Do we need a server as a gateway? can we just use a hardware firewall

thowfeeq

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May 28, 2009
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hi;
im trying to set up a gateway to share internet connection and i need to focus on security.
i want to know if it is possible to get a hardware firewall which can be also used as a gateway? is it important to have a separate firewall and should the gateway be a server?

what are the advantages or disadvantages of these two methods?any recommendations on a good device for this purpose?

all help highly appreciated. cheers

haleem
 

phlatline

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May 29, 2009
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If you use a server as your gateway then you have the ability to setup a proxy server or monitor traffic (who is eating up your bandwidth and what not).
My current setup has my firewall as the gateway which I don't like and plan to change.
 

thowfeeq

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May 28, 2009
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hi phlatline, cheers for posting a replay.
my current setup is a linux server running squid and iptables as a gateway machine; but its too much hassle for me to administer and i was thinking about getting a device such as a firewall to replace it. We are only using our internet connection for webbrowsing and not serving webpages or anything like that.

what is teh brand/model of the firewall you use or can you suggest a good firewall for this purpose? I found it very difficult to assess firewalls as they dont specifically say they can be used as gateways and i imagine not all fo them can.?