Untangle experiences ?

Discussion in 'other firewalls' started by CloneRanger, Apr 23, 2010.

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  1. CloneRanger

    CloneRanger Registered Member

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    After seeing pandlouk's :thumb: :link https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?p=1665155#post1665155 thought i'd like to try it.

    Untangle looks like a nice complimentary solution, if it plays well ? Unfortunately i can't use it as it only works networked :( as i'm on a single comp with no router.

    If anyone is using it, or has, it'd be good to hear what you think about it :thumb:

    Be warned, Untangle_621_setup-1.exe is a Whopping 571 MB :eek: WHAT
     
  2. guest

    guest Guest

    Do you know what is Untangle? or for what is used? read a bit more and you will understand why the file is 500mb
     
  3. YeOldeStonecat

    YeOldeStonecat Registered Member

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    I have a lot of my SMB clients running their office networks behind Untangle. Many on the "free" base version, and quite a few on various optional packages that you pay for.

    I actually became a reseller for them about a year ago, since I was doing so many of them.

    It's not a solution for most home users, as it requires quite a hefty powered rig to run on, unlike many smaller *nix router distros.

    There was a Windows virtual machine version, really just meant for demo's, that's been disco'd.

    On solid hardware, it's very stable, very fast, and...as you can see by the website..there are many many features. Their support is excellent.

    It's more than just a "router"...it's a full fledged layer 7 Unified Threat Management system. (UTM). Similar to an older product some may have heard..called Astaro.

    I have had quite noticeable drops in "malware problems" at clients of mine that are behind Untangle. Do a search of the forums here..you'l see I've been mentioning it for a few years now. I'm surprised more people don't run their networks behind UTM appliances. It's added layers of protection, and you get zero performance hit on your workstations..since all of this processing of traffic is done at the gateway.
     
  4. Kees1958

    Kees1958 Registered Member

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    Offloading processing to gateway is one benefit, another one IMO is that is installed & configured by (often an external) professional. This reduces human error at workstations also.
     
  5. Cutting_Edgetech

    Cutting_Edgetech Registered Member

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    What hardware is it compatible with? Do you have to purchase their hardware?
     
  6. doktornotor

    doktornotor Registered Member

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    See Hardware Requirements. No, you don't need to purchase any HW from them.
     
  7. Cutting_Edgetech

    Cutting_Edgetech Registered Member

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    Thanks doktornotor! That was a big help!
     
  8. CloneRanger

    CloneRanger Registered Member

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    @guest

    I do now :D :thumb:

    @YeOldeStonecat

    Thanks for the info :thumb:
     
  9. YeOldeStonecat

    YeOldeStonecat Registered Member

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    Location:
    Along the Shorelines somewhere in New England
    It'll install on almost any x86 or 64 bit hardware (they have a 64 bit version).
    However...like many things, how well it runs and performs for you, and stability..is based on the quality of the hardware that you install it on.

    I only use Intel chipset hardware, no Via or SiS or other cheaper hardware.
    You'll want a P4 or higher..early P4's work fine for smaller networks.
    You really want at least 1 gig of RAM.
    Now for the important part...while many network cards will work OK, Untangles performance is greatly...GREATLY...based on if you have good "hardware controller based" NICs. Because it's a layer 7 firewall..it works the network cards VERY HARD. Intel, 3COM, and most Broadcom NICs work best.

    For many clients of mine, I've used their recycled older desktop PCs...business grade PCs..like Compaq/HP Evo/DC series small form factors, or the smaller Dell Optiplex GX series small form factors. I just put a new hard drive in there for reliability. The true "business grade" desktop PCs have better motherboards, and more standardized hardware on them, versus el cheapo home grade units. For larger clients I use 1U rackmount servers...HP Proliant DL series like the 360, and Dell R200 series. We run ours at the office on an HP Proliant DL360 G3 w/2 gigs of RAM. It's mostly used for e-mail processing for the clients e-mail that we process before delivery to their Exchange servers..so we're using the Clam/Kaspersky/CommTouchSpam heavily.

    It's a very cool firewall, check out the online demo of the web admin interface, it's pretty cool.

    Also does VPN tunnels very well.
     
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