firewall - what to get!

[lavaghman]

Hi,
have a small network that uses an ISDN line to connect to the internet. The main PC is running Windows 98 and have 2 other laptops on the network that are running XP Home Edition. All PCs have Norton Anti-Virus installed but I need to get a firewall. I know XP has a built in firewall but is there any point activating it on the 2 laptops if I have no firewall protection on the main PC (running Windows 98)?

If I do need separete protection for the main PC, what firewall package should I get? Is there any free firewall packages worth getting? (I see you can get eTrust EZ Armor Suite free for a year but it didn't get a great review from PC Magazine)

And finally if I do get a firewall package for the 98 machine should this also be installed on the 2 XP laptops or am I safe if I just install on the 98 PC


Thanks for your time, this firewall business is a little confusing!

Regards, John Mac

 

[jrbarnett]

Hi

I'd definitely activate the XP firewall if there is no protection on the main PC, because although a 95/98 box cannot get infected as an NT/2K/XP machine can with the latest sasser virus, they can still pass it on to other machines on a network.

Any of the free software firewalls would be fine. Zonealarm, Kerio and Sygate personal firewall are all excellent products that will do the job you want.

John

 

[lavaghman]

ok......i downloaded and installed Zonealarm on the Windows 98 machine but should I also install this on the 2 XP laptops. I know I can activate the XP firewall on the laptops but I read somewhere in the XP firewall help that it should not be used in conjunction with another firewall?

OR

Is it sufficient to just have the firewall on the Windows 98 machine as this is the one connected that has the LAN moden configured on it?

Thanks again, john Mac

 

[cdogg]

I would not rely on the XP firewall in any way. Instead, makes sure each PC is running the software firewall (Zonealarm) for maximum protection. It would probably be best to purchase a Zonealarm Pro license so that you can configure advanced network features and application control.

Also, any advice will depend on how you are sharing your internet connection. It would be helpful to know whether the 98 PC is using ICS or whether you have a router/hub.


~cdogg
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