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Linux is an open source operating system, which effectively means you don't have to pay anyone for a licence.
There are a number of dedicated Linux firewall software products, the entry-level versions of which are available free of charge.
Naturally these cut-down versions offer basic functionality, but are accompanied by low-cost products that come with the added benefit of technical support.
Further versions and modules support all the complexities of firewalling and Internet protection, including Virtual Private Networking (VPNs).
One benefit of Linux firewalls is that older hardware can be utilised as the minimum processor requirement is usually very low.
For example, entry-level versions of SmoothWall and IPCop, two of the main players in this market, will run adequately on a Pentium 90 PC with 32 Mb of RAM and a 1 Gb IDE hard drive.
Our own lab tests have shown that in a production environment, such Linux firewalls perform with excellent results. The down side is, however, that running on old hardware often renders such firewalls liable to one of the most common failures in PCs - a hard disk error. For this reason, i-Zimbra recommends and almost always supplies dedicate firewall appliances, such as those manufactured by Fortinet, Sonicwall and WatchGuard.
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