A hardware issue - was Re: [clug] Firewall settings on NetGear modem/router

[Alex Satrapa]

On 30/06/2009, at 15:05 , Rod Peters wrote:

> If you are using such Linux then why not just turn off all this  
> confusing
> firewalling in the router and at least confirm that the modem works.


The router usually needs the "firewalling" in order to work properly.  
Factory default is to do NAT, with the router presenting a single  
Internet-visible IP address to the outside world. Without NAT, you'll  
need to assign each device on your network an Internet-visible IP  
address, and the ISP will have to route those addresses through your  
connection to your router.

The catch is that with NAT active (which you need to have in order for  
your Internet connection to service more than just the router), you  
can't host services on your computer and have them visible to the  
outside world, without fiddling with port forwarding.

The upside is that you need fewer "clever" rules on your desktop since  
there is far less opportunity for malcontents to attack your computer.  
Your router usually ignores all packets destined for itself from the  
Internet side, so it should be as safe as a Linux box with a "drop"  
policy.

Alex

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