Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)

[sgolds]

neye_eve -

for $500 - $600 you could get a netscreen 5. Not as cheap as the free integrated one in Server 2k3, but I don't trust firewalls which are part of the same box you're trying to protect, ya know?

While I do appreciate your intent, I used to develope firewalls for a living and I know that your statement is inaccurate. I don't know enough about the firewall in Server2003 but I do know that a well-written firewall will protect each NIC plus the local console from each other. It matters not whether the firewall is integrated in the platform, just how well it is designed, written and tested.

Now, whether Microsoft is capable of doing that is a whole different beast!

(Actually, I am most distrustful of dedicated firewall routers produced by small independent companies. The ones I've seen up close were pretty lame.)

Traditionally, Check Point made the most secure firewall, but also one of the most difficult to administer. It allowed you to protect against virtually anything, and some protections involved usability tradeoffs for your users. All that flexibility comes at a steep price of needing to be an expert in the firewall to effectively use it.

I'll check out that reference to arstechnica, that looks very useful!