[WEB4LIB] IP addresses & firewalls

[Jim Barrentine]

At 02:11 PM 09/21/2001 -0700, you wrote:
>I was hoping that someone could advise me if it would be a "security 
>problem" to issue a
>2nd IP address for our institution, and if this would require much
>reconfiguration of the firewall/server?

As you may know the Raptor firewall is now a Symantec product.  I have 
considerable experience with firewalls (Firewall I, Sonic, Net Wolves) but 
not your particular one.  All firewalls in this class have the capability 
of presenting multiple real IP addresses to the outside world.  I have a 
client that has a single firewall (Firewall I on a Sun) that supports 6 
different library jurisdictions and about 30 locations.  We have the 
firewall configured to present a different and unique IP address to the 
Internet for each library jurisdiction.  This allows the cooperative to 
license databases as a whole, for individual libraries to license databases 
and even for subsets to licenses databases.

Some firewall vendors refer to this as IP overloading or "hiding behind".

>Also, I was wondering if it would be difficult to change the default?

I'm not sure what default you are referring to.

Jim


James K. Barrentine
Information Partners, Inc.
Technology Solutions for Libraries
11470 Euclid Avenue, #404
Cleveland, OH  44106-3926
216-371-2415 (voice)
216-932-4980 (fax)
mailto:jkb at ix.netcom.com