Chapter 19: Introducing the Voyager Web Interface

Introduction

Administrators tasked with installing a firewall for the first time typically have to be very knowledgeable when it comes to configuring the underlying operating system to function efficiently as a firewalled router. The administrator must know how to configure interface IP addresses and speed/duplex settings, how to configure hostnames and Domain Name Service (DNS) properly, and how to configure static or dynamic routing, among many other things.

We have seen that the IPSO operating system that is at the core of the Nokia appliances is UNIX-based, but we don't need to have in-depth knowledge of UNIX to go through a first-time or even repeat configuration. The Nokia Voyager allows us to configure all of the previously mentioned features and much, much more through a simple, Web-based interface. The vast majority of changes we make do not require a system reboot, but take effect immediately (another helpful side-effect of IPSO's UNIX base).

In this chapter, we walk you through a very thorough initial configuration of your Nokia appliance, all done from within Voyager. The emphasis is on security, so when we talk about network access and services, we show you how to, for example, disable Telnet access and enable SSL for secure Web access through Voyager. We give you an alternative to FTP or show you how to make FTP more secure, if it must be used. We also go over each of the Voyager configuration options so that when you are done you will have a very good idea of just what can be accomplished with this powerful interface.