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Date:      Mon, 28 Jun 1999 13:08:09 -0400
From:      "Jim Flowers" <jflowers@ezo.net>
To:        "Hans-Christoph Steiner" <hans@razorfish.com>, <freebsd-isp@FreeBSD.ORG>
Subject:   Re: Using one FreeBSD box as router/firewall/vpn
Message-ID:  <001d01bec188$cc446520$abd396ce@ezo.net>
References:  <199906281630.MAA11156@yaga.razorfish.com>

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Your decision will be interesting.  Please give us your logic when you make
it.

I have done a lot of fbsd routing, mostly with RIP and static routes.  It is
stable (2.2.2 through 3.2) and reliable.  Ipfw and natd appear to operate
correctly and are fairly straight-forward to setup.  I have not yet setup
the Sangoma driver although I have looked at it and have a unit that I may
put up soon.  I think the Linux driver may have the edge, here as it
preceeded the fbsd version.  I have heard that the Sangoma people are
cooperative, although I haven't seen much discussion on the fbsd lists.

The units I set up all use SKIP for VPN functions.  It has worked well and
has been reliable.  The key management is good and the X interface is fairly
intuitive.  The largest system I am managing is 6 nodes spread all over the
globe.  I looked at early implementations of IPSEC (about a year ago) across
fbsd and linux but did not feel that it was robust enough to use for
production VPN's so stuck with SKIP.

I think it is a big mistake to put everything in one box, particularly if
you care about security.  My preference is to use one box for a gateway
router and firewall with an interface for a perimeter network where a
bastion host and VPN Access Controller and any sacrificial hosts are
located.  A second interface connects an interior network, preferably using
private (non-routable) addressing.  The resulting system is a traditional
screened subnet firewall which is well documented in the literature with a
VPN operating in parallel logically but physically through the single choke
point.  It is both intuitive and robust and, I think, very difficult to
compromise.

----- Original Message -----
From: Hans-Christoph Steiner <hans@razorfish.com>
To: <freebsd-isp@FreeBSD.ORG>
Sent: Monday, June 28, 1999 12:30 PM
Subject: Using one FreeBSD box as router/firewall/vpn


>
> We are going to attempt to build a box that will serve as our router,
> firewall, and VPN/IPSec machine.  Right now, we are still up in the air as
to
> whether we are going to use FreeBSD or Linux so I was wondering what kind
of
> experience people have doing such things and whether we are crazy to try
to
> combine all of these functions into one box.
>
> The router will use two Sangoma WANpipe T1 CSU/DSU cards connecting to two
T1s
> using BGP routing.
>
> The firewall will use the kernel firewalling (either FBSD or Linux).
>
> The VPN, will use IPSec (FreeS/WAN or one of the FBSD implementations).
>
> -Hans
>
>  |    ||   |||  ||         r a z o r f i s h , inc.
>
>  hans-christoph steiner
>   [ network systems manager  ]
>
>  >> tel +1.212.798.6432
>  >> pager +1.888.433.4970
>  >> http://www.razorfish.com/
>
>
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