Linux Firewall + Vmware = How Do I?

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AMD_RULES

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If you check my sig (Opteron rig), I just setup a server with some spare parts. The server
has two 10/100mbs NICs. I just installed vmware and I would like to setup a firewall in vmware. How do I go about doing this and if I do set it up this way, can I still do basic file sharing? Also, I'm running a mobo with a VIA chipset. What distros are good and compatible with it? Do note I only have half a gig of ram, so will i have enough? All this thing does is fold and some file sharing. Only uses 186mb on idle.

Thanks!
 
assuming you are just using a basic nat firewall distro...

create a basic vm with a linux profile, allocate it ~64mb of ram, ~1gb of disk space, and however many nics you want. set the cd-rom to 'boot from iso' and point it to the downloaded iso of choice. (this saves you having to burn the iso to a cd).

allocate one nic as your 'wan' and connect this to vmnet0 (bridge) and allocate the other nic to one of the other vmnet virtual networks. if you additional adaptors (acting as dmz's maybe) then allocate these to other virtual networks respectively.

boot the vm and install.

to configure and test the firewall just use something like the 'browser appliance' vm, or a linux live cd, and put that on whichever vmnet you are using for your trusted firewall interface.

edit: if you are using one of the more utm oriented distro's the same guidelines apply, just allocate it more memory.
 
atomiser said:
assuming you are just using a basic nat firewall distro...

create a basic vm with a linux profile, allocate it ~64mb of ram, ~1gb of disk space, and however many nics you want. set the cd-rom to 'boot from iso' and point it to the downloaded iso of choice. (this saves you having to burn the iso to a cd).

allocate one nic as your 'wan' and connect this to vmnet0 (bridge) and allocate the other nic to one of the other vmnet virtual networks. if you additional adaptors (acting as dmz's maybe) then allocate these to other virtual networks respectively.

boot the vm and install.

to configure and test the firewall just use something like the 'browser appliance' vm, or a linux live cd, and put that on whichever vmnet you are using for your trusted firewall interface.

edit: if you are using one of the more utm oriented distro's the same guidelines apply, just allocate it more memory.
Click to expand...
thanks, i'm gonna try IPCOP first.
 
I have had issues with many firewall distros using virtualization. I wouldn't recommend running it this way in a production environment. The issues I encounter were random dropped packets, sessions hanging, and other general weirdness.
 
I think you would be better just "tossing together / finding / buying on craigs list" a p3 rig and running that as your router / firewall, then using your current server behind the firewall for file / web/ media / whatever else you need.

I have seen plenty of free P3 rigs on craig's list latley
 
I would agree with the others, it is a PITA to get the firewalls working perfectly in VMWare. Some, like smoothwall I know, you can download a prebuilt VM. But it still has some quirks.

Others, like m0n0wall, can be even a bigger PITA and just do not like to run in VM.
 
I've been running firewalls in vmware on both my gaming rig at home and a server at work for a few months. Completely stable, and with uptime that's only disrupted once a month or so by either windows updates or kernel updates. This has all been running Endian 2.1.2 and more recently pfSense 1.2.

 
yep - i'm currently running ipcop, sbs2003 and a few xp clients all in vmware, all on a pentium-m laptop with a gig of memory. it all runs sweet as a nut, though it will run even better on my new c2d setup arriving later today.
 
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