What Are Network Firewall Types And Their Benefits

By Author: Sailesh Kumar
Total Articles: 6
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The network firewall is a gateway consisting of a set of routers between the machine and internet. It is an advance web security system that controls the incoming and outgoing network traffic by analysing the data packets and determining whether it should be allowed through or not, based on a rule set. The unique internet protection system can be software or hardware based and acts as a bridge between internet PC network and external network, thus protecting data against online threats.

The firewall is categorized into four different types:

* Application gateway
* Packet filter gateway
* Circuit level gateway
* Proxy server

A packet filter firewall refines data coming into and going out of the machine based on user configuration. Every packets contains some information about the data stored in it. If a certain packet does not relate with the previously defined user configuration then it get discarded. So if the user has blocked a certain port number or IP address all packets coming from that will be blocked.

A circuit level firewall does security check-up when the Transmission ...
... Control Protocol or User Datagram Protocol connection is being set up between the network and host. No need to do further check, once the connection is done.

A web application firewall works at the application level typically built to control all network traffic on any OSI (Open System Interconnection) layer up to the application layer. It is used for filtering higher level protocols like Telnet, FTP, HTTP etc. Being more reliable and efficient than packet filter firewall, the application level gateway helps in check mail spam as well and keeps unwanted or harmful data out of the system.

A proxy server is kind of a relay server acting as an intermediary where any request for a website is sent to the proxy server. The later then forward this request to a main server which in turn checks the address and sends the corresponding IP back to the proxy server. The later then relays back this information to the client who requested the address. Thus, the proxy server acts as a firewall between machine and network, evaluating the request and simplify and control its complexity.
Depending on the requirement one can choose between any of the types of firewalls. It is recommended that for a local network or office internal network packet filter can be ideal. For external networks application gateways and proxy servers are a must.

Thus, a firewall works as an anti-virus by protecting your business data from getting modified or deleted by spammers, intruders or any trojan attacks. It is one of the most efficient desktop security mechanisms available for your PC and web security. Apart from providing internet protection, a firewall appliance can also be used to set-up drive backup software by filtering sensitive data and making it`s backup which can be retrieved whenever needed.

About Author:

Cyberoam is a hardware firewall appliance provider who consistently recommends the usage of firewall vpn appliance to keep your crucial business network free from danger. Pick a dependable anti-spam security package or discover even more about types of network firewall by surfing Cyberoam web page.