crossover cable instead of firewall

[cindylee]

Hi
I have 2 win2k3 PC's that live on separate networks - Computer 1 lives on network X and and computer 2 lives on network Y - completely separated. They both have 2 nics. I was going to connect them thru a pix but I was wondering if I use the second nic on each pc to connect them to each other via a crossover cable (using completely different subnet), is there a security implication? IE. is it now possible for Computer 1 to get to Network Y through the crossover connection to Computer 2 and vice versa. If Computer 2 is allowed to Remote Desktop to any computer on Network Y, will Computer 1 be able to Remote Desktop to Computer 2 and then from there - any computer on Network Y?

What's the best way to securely connect these two computers?
Thanks


comp 1 comp 2
network ----- [ ]----------[ ]-------- network
X x-over Y
cable
192.168.50.x 10.10.10.x 192.168.200.x

 

[North323]

why do you want to securly connect these pc's? if you really have to, i would do it through the pix. you can create acl's to only allow certain traffic and log activity to a syslog or something

 

[cindylee]

There needs to be data transfer between the two machines. I want to use the PIX solution, but others want the crossover cable solution. I was trying to get the pros and cons.

 

[North323]

id use the pix,
1) set acls for certain traffic
2) logging function
3) audit is easier
4) limit virus spread via pix

 

[itsp1965]

I may be oversimplifying but if you have a PIX lying around fine, but this sounds like overkill. If you want to limit the traffic that flows between the two machines, why don't you just enable Windows firewall and be done with it.

 

[North323]

i guess if you trust your systemm admin to open the correct ports and nothing more, thats cool. does windows firewall offer logging and/or syslog function?

 

[itsp1965]

North323, you expect to much from the Windows firewall LOL!! Windows as an OS has its own logging through eventlogs which is the "equivalent" to syslogging (under *nix).

 

[North323]

im not a pro-windows guy. i guess whatever works