What Is a Firewall?
A firewall is a network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on configurable security rules. It typically establishes a barrier between a trusted network and an untrusted network, such as the internet, or between several VLANs.
How a Firewall Works
A firewall checks each packet of network traffic against a set of rules. Traffic that matches an allowed rule passes through. Traffic that does not match is blocked. Firewalls can be hardware-based, software-based, or a combination of both. A hardware firewall is a dedicated network security device. A software firewall runs on a computer and filters the traffic that reaches that computer.
Key Uses
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Separating a trusted internal network from the internet
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Dividing networks into segments, such as between VLANs
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Controlling which applications and services can send or receive traffic
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Blocking unauthorized incoming connections
Thinvent Products and Firewall Use
A firewall is a software or network function. It is not a processor feature. The Thinvent range does not include a dedicated hardware firewall appliance. Thinvent products run firewall software on their installed operating systems. The Thinvent Industrial PC IPC5, Industrial PC IPC3, Aero Mini PC, Treo Mini PC and Micro 5R Thin Client run Windows 11 Pro, Windows 11 IoT Value, Ubuntu Linux or Thinux Embedded Linux, depending on the model. Each model's processor and memory set how much traffic filtering work it can carry out alongside its other tasks.
Thinvent Products for Firewall Deployments
Thinvent® Industrial PC IPC5 with Intel® Core™ i7-1255U
Dual LAN ports, 16GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB SSD. Runs Windows 11 Pro with Dual Band WiFi.
Thinvent® Industrial PC IPC5 with Intel® Core™ i5-1240P
12 cores, up to 4.4 GHz, 32GB DDR4 RAM and 1TB SSD. Runs Windows 11 Pro with Dual Band WiFi.
Thinvent® Industrial PC IPC3 with Intel® Core™ i3-1215U
6 cores, up to 4.4 GHz, 8GB DDR4 RAM and 256GB SSD. Runs Ubuntu Linux.
Thinvent® Aero Mini PC with Intel® Core™ 5 120U
10 cores, up to 5.0 GHz, 16GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB SSD. Runs Windows 11 Pro with Dual Band WiFi.
