Since the launch of the first firewall (Internet Connection Firewall) built into the Windows XP system, Microsoft has been steadily improving the firewall functions of subsequent systems. The Windows Firewall in the latest client operating system Windows 7 has undergone revolutionary improvements, providing more user-friendly functions, and has significantly improved the firewall for mobile users. In this article, we will introduce Windows Firewall in Windows 7 and how to configure issues with multiple firewall policies.
The Development History of Windows Firewall
The firewall software in Windows XP only provides simple and basic functions and can only protect inbound traffic, blocking any inbound connections that are not natively initiated. By default, the firewall is turned off. SP2 systems are enabled by default, allowing system administrators to enable firewall software through group policy. Vista's firewall is built on the new Windows Filtering Platform (WFP), which adds the ability to filter outbound traffic through the Advanced Security MMC snap-in. In Windows 7, Microsoft has further adjusted the functions of the firewall to make the firewall more user-friendly, especially on mobile computers, and to support multiple firewall policies.
Windows 7 Firewall
In Vista, the basic settings for Windows 7 Firewall are set through the Control Panel program. Unlike Vista, you can also access advanced settings (including configuring outbound connection filtering) through the Control Panel without creating an empty MMC and Add a snap-in. Just click on the Advanced settings link in the left panel
In Windows 7, you can access advanced firewall settings through the Control Panel program
More network options
The Vista firewall allows users to choose a public or private network, but in Windows 7, you have three choices: a public network, a home network, or a work network, with the latter two considered private networks.
If you select the "Home Network" option, you can create a Homegroup. In this case, network discovery is automatically turned on, so you can see other computers and devices on the network, and they can see your computer. Computers belonging to the Homegroup can share pictures, music, videos and document libraries, as well as hardware devices such as printers. If you have files in your folder that you don't want to share, you can also exclude them.
If you select "Work Network", network discovery is on by default, but you will not be able to create or join a Homegroup if you join the computer to a Windows domain (via Control Panel | System | Advanced System Settings | Computer Name tab) and With authentication from a domain controller, the firewall will automatically treat the network as a domain network.
When you connect to a public wireless network or use a mobile broadband network at an airport, hotel or cafe, etc., you should select "Public Network". Network discovery will be turned off by default so that other computers on the network cannot see your Computer, you can't Sichuan Opera or belong to Homegroup.
For all network types, Windows 7 Firewall blocks connections to programs that are not on the list of allowed programs by default. Windows 7 allows you to configure the settings separately for each network type.
Windows 7 lets you configure settings separately for each network type
Multiple valid modes
In Vista, even if you have configured profiles for public and private networks, only one is active at a given time. Things are not going well if your computer is connected to two different networks at the same time. The strictest mode will be used for all connections, which means that you may not be able to perform all the operations you need on the local network because At this time, the rules of the public network mode are used. In Windows 7 (and Server 2008 R2), you can use different modes for each network adapter at the same time, using private network rules for connections to the private network and public network rules for traffic from the public network.
Important little features
In many cases, small changes can lead to higher availability. Microsoft has been actively listening to the opinions from users, and they have added some important small features to Windows 7 Firewall. For example, in Vista, when you created a firewall rule, you needed to list the port number and IP address separately, but now you only need to specify the range, which saves a lot of time on this common management task.
You can also create connection security rules to specify which ports or protocols are subject to IPsec requirements in the firewall console without using the netsh command. This is a convenient improvement for those who prefer to use a GUI.
Connection security rules also support on-the-fly encryption, which means that if the server obtains an unencrypted (but authenticated) message from a client computer, it can obtain more secure communication by requiring encryption.
Using advanced settings profiles
Using the Advanced Settings console you can set up profiles for each network type
You can use the advanced settings console to set up profiles for each network type
For each profile, you can configure the following:
·The switch status of Windows Firewall
·Inbound connections (block, block all connections, or allow)
·Outbound connections (allow or block)
·Show notifications (whether to display notifications when the program is blocked)
·Whether unicast responses are allowed for multicast or broadcast traffic
·In addition to using Group Policy firewall rules, also use local firewall rules created by local administrators
·In addition to using Group Policy connection security rules, also use local connection security rules created by the local administrator
log
Vista Firewall can be configured to log events to a file (WindowsSystem32LogFilesFirewallpfirewall.log by default). In Windows 7, event logs can also be recorded in the Applications and Services sections of Event Viewer, making them easier to access. To view this log, you can open the Event Viewer and in the left pane, click Applications and Services Log | Microsoft | Windows | Advanced Security Options in Windows Firewall
Firewall event log in Event Viewer in Windows 7
In the event view log, you can create a custom view, filter the log, search the log or enable verbose logging.
Netsh commands
Windows 7 includes a backward-compatible netsh firewall, but if you run the command, you will receive the message, "Important, 'netsh firewall' is obsolete, please use the netsh advfirewall firewall."
Summarize
Windows 7 Firewall is the product of extensive improvements to the Vista Firewall and exposes its hidden advanced features. Many users (including some IT professionals) may not have known before that the Vista firewall can filter outbound traffic, detect and perform advanced configuration tasks, because these functions are not obviously displayed in the firewall program in the Control Panel. In Windows 7 , Microsoft created a built-in firewall that was more complete than Vista and became an effective alternative to third-party hosted firewalls.