A list of valuable Internet and printed firewall resources.

It is important you are familiar with not only the methods in which you can configure a firewall, but also which type of firewall gets used in which situation. This SunWorld article is an excerpt from the O'Reilly book Building Internet Firewalls which is practically mandatory reading if you've never worked with firewalls first.

There are, however, several very well written documents available on the Internet, including some of these:

  • An Introduction to Firewalls, written by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, has written a very impressive guide to understanding firewalls and much more. Be sure to browse around that site for some other excellent information.
  • Internet Firewalls and Security, written by the good folks at 3Com, also gives an excellent overview of the various types of firewalls, which one performs which functions, a few examples, the types of attacks you can prevent with a firewall, etc.
  • The Internet Firewalls Frequently Asked Questions. document explains why you would want a firewall, how a proxy server works, etc. Written by Marcus Ranum, the highly-respected authority of firewalls.
  • Thinking About Firewalls is a paper written by Marcus Ranum, discussing the various components of firewalls, why you would want one, several different configurations, and generally good advise.
  • Building Internet Firewalls, the highly-acclaimed book that is well-worth it's money. Written by O'Reilly and Associates, ISBN 1565921240.