Linux and Firewalls

Now that OpenVPN is configured safely, how about the system that it runs on? On Linux there are several excellent firewall solutions that can be used with OpenVPN. On the following pages we will deal with two firewalls, which offer graphical interfaces for configuration—Shorewall (with Webmin) and the SuSEfirewall as delivered with OpenSuSE 10.

Debian Linux and Webmin with Shorewall

Webmin is an excellent GUI for Linux system management, if your preference is for web-based administration. Webmin can be found on www.webmin.com and offers almost full control over your Linux systems. It brings a small web server of its own and supports SSL encryption, user management, and more. However, I do not want to conceal the fact that there are Perl scripts that set system variables in files at /etc, which is not considered best practice. However, as always, security and usability are enemies and the compromises may vary. If we use Webmin, we must secure access to it. A good idea...