What is easiest way to learn Netscreen firewall concepts? 1

[andf1]

Hello,

I have been thrust into a project where I may have to work with Netscreen firewalls. I have Checkpoint and PIX experience but have not worked with Netscreen equipment.

What is the best way to pick up Netscreen concepts quickly?

Are there any recommended books?

Does it make sense to buy a low-end firewall from Ebay for practice? If so, which is the appropriate model to buy?

Are the screens/commands on the low-end Netscreens the same as those on the high-end models?

Any feedback is highly appreciated.

Thanks,

Andf1

 

[Packet7]

Hello,

I have some experience with Check Point and PIX, but more Netscreen (I was thrown into a project too!)

If you are comfortable with the PIX, then you should breeze through the Netscreen CLI. It's a bit different, but with the basics in place, you shouldn't have a problem.

I was unable to find books on Netscreen, but I'm sure they are in the works considering the gain in the market. I was forced to take the INSG and NMTP courses from Netscreen and was lucky enough to have my comapny pay for them.

Netscreen does produce some documentation, but it can become confusing for most people. Check out:

http://www.juniper.net/techpubs/software/screenos/screenos5x/

All Netscreens run the same Screen OS, so all commands are available, but your limited with some features (licensing, physical limitations, etc). For example, you can mess around with some of the HA (High Availability) stuff on the low end box, but you would need at least a NS 500 to get the full concepts.

I purchased a NS 5GT (ScreenOS 5)on eBay for my home lab, and I'm very happy with it. The new embedded Antivirus is quite impressive and I'm able to apply a lot of what I learn on the little guy.

At work, we have NS-25's and Manage them via a GPX (Global Pro Express). Still running verion 4, and we need to upgrade the GPX to NSM (and then move the NS-25's on to OS5).

To jump on the band wagon, I would start with the documentation for your OS. Run through the basics and try to get some hands-on experience. If you can get to a class, great, if not, try and get a small guy for home.

Also, start skimming through the forums. This one is good, but can be quite at times (could be a good thing). Also, check:

http://www.netscreenforum.com/

Hope this was helpful.

Rgds,

John

 

[RuneX21]

I too was thrown into a project that involved working with Netscreens and VPN's. I found them to be extremely easy to pick up and I had no experience with any of the others you mentioned. Although now I have had the oppurtunity to work with a PIX environment. Basically if you can handle a PIX, you should have absolutely no trouble at all with the netscreen OS. All the basic principles are the same, but I found the Netscreen to be easier to manage.