Newbie question about firewall questions

[daddymo3]

I am not a technical user and probably never will be,but I do want to learn.
Up untill a little while ago,all I used was the XP firewall with Spybot And Ad-aware. Through the advice of people on this site I went on to use Sygate, which worked fine.(I guess)Because of a problem with my comp. I now have Kerio.
My problem is that with Kerio I am getting the pop-ups that ask me what to do and I don't recognize the item. Example; tcpip kernel driver,ICMP packet,UDP datagram to port 1027,to name a few.All I can do is deny any activity,because I search on Google and can't find any info about these items that makes any sense to me.Maybe Kerio is too much for me,I don't know.
Is there a web site that can explain all these pop-up items?
Or maybe I should be using a simpler firewall....any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.

[nick s]

Hi daddymo3,

A good place to start is Kerio Support at BBR. Be sure to take a look at the FAQ and help links.

Nick

[CrazyM]

Originally Posted by daddymo3

I am not a technical user and probably never will be,but I do want to learn.

Well hopefully we can help in that regard

I now have Kerio.

Which version, the new 4.x or 2.1.5? I believe the newer version has basic and advanced options for configuration and that this can sometimes be confusing.

My problem is that with Kerio I am getting the pop-ups that ask me what to do and I don't recognize the item. Example; tcpip kernel driver,ICMP packet,UDP datagram to port 1027,to name a few.All I can do is deny any activity,because I search on Google and can't find any info about these items that makes any sense to me.Maybe Kerio is too much for me,I don't know.
Is there a web site that can explain all these pop-up items?

If in doubt deny first, look into it and then decide. When looking for clarification on whether to allow something it helps to note and post the application/service, protocol, local service/port, remote service/port and remote address. Rule based firewalls such as Kerio will require a little more learning and understanding of how things work in order to configure them properly and securely.

You will find some links in the Other Firewalls Sticky Posts and Other Useful Links for Kerio and customizing firewall rules in general.

Or maybe I should be using a simpler firewall....any suggestions?

Regardless of the firewall, some of the prompts may still be confusing at first. You could always consider ZoneAlarm which is a little more straightforward.

Regards,

CrazyM

[daddymo3]

Thanks "Crazy" for you help and suggestions.