ZyWALL 2 Series User’s Guide

30.4 Filter Types and NAT

There are two classes of filter rules, Generic Filter (Device) rules and protocol filter (TCP/IP) rules. Generic filter rules act on the raw data from/to LAN and WAN. Protocol filter rules act on the IP packets. Generic and TCP/IP filter rules are discussed in more detail in the next section. When NAT (Network Address Translation) is enabled, the inside IP address and port number are replaced on a connection-by- connection basis, which makes it impossible to know the exact address and port on the wire. Therefore, the ZyWALL applies the protocol filters to the “native” IP address and port number before NAT for outgoing packets and after NAT for incoming packets. On the other hand, the generic, or device filters are applied to the raw packets that appear on the wire. They are applied at the point when the ZyWALL is receiving and sending the packets; i.e. the interface. The interface can be an Ethernet port or any other hardware port. The following diagram illustrates this.

Figure 30-11 Protocol and Device Filter Sets

30.5 Firewall Versus Filters

Firewall configuration is discussed in the firewall chapters of this manual. Further comparisons are also made between filtering, NAT and the firewall.

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Filter Configuration