4.7. Transparent Mode
4.7.1. Overview
Transparent Mode Usage
The NetDefendOS Transparent Mode feature allows a NetDefend Firewall to be placed at a point in
a network without any reconfiguration of the network and without hosts being aware of its presence.
All NetDefendOS features can then be used to monitor and manage traffic flowing through that
point. NetDefendOS can allow or deny access to different types of services (for example HTTP) and
in specified directions. As long as users are accessing the services permitted, they will not be aware
of the NetDefend Firewall's presence.
Network security and control can therefore be significantly enhanced with deployment of a
NetDefend Firewall operating in Transparent Mode but while disturbance to existing users and hosts
is minimized.
Switch Routes
Transparent Mode is enabled by specifying a Switch Route instead of a standard Route in routing
tables. The switch route usually specifies that the network all-nets is found on a specific interface.
NetDefendOS then uses ARP message exchanges over the connected Ethernet network to identify
and keep track of which host IP addresses are located on that interface (this is explained further
below). There should not be a normal non-switch route for that same interface.
In certain, less usual circumstances, switch routes can have a network range specified instead of
all-nets. This is usually when a network is split between two interfaces but the administrator does
not know exactly which users are on which interface.
Usage Scenarios
Two examples of Transparent Mode usage are:
•
Implementing Security Between Users
In a corporate environment, there may be a need to protect the computing resources of different
departments from one another. The finance department might require access to only a restricted
set of services (HTTP for example) on the sales department's servers whilst the sales department
might require access to a similarly restricted set of applications on the finance department's
hosts. By deploying a single NetDefend Firewall between the two department's physical
networks, transparent but controlled access can be achieved.
•
Controlling Internet Access
An organization allows traffic between the external Internet and a range of public IP addresses
on an internal network. Transparent Mode can control what kind of service is permitted to these
IP addresses and in what direction. For instance the only services permitted in such a situation
may be HTTP access out to the Internet. This usage is dealt with in greater depth below in
Section 4.7.2, “Enabling Internet Access”.
Comparison with Routing Mode
The NetDefend Firewall can operate in two modes: Routing Mode using non-switch routes or
Transparent Mode using switch routes.
With non-switch routes, the NetDefend Firewall acts as a router and routing operates at layer 3 of
4.7. Transparent Mode
Chapter 4. Routing
212
Summary of Contents for DFL-1600 - Security Appliance
Page 27: ...1 3 NetDefendOS State Engine Packet Flow Chapter 1 NetDefendOS Overview 27 ...
Page 79: ...2 7 3 Restore to Factory Defaults Chapter 2 Management and Maintenance 79 ...
Page 146: ...3 9 DNS Chapter 3 Fundamentals 146 ...
Page 227: ...4 7 5 Advanced Settings for Transparent Mode Chapter 4 Routing 227 ...
Page 241: ...5 4 IP Pools Chapter 5 DHCP Services 241 ...
Page 339: ...6 7 Blacklisting Hosts and Networks Chapter 6 Security Mechanisms 339 ...
Page 360: ...7 4 7 SAT and FwdFast Rules Chapter 7 Address Translation 360 ...
Page 382: ...8 3 Customizing HTML Pages Chapter 8 User Authentication 382 ...
Page 386: ... The TLS ALG 9 1 5 The TLS Alternative for VPN Chapter 9 VPN 386 ...
Page 439: ...Figure 9 3 PPTP Client Usage 9 5 4 PPTP L2TP Clients Chapter 9 VPN 439 ...
Page 450: ...9 7 6 Specific Symptoms Chapter 9 VPN 450 ...
Page 488: ...10 4 6 Setting Up SLB_SAT Rules Chapter 10 Traffic Management 488 ...
Page 503: ...11 6 HA Advanced Settings Chapter 11 High Availability 503 ...
Page 510: ...12 3 5 Limitations Chapter 12 ZoneDefense 510 ...
Page 533: ...13 9 Miscellaneous Settings Chapter 13 Advanced Settings 533 ...