Filter
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ZyWALL 2 and ZyWALL 2WE
19-16 Filter Configuration
19.4 Filter Types and SUA/NAT
There are two classes of filter rules, Generic Filter (Device) rules and protocol filter (TCP/IP) rules.
Generic filter rules act on the raw data from/to LAN and WAN. Protocol filter rules act on the IP packets.
Generic and TCP/IP filter rules are discussed in more detail in the next section. When SUA/NAT is
enabled, the inside IP address and port number are replaced on a connection-by-connection basis, which
makes it impossible to know the exact address and port on the wire. Therefore, the ZyWALL applies the
protocol filters to the “native” IP address and port number before NAT for outgoing packets and after NAT
for incoming packets. On the other hand, the generic, or device filters are applied to the raw packets that
appear on the wire. They are applied at the point when the ZyWALL is receiving and sending the packets;
i.e. the interface. The interface can be an Ethernet port or any other hardware port. The following diagram
illustrates this.
Figure 19-11 Protocol and Device Filter Sets
19.5 Firewall Versus Filters
Firewall configuration is discussed in the firewall chapters of this manual. Further comparisons are also
made between filtering, SUA/NAT and the firewall.