[Burke]

Coming from a PC setup, I have a couple of questions.

- Is there a ZoneAlarm Pro-type product for the Mac, a software firewall that allows you to choose which programs can connect to the internet, etc.?

- Does a firewall router specifically have to be Mac-compatible to work, or do they work across the board usually? I currently have a Linksys BEFSX41 firewall router, and if I can still use it, I want to keep it.

TIA.

[merlin]

Sorry, don't know about your first question. If you'll be using a router, wouldn't having a software firewall be redundant? In case you didn't know, OSX has firewall capability built into it.

Regarding your second question, I've got an iMac and a Redhat box hooked up to a Linksys wireless G router and my airport card can connect to it just fine. I think it's safe to say that most routers will work with either PC or Mac. The only catch I can think of is that some routers come packaged with auto setup software that helps you do the intial setup that can be platform specific. However, If the router's config is accessible via a web browser, you should be able to configure it from either PC or Mac. If you know how to tinker with the router settings manually, using your existing Linksys should be fine. One other thing, not all routers support Apple Talk. Not sure if that concerns you.

[Burke]

Originally posted by merlin:
Sorry, don't know about your first question. If you'll be using a router, wouldn't having a software firewall be redundant? In case you didn't know, OSX has firewall capability built into it.

Regarding your second question, I've got an iMac and a Redhat box hooked up to a Linksys wireless G router and my airport card can connect to it just fine. I think it's safe to say that most routers will work with either PC or Mac. The only catch I can think of is that some routers come packaged with auto setup software that helps you do the intial setup that can be platform specific. However, If the router's config is accessible via a web browser, you should be able to configure it from either PC or Mac. If you know how to tinker with the router settings manually, using your existing Linksys should be fine. One other thing, not all routers support Apple Talk. Not sure if that concerns you.

A software firewall may be redundant in terms of incoming traffic, but I am more concerned about outgoing data, that is, programs accessing the web that I don't want to (i.e., auto-updaters, registration programs, apps that like to attempt auto-config, etc.). I knew OS X had a built-in firewall, but I usually don't go for the basic ones included in OSes: like Windows XP's firewall -- it's not exactly iron-clad, nor is it particularly feature-rich; that's where a highly-customizable software firewall like ZoneAlarm Pro comes in.

My particular Linksys router only comes with a Windows setup CD, but I figured once the router's been configured internally there's no need to do it again...I could be wrong, though. I'll have to check into the web page configuration you mentioned, too; I'm not too sure about that.

Thanks for the reply.

BH

[brinj]

Originally posted by Burke:
A software firewall may be redundant in terms of incoming traffic, but I am more concerned about outgoing data, that is, programs accessing the web that I don't want to (i.e., auto-updaters, registration programs, apps that like to attempt auto-config, etc.). I knew OS X had a built-in firewall, but I usually don't go for the basic ones included in OSes: like Windows XP's firewall -- it's not exactly iron-clad, nor is it particularly feature-rich; that's where a highly-customizable software firewall like ZoneAlarm Pro comes in.

My particular Linksys router only comes with a Windows setup CD, but I figured once the router's been configured internally there's no need to do it again...I could be wrong, though. I'll have to check into the web page configuration you mentioned, too; I'm not too sure about that.

Thanks for the reply.

BH

After you hook up the router to your computer , open either explorer or netscape (safari won't work for this step) and go to this url:http://192.168.1.1 (Make sure you have your isp set-up info) and provide the appropriate settings in each of the appropriate panels, click apply and you should be up and running.

There's a tutorial here: http://www.macworld.com/2000/12/bc/01howtorouter/
that I found from a link on the Linksys befsr info page. the screen shots are from os9 but all the directions are correct.

Apple has a list of firewall software: Athoxy, Brick House, and a bunch of others listed in the Made For Mac tab on their site. Just do a search for "firewall" and it will bring up all the listings for software and routers