dual processor & firewalls?

[TheSolutionBase]

im looking for a good firewall, that supports a dual processor system.

i tried zonealarm, but ZA dont support dual processors, i sent a email to them and they confirmed this.

[Stef]

I think that if your looking for a Windows based software firewall that supports SMP your out of luck.

However, the Linux kernel supports SMP and has built-in packet filtering, nat, and packet mangling capabilies. It also has full support for statefull firewalling and TCP bit manipulation.

It would run with less overhead then any WIndows based firewall. However, the efficientcy of the firewall is dependant on your ability to write a script.

Stef

[TEH WIN]

why would dual processors make a difference?

[Stef]

Since the IP filtering code of the Linux kernel operates at the network layer it needs to process each individual datagrams on a given set of rules. Once a datagrams matches a rule it's etheir passed or discarded.

This process has some impact of network performance since each individual datagram must be processed by the kernel before being passed to an application. (all firewalls impede network performance)

Usually it is barely measurable, but if your filtering on an old 486 for a coporate network be prepared for massive performance loss.

SMP support means faster processing of datagrams.

BTW, you can also configure Linux as a bridging firewall, a router, or a firewall and proxy server :D

Stef