Should I try out Sygate?

[DanGrease]

I was wondering since I have heard so many positive things about this Firewall if I should buy it and see it for myself. I am currently using Norton Internet Security, but it seems so big, and uses your system so much, so I was interested in trying something new. Have you used it and if so, what do you think? I have currently used Norton and ZoneAlarm, and ZA I didnt like that much I must say, thats why I use Norton, but I just want to know if its really worth it. I am currently interested in Sygate Personal Firewall Pro 5.0 and I am downloading the trial to see if I like it. I was just wanting to know my fellows opinion fro TechIMO, and I heard our big hacker here uses it so this must mean something right?

dan

[shawshank62]

its free, a personal liscensce (non-commercial) that is...
download
i have been using it for about 2 months..much better than nortons..more options than zonealarm. you wont be disapointed.

[dr_roberts49]

Shawshank62, what additional features does it have over ZoneAlarm? Just curious.

Thanks,

Robert

[DanGrease]

I tried it out a while, but it seems to me that it is having some problems since it is saying every 5 min that it has blocked the acces of NT somethin' ntoskrnl.exe. Why I don't know but it becomes a pain that it keeps blocking something that is from the own system. Just for you guys to know

dan

[shawshank62]

The most significant option to appear with the latest release is the ability to configure custom rulesets. These network traffic rules can apply to specific addresses, ports, network interfaces, protocols, and schedules. The ruleset also offers the ability to configure the various types of ICMP protocol conventions. Most importantly, the advanced ruleset routines supercede all other Sygate per-application and related options.

The inclusion of rulesets generally leads people to believe that they must configure rules for every individual option. Sygate has addressed this concern, as SPF is essentially usable at installation time for most user environments. The only major option to configure is to establish file and print sharing for each network connection, thus to ensure intranet sharing while removing internet share options. Share options can be accessed from a general purpose menu, thus the need to access rulesets is minimal for the majority of everyday situations.

Per-application rights include the ability to configure trusted address ranges, various ports, and even timetable scheduling. The ability to custom define each of these options is a definite positive for network administrators, as each feature can limit the users in terms of actual internet connectivity and the type of services being offered. Per-application rights combined with ruleset filtering and password protection leads to a powerful managed network solution.

also, it has comprehensive loging.

zonealarm sygate

[dr_roberts49]

Thanks Shawshank62. I'm just running a Linksys router/wireless combo DSL home network with 5 computers, and I'm intrigued with the abilities you outlined on Sygate. I installed ZoneAlarm a few days ago, and I've configured it to work the way I want it, but I think I might like what Sygate has to offer. Thanks for the head-ups!

Robert

[shawshank62]

no problem.

[Front242]

Originally posted by DanGrease
I tried it out a while, but it seems to me that it is having some problems since it is saying every 5 min that it has blocked the acces of NT somethin' ntoskrnl.exe. Why I don't know but it becomes a pain that it keeps blocking something that is from the own system. Just for you guys to know

dan

If you have not turned off the auto update on your microsoft update. it uses this to check for them. if you do not want it to run then just check the always use this action box and you should be good. Check the file path name just in case, to see where it is coming from.

[muno]

You can also turn off the notion box (I've done that, it would be bad if it popped up in the heat of an ET session )
You can also allow the access of that executable, just open sygate, right click on ntoskrnl.exe and click 'allow'.
-M

[NDC]

Originally posted by DanGrease
I tried it out a while, but it seems to me that it is having some problems since it is saying every 5 min that it has blocked the acces of NT somethin' ntoskrnl.exe. Why I don't know but it becomes a pain that it keeps blocking something that is from the own system. Just for you guys to know

dan

It's trying to reach out...

You will see this with all software based firewalls... Sygate, NIS, ZA, etc monitor incoming and outgoing traffic...