SonicWALL PRO 2040

Always a favourite here at Enterprise, SonicWALL has consistently produced a solid range of firewall appliances that deliver a fine array of features for the price. But above all else they're remarkably easy to install and configure. The latest PRO 2040 is a fine example - we connected this box to our test network and had it up and running in ten minutes. All you need to do is point a browser at its default IP address and follow a setup wizard that handles initial configuration details. This takes you through changing the administrative access password, the type of connection and IP addressing scheme the WAN port will be provided with, the LAN port address and lastly internal DHCP services.

SonicWALL is forever upgrading and modifying its product line and the latest 2040 targets smaller, less complex networks than its bigger brother, the PRO 3060. Firewall and VPN performance is slightly lower, although you still get a reasonable specification for the price. The 2GHz Celeron of the 3060 is replaced with an 800MHz VIA processor and you get half as much main memory, which is of the cheaper PC133 variety. Flash memory stays the same at 64MB and is implemented as a CompactFlash card, which looks after the SonicOS 2.1 firmware. In its standard form, the 2040 provides three dual-speed network ports for LAN, WAN and DMZ connections. The fourth is inactive but can be used as an optional interface when the system is upgraded to the SonicOS enhanced firmware version. This brings into play features such as hardware fail-over, redundant WAN links with load balancing and an option to place multiple network ports in security zones.

The main web interface remains consistent across all SonicWALL appliances and is particularly easy to use. Support is provided for secure administrative access over HTTPS and the homepage opens to highlight any important system messages. It provides a brief rundown on the status of each network port and a list of any identified attacks. The 2040 uses a standard stateful packet inspection firewall and, as with WatchGuard's Firebox X700, defaults to allowing outbound traffic but blocking all unsolicited inbound traffic on the WAN port.

The default rules will be fine for most small businesses but you can customise firewall behaviour by adding your own rules. It's here that SonicWALL scores higher than much of the competition as it provides good wizard-based help during this phase. Plenty of tools are also on offer for managing what LAN users can access on the Internet as you can block all ActiveX controls, Java applets, cookies and web proxies, create custom lists of trusted and forbidden websites or use keywords to block specific websites. General reporting is also good, as the web interface provides clear indications of what's being blocked and why. For more detail, SonicWALL's ViewPoint software offers good reporting tools and real-time monitoring, although it's a shame this is now an optional extra as it was previously included as standard.

The PRO 2040 would make a fine choice for firewall duties in SMEs. Although it's not as powerful or as versatile as the Firebox X700, it's certainly a lot easier to install and configure.

Author: Dave Mitchell