How the computer firewall should be set up where

　　WinXP in the firewall after the improvement of many users have started to set the firewall method has a point do not understand, do not know where to set up a firewall, here to make an introduction to this issue.

Windows Firewall in WinXP SP2 (hereinafter referred to SP2) replaces the original Internet Connection Firewall (ICF, Internet Connection Firewall). This improved firewall defaults to open and supports IPV4 and IPV6 two network protocols that provide more security for our PCs. This article for you to explain where the firewall settings, how to set?

Click start → control Panel, and then double-click Windows Firewall in the Control Panel Classic view to open the Windows Firewall console. In addition, you can open the firewall console by clicking Windows Firewall under the newly added Security Center interface of SP2.

　　1. General tab 　　

There are two main options on the Windows Firewall Console General tab: enabled (recommended) and closed (not recommended), one sub option "Do not allow exceptions." If you choose not to allow exceptions, Windows Firewall blocks all network requests for connected user computers, including applications and system services in the Exceptions tab list. In addition, firewalls will intercept file and printer sharing, as well as network device detection. Windows Firewall, which does not allow exception options, is simply "closed", and is more suitable for "high-risk" environments, such as restaurants, hotels, and airports, connected to personal computers on the public network.

　　2. Exceptions tab

Some programs need to communicate externally, and they can be added to the Exceptions tab, where the program will be privileged to provide connection services, that is, to listen and accept connections from the network.

There are two add buttons below the Exceptions tab interface: Add programs and add ports to add exceptions manually, depending on the situation. If you are not sure which port the application is communicating with outside, or whether it is based on UDP or TCP, you can add exceptions by adding programs. For example, to allow Windows Messenger to communicate, click the "Add Program" button, select the application "C:Program Files MessengerMessengermsmsgs.exe", and then click "OK" to add it to the list.

If you are familiar with port numbers and TCP/UDP, you can use the latter approach, which specifies how to add the port number. For each exception, you can specify its scope by "change scope." For home and small Office application networks, it is recommended that the scope be set as a possible local network. Of course, you can also customize the range of IP in the scope so that only network requests from a specific range of IP addresses can be accepted.

　　3. Advanced tab

The Advanced tab contains network connection settings, security records, ICMP settings, and the restore defaults four set of options, which can be configured according to the actual situation.

Network Connection Settings

Here you can choose which connections Windows Firewall applies to, and of course you can configure a connection separately, which makes the firewall more flexible to apply.

Security Records

The new version of Windows Firewall has the same log records as ICF, and the log options allow you to record the firewall's track record, including all the items that were discarded and succeeded. In the log file option, you can change the location where the record file is stored, and you can manually specify the size of the log file. The default option for the system is to not record any blocking or successful events, and the record file size defaults to 4MB.

ICMP settings

Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) allows computers on the network to share error and state information. When an item is selected in the ICMP Settings dialog box, the description is displayed below the interface and can be configured as needed. By default, all ICMP is not open.

Default settings

If you want to restore all Windows Firewall settings to their default state, you can click the Revert to Defaults button on the right.