looking for a 3rd part perspective that led to "tricks" with sonicwalls. Futhermore interoperability cases between Sonicwalls and other manufactureers models of differnt firmware versions would have been nice.

This book is pretty much worthless. Anyone with an ounce of experience configuring any type of network device with a web-based interface could have written it. It's not a book that explains cause and effect relationships of configuration options. Basically what it does is tell you what to click in order to enable or change the different options on the firewall. Example: "Click the check box next to the VPN Policy to enable it"... No kidding, I wouldn't have guessed that's how it works! Brilliant! This book is chock-full of great, insightful gems like that. Someone buying a book to learn how to configure a device like this needs practical examples and descriptions of what the options actually do, not hand-holding for basic interface paradigms.

Basic book on Sonicwall products with an overview of their product line. This book needs an update as many new products have been released and are not listed. Many of the devices listed are now at end of life or nearing such status. Would Not recommend this book if you are interested in the new TZ190 line or the NSA product line as the book has nothing on these products!

Certainly not enough coverage on VPN to make you feel comfortable. The authors basically took alot of the marketing information and assembled this collage. There is nothing on SonicPoints... Why not? This is a fundamental piece of a Sonicwall "Firewall" topology. No information on configuring the Sonicwall with 3rd party products, such as ISA Server, Cisco, Linksys, etc - It would have been nice to get a few scenerios. I gave it 3 stars, because it is the first book on the topic. I am not trying to be overly critical, I liked the overview of this book, but I find myself searching and using Sonicwall's own documentation and whitepapers far more effectively than this book, as I found it incomplete.

Thinking SonicWall? Think again! I have a SonicWall unit that is less than 10 months old. It hasn't worked for 3 months. The tech support is out of the US, has unbelievably long wait times (as long as 50 minutes wait on one call) and when you finally do get through they are not only absolutely useless, bu they refuse to honor their warranty! RUN AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!

Chapter Overview:

01. Networking, Security and the Firewall
02. Dissecting the SonicWALL
03. Deploying SonicWALL Firewalls
04. Policy Configuration
05. User Authentication
06. Routing
07. Address Translation
08. Transparent Mode
09. Attack Detection and Defense
10. Creating VPNs with SonicWALL
11. High Availability
12. Troubleshooting the SonicWALL
13. Enterprise SonicWALL Management

Overall this is a solid look at the SonicWALL technology and it's a great resource for configuration and usage. If you need such a reference, this is a nice guide that should help all IT professionals that use this technology.

**** RECOMMENDED

Did not provide enough detail for novices using a firewall. Probably due to the book's coverage of the entire Sonicwall line. Screen captures and step-by-step sections did not match up with my TZ170's settings for VPN set up. In addition, some options were not discussed at all. I have experience with a couple other firewalls so I was able to get the VPN working. This book has proven to be of little value.

Are you a novice user that wants to learn the SonicWALL firewall appliance. If you are, then this book is for you. Editors Chris Lathem, Benjamin W Fortenberry, Kevin Lynn, Daniel H Bendell and Joshua Reed, have done an outstanding job of writing a book that delivers an in-depth look at the SonicWALL firewall product line.

Lathem, Fortenberry, Lynn, Bendell and Reed, begin by reviewing the many different fundamental concepts that are important to networking. Then, the editors look at the various components that comprise a SonicWALL firewall. Next, they discuss configuring your SonicWALL firewall to run on the network. The editors continue by covering everything from access control theory to access rule creation and TCP traffic statistics to SYN flood protection. They also show you the different types of users and when each user type should be used. Then, the editors present an overview of routing on a SonicWALL firewall using RIP and OSPF. Next, they discuss how to configure your SonicWALL appliance to take advantage of them. The editors continue by discussing how Transparent mode can provide simple, flexible, and elegant options for firewall deployments, and much sought-after transparent segmentation and inspection. They also cover the details of the security features in SonicWALL appliances. Then, the editors discuss VPN as a technology itself. Next, they provide a look at the various features of SonicWALL firewalls that provide for HA. The editors continue by covering different ways to track the status of packets going through the firewall. Finally, they cover the system requirements for SonicWALL ViewPoint.

This most excellent book covers all the aspects of the SonicWALL product line from the SOHO devices to the Enterprise SonicWALL firewalls. More importantly, it covers advanced troubleshooting techniques and the SonicWALL Security Manager.