14.1.2 What You Need to Know About Zones
Effects of Zones on Different Types of Traffic
Zones effectively divide traffic into three types--intra-zone traffic, inter-zone traffic, and extra-zone traffic--which are affected differently by zone-based security and policy settings.
Intra-zone Traffic
•Intra-zone traffic is traffic between interfaces or VPN tunnels in the same zone. For example, in Figure 205 on page 299, traffic between VLAN 2 and the Ethernet is intra- zone traffic.
•In each zone, you can either allow or prohibit all intra-zone traffic. For example, in Figure 205 on page 299, you might allow intra-zone traffic in the WLAN zone but prohibit it in the WAN zone.
•You can also set up firewall rules to control intra-zone traffic (for example, WLAN-to- WLAN), but many other types of zone-based security and policy settings do not affect intra-zone traffic.
Inter-zone Traffic
Inter-zone traffic is traffic between interfaces or VPN tunnels in different zones. For example, in Figure 205 on page 299, traffic between VLAN 1 and the Internet is inter-zone traffic. This is the normal case when zone-based security and policy settings apply.
Extra-zone Traffic
•Extra-zone traffic is traffic to or from any interface or VPN tunnel that is not assigned to a zone. For example, in Figure 205 on page 299, traffic to or from computer C is extra-zone traffic.
•Some zone-based security and policy settings may apply to extra-zone traffic, especially if you can set the zone attribute in them to Any or All. See the specific feature for more information.
WLAN Zone Traffic
By default, the WLAN zone settings only apply to WLAN zone users (wireless clients), that have been authenticated. WLAN zone users that have not been authenticated are “guest” users and can only access the WAN.
Finding Out More
See Section 5.4.7 on page 115 for related information on these screens.
14.2 The Zone Screen
The Zone screen provides a summary of all zones. In addition, this screen allows you to edit zones. To access this screen, click Network > Zone.
