This appliance-based offering runs on a 1U height, small form device. The Stonesoft StoneGate 310 provides four Ethernet interfaces, which can be separately addressed and configured. The tool is primarily a stateful inspection-based firewall, which has additional options for inspections. These allow for the device to perform deep packet inspection by looking into the data portion of packets for specific application configurations.
The StoneGate provides standard logging and advanced reporting through the use of a separate management station. The tool is built on a distributed architecture - where the management is provided from a central management station, and the firewalling component is installed on the inspection agent, which is the StoneGate unit itself.
The installation is a more complex process than that of other SME-class firewalls. The rack-mount device uses the VGA port and a PS/2 keyboard port to perform the initial configuration. The configuration at this initial step takes place through a Linux-based menu system, which is used to configure the primary interfaces, as well as pointing the inspection engine to the primary management server. The initial configuration also sets the administrator password for future logins to the device. If a user is managing more than one StoneGate, the configuration can be imported from a USB drive.
The unit includes firewall clustering and Multi-Link technology, which provides redundancy and traffic shaping. It allows the organization to leverage the latest technologies, like VoIP.
The device ships with a brief getting started guide, which provides information on the initial configuration and installation.
The first 90 days of support is offered via email and phone. Additional support is available in two offerings: basic support offers eight hours a day/five days a week coverage for $730, while premium support offers 24/7 coverage at $1,152. The Stonesoft website also provides support information.
Priced at $4,027, the StoneGate 310 is at the less expensive end on the price spectrum gauged against other tools reviewed.
The StoneGate provides standard logging and advanced reporting through the use of a separate management station. The tool is built on a distributed architecture - where the management is provided from a central management station, and the firewalling component is installed on the inspection agent, which is the StoneGate unit itself.
The installation is a more complex process than that of other SME-class firewalls. The rack-mount device uses the VGA port and a PS/2 keyboard port to perform the initial configuration. The configuration at this initial step takes place through a Linux-based menu system, which is used to configure the primary interfaces, as well as pointing the inspection engine to the primary management server. The initial configuration also sets the administrator password for future logins to the device. If a user is managing more than one StoneGate, the configuration can be imported from a USB drive.
The unit includes firewall clustering and Multi-Link technology, which provides redundancy and traffic shaping. It allows the organization to leverage the latest technologies, like VoIP.
The device ships with a brief getting started guide, which provides information on the initial configuration and installation.
The first 90 days of support is offered via email and phone. Additional support is available in two offerings: basic support offers eight hours a day/five days a week coverage for $730, while premium support offers 24/7 coverage at $1,152. The Stonesoft website also provides support information.
Priced at $4,027, the StoneGate 310 is at the less expensive end on the price spectrum gauged against other tools reviewed.
