In this chapter, we took a look at networking and firewalls in the Linux world. I hope it didn't hurt your head too much, because it certainly causes me some pain.
As I alluded to earlier, networking and firewall configuration can be as complex or as simple as you want it to be, and in the ever-growing world of single-use servers, we're seeing simpler and simpler configurations in the wild.
Where you tend to find problems are around the concepts of multiple networks and multi-homed servers, because flat network structures are a lot easier to understand for the average person (myself included).
You also don't have to do everything with Linux.
Yes, Linux can act as a border firewall for an estate, but you could also use F5 devices, or Check Point boxes.
Yes, Linux can act as a router, but you're much more likely to see a Cisco or a Juniper device in the...
