The Cisco PIX Firewall lets you establish stateful firewall protection and secure VPN access with a single device. PIX Firewall provides a scalable security solution with failover support available for selected models to provide maximum reliability. PIX Firewall uses a specialized operating system that is more secure and easier to maintain than software firewalls that use a general-purpose operating system, which are subject to frequent threats and attacks. | CHA 1 r T E R Getting Started The Cisco PIX Firewall lets you establish stateful firewall protection and secure VPN access with a single device. PIX Firewall provides a scalable security solution with failover support available for selected models to provide maximum reliability. PIX Firewall uses a specialized operating system that is more secure and easier to maintain than software firewalls that use a general-purpose operating system which are subject to frequent threats and attacks. This chapter describes how you can use the PIX Firewall to protect your network assets and to establish secure VPN access. It contains the following sections Controlling Network Access Protecting Your Network from Attack Supporting Specific Protocols and Applications Creating a Virtual Private Network Using PIX Firewall in a Small Office Home Office Environment Accessing and Monitoring PIX Firewall PIX Firewall Failover Upgrading the PIX Firewall OS and License Using the Command-Line Interface Before You Start Configuring PIX Firewall Where to Go from Here Controlling Network Access This section describes the network firewall functionality provided by PIX Firewall. It includes the following topics How the PIX Firewall Works Adaptive Security Algorithm Multiple Interfaces and Security Levels How Data Moves Through the PIX Firewall Address Translation Cut-Through Proxy Access Control Cisco PIX Firewall and VPN Configuration Guide I 78-13943-01 1-1 Chapter 1 Getting Started Controlling Network Access Chapter 2 Establishing Connectivity provides configuration instructions for controlling network connectivity through the PIX Firewall. Chapter 3 Controlling Network Access and Use provides configuration instructions for using the PIX Firewall to control network connectivity. How the PIX Firewall Works The PIX Firewall protects an inside network from unauthorized access by users on an outside network such as the public Internet. Most PIX Firewall models can optionally protect one or more .
