Zentyal, Untangle or ClearOS?

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mutti_wilson

Weaksauce
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Feb 13, 2009
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I am putting together a UTM for a small biz of 6 machines. I will be using it as a router as well as a filtering for AV, Spam and Web Content. Untangle looks like the best setup out of the 3 but I would like to get started out on the right foot. I have used pfsense, but I am looking for more of a filtering utility than what pfsense can offer. I will be running this on a P4 3.0ghz with 2gb ram and 2 Intel gigabit NICS.
 
ClearOS and Zentyal dont' just do firewall, spyware and av. They also offer up file services and etc.

Go with what you need. Decide if you ever need more than a firewall
 
I don't need any file services as there is a SBS and a fileserver handling the rest of the duties. Is there one over another that is better as far as filtering goes?
 
I recently replace my ClearOS box with Zentyal. I think it was easier to use and configure. The filtering with Zentyal seems to work better. I needed something that the business owner could make changes on when I was not on site.
 
I use zentyal on a dual 1.6ghz atom box with 30gb ssd and 2gb ram. While it is easy to use, getting the voip module to work with Google voice took some work.. I really like it though and for general daily admin stuff its great. Highly recommended! I use it as a: authentication server, dhcp, DNS, voip/jabber, firewall, ids and that's about it.
 
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mutti_wilson said:
I am putting together a UTM for a small biz of 6 machines. I will be using it as a router as well as a filtering for AV, Spam and Web Content. Untangle looks like the best setup out of the 3 but I would like to get started out on the right foot. I have used pfsense, but I am looking for more of a filtering utility than what pfsense can offer. I will be running this on a P4 3.0ghz with 2gb ram and 2 Intel gigabit NICS.
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What's with the old outdated power Hogg heat making machine...
 
dashpuppy said:
What's with the old outdated power Hogg heat making machine...
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They have a pile of PC's that have been replaced and I will be getting it up and running with this and hopefully in the nearer future I can persuade them to replace with a lighter weight machine. Will I be able to save a config file for any of these which could be used to get a new machine up and running quickly? I see that you can remotely backup with Zentyal.
 
ClearOS and Zentyal are basically open sourced versions of SBS Premium...you already have SBS. Yeah they have some UTM features....but it's a jack of all trades sorta thing. Untangle is 100% pure UTM, IMO more UTM features.
 
mutti_wilson said:
They have a pile of PC's that have been replaced and I will be getting it up and running with this and hopefully in the nearer future I can persuade them to replace with a lighter weight machine. Will I be able to save a config file for any of these which could be used to get a new machine up and running quickly? I see that you can remotely backup with Zentyal.
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Yeah you can export them to a new machine, however you need same hardware / nics etc etc.


Why not look for a newer machine now that's not used ? p4 3.0 is a TOTALL power hog & heat creator..
 
dashpuppy said:
Yeah you can export them to a new machine, however you need same hardware / nics etc etc.


Why not look for a newer machine now that's not used ? p4 3.0 is a TOTALL power hog & heat creator..
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He's got a machine and parts already in hand. Who cares what it is as long as it functions. Unless your planning on forking the bill for a new box lay off it
 
You want more filtering than pfSense? All of the options you mentioned are linux-based and are backed by iptables. pf is the best free packet filter, period. You're not getting anything better than that unless you shell out a bunch of money for enterprise-class hardware with embedded software.

If you have other server needs, Untangle is worth looking at. Zentyal is also nice just for the fact that it doesn't require a special distro for installation. You can put it on top of an existing Ubuntu install. If your primary purpose is firewall though, there is nothing better (at least for free) than BSD.
 
Your absolutely right BSD Rocks when it comes to a router / firewall, but in my opinion the offering for content filtering is just pure shit. We can deploy an Untangle box check a few boxes and it's done. PFSense it's way more involved than that. And Having a customer with basic IT experience manage it? Don't bother.
 
calvinj said:
Your absolutely right BSD Rocks when it comes to a router / firewall, but in my opinion the offering for content filtering is just pure shit. We can deploy an Untangle box check a few boxes and it's done. PFSense it's way more involved than that. And Having a customer with basic IT experience manage it? Don't bother.
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I definitely agree that Untangle is easier to manage (especially for a layperson), but OP seemed to imply that he was looking for something with more power behind it, and that's not something he's going to find without paying. Untangle's content filtering isn't any better than pfSense's, it's just easier to configure through the GUI.
 
CEpeep said:
I definitely agree that Untangle is easier to manage (especially for a layperson), but OP seemed to imply that he was looking for something with more power behind it, and that's not something he's going to find without paying. Untangle's content filtering isn't any better than pfSense's, it's just easier to configure through the GUI.
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PLUS he won't get much through put on a OLD outdated P4 unit.
 
Hi all, sorry if this is the wrong spot to ask this, but I'm noticing a BSD vs Linux thing starting...but, I've seen where people suggest using two machines, one with pfsense and one with Untangle (or Zentyal) and getting the best of both worlds. I realize that would be horrible for my electric bill (cause one's an old P4 that I picked up for $20, lol) but if that wasn't an issue, what are the pro's and con's of doing that? Or is it even worth doing?

Cheers!
 
semperfidelis316 said:
Hi all, sorry if this is the wrong spot to ask this, but I'm noticing a BSD vs Linux thing starting...but, I've seen where people suggest using two machines, one with pfsense and one with Untangle (or Zentyal) and getting the best of both worlds. I realize that would be horrible for my electric bill (cause one's an old P4 that I picked up for $20, lol) but if that wasn't an issue, what are the pro's and con's of doing that? Or is it even worth doing?

Cheers!
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If you like complication. All of my Untangle installs are....purely Untangle. Any PFSense installs I do (not many remaining these days)..are purely PFSense.
 
pillagenburn said:
I use zentyal on a dual 1.6ghz atom box with 30gb ssd and 2gb ram. While it is easy to use, getting the voip module to work with Google voice took some work.. I really like it though and for general daily admin stuff its great. Highly recommended! I use it as a: authentication server, dhcp, DNS, voip/jabber, firewall, ids and that's about it.
Click to expand...

pillagenbum, can you share (here or PM) details on how you got voip to work w/ gvoice? i want to do that too! thanx.
 
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