SonicWALL 4.5 Configure system services for a custom connection, Standard system service ports

Enforced Client Product Guide	Using the Firewall Protection Service
	Configuring policies for firewall protection

„Configure IP addresses for a custom connection

Custom settings configured on the SecurityCenter are ignored on client computers if the Firewall Protection Mode is set to Prompt mode. In Prompt mode, settings configured by users override administrator settings.

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Configure system services for a custom connection

Certain applications, including web servers and file-sharing server programs, must accept unsolicited connections from other computers through designated system service ports. When configuring a custom operating mode, you can:

„Allow applications to act as servers on the local network or the Internet.

„Add or edit a port for a system service.

„Disable or remove a port for a system service.

Select a port for system services only if you are certain it must be open. You will rarely need to open a port. we recommend that you disable unused system services.

Examples of system services that typically require ports to be opened are:

Email server — You do not need to open a mail server port to receive email. You need to open a port only if the computer running the firewall protection service acts as an email server.

Web server — You do not need to open a web server port to run a web browser. You need to open a port only if the computer running the firewall protection service acts as a web server.

An opened service port that does not have an application running on it poses no security threat.

This section explains the following concepts and tasks relevant to configuring service ports:

„Standard system service ports

„Open a service port

„Add and edit service ports

„Close a service port

Standard system service ports

System services communicate through ports, which are logical network connections. Common Windows system services are typically associated with particular service ports, and your computer’s operating system or other system applications might attempt to open them. Because these ports represent a potential source of intrusions into a client computer, you must open them before the computer can communicate through them.

These commonly used standard service ports are listed by default on the Firewall Custom Settings page, where you can open or close them:

„File and Print Sharing

„Remote Desktop

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