Re: Firewall licensing purpose, methods, and techniques

[<hesselsp () ashaman dhs org>]

Bruce,

I don't know what the most common licensing method is, but I would think
most work like this:
During installation, one of the interfaces is chosen to be the external
interface.  Users are any IP address that uses any interface other then
the "external" interface.

Simple and effective.  I beleive this is how fw-1 works... or near enough.

On Wed, 26 Sep 2001, Bruce Platt wrote:

> I am curious about how firewall vendors license their products and enforce
> them.
>
> Most vendors sell licenses with descriptive phrases like 25 users, 25-100
> users, unlimited users, and so forth to describe their license tiers.  They
> have a right to collect money for the use of their intellectual property.
>
> When queried, most are vague at best as to what a "user" mean, and answer
> with nodes protected by the firewall.  But does a "user" mean someone who
> uses a desktop PC to web browse using the http proxy, or does a "user" mean
> a mail server protected by the firewall and using the smtp proxy, or does a
> "user" mean a networked printer on the protected network which will never
> touch the firewall?  I have had one vendor tell me that a user is any device
> with an IP stack.  
>
> How do vendors count users?  In pre windows days one could use a ping to the
> network broadcast address to count replying unix boxes.  Today one could use
> the nmap code that does a "nmap -sP -PT0 network-address" to count
> responding machines.  But what network address to use, the network address
> on which the fw protected network exists?  What about other networks that
> might also be behind the firewall?
>
> That same vendor referred to above also allowed that they do not count.
> They trust the purchaser.
>
> Who counts today and how?  I am interested because we provide services using
> PVCs over frame connections, and it's time to get a new firewall.
>
> Regards
> _______________________________________________
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> firewall-wizards () nfr com
> http://list.nfr.com/mailman/listinfo/firewall-wizards

-- 
--
Paul

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