Kerio advice for new user please

I have noticed on this board Kerio seems to be a popular firewall. I would actually consider this when my current subscription runs out.

I have to install a firewall for my neighbours (they are retired and this is their first PC) I have installed Sygate free on several friends computers over the past year but have noted a lot of issues with their new version.

I would be grateful if someone could advise if the actual setup of v2.1.5 would be easy for me to do and even more important easy for them to cope with once I have set it up I know I have setup my own firewall but when it comes to someone elses computer I would rather ask advice about this 'unknown' to me firewall. I have all the other security layers worked out just the dilemma about a firewall. They are currently using SP2's firewall.

(sorry I have posted at a time when I will be shutting down soon but I will check the post again tomorrow if it gets too late now)

 

I only run the SP2 firewall and it does nicely for me. If I stop baddies from getting in, I'm fine and the XP SP2 firewall seems to do a great job of that.

Especially nice for a novice in that apps needing to 'call out' can be flagged and the firewall will automatically open a port for them when the app is started and close it when the app is closed.

 

MiniB,

I use Kerio 2.1.5 and it is a very customizable firewall but I would have to aggree with Newt that the SP2 firewall would work nicely. I would not recommend it for your neighbors, being thier first pc as it will be difficult for them to deal with. It is a rule specific firewall and even though it will ask for permission for every little thing if your neighbors are not comfortable with this and making the decison to allow or deny it will become annoying and frustrating everytime they try to log on the net or use a program. I would recommend for your neighbors the use of SP2 Firewall as it will not complain about most of this stuff and still do it's job nicely

 

Thank you so much for all your replies and advice regarding the firewall situation. After posting this last night my neighbour rang to discuss thier security and the complications of being able to control a firewall.

I am definitely going to run the various scans with Ad-aware and Spybot plus their AV to make sure the computer is as clean as possible and then spend time adding to the layers of security. I need to make sure I have some Javacool software installed as a teenage grandson comes into the scenario now (I think this has made them a lot more aware of what 'may' be 'invited' given that they are total novices)

I will let them use SP2 for now as I did fear the fact of ask/answer the firewall but after the intial has settled with the layers I will add and they start and broadband connection I will first of all make sure I install a router (with firewall) and then the software firewall will not take as much of the strain as it would on their dialup account.

I think as advised in the posts SP2 is working for them now (shocked to find the man who installed their computer had turned off SP2's firewall and popup blocker and left them to work out how to obtain the code to activate their AV ) I could not believe this at all as they were totally unaware of this and there is no way they would have been able to obatin the code and follow the insructions for copy/paste - he had promised to set the PC up ready for them to go online

I will have to learn more about SP2's firewall myself now

Mnay thanks I will still keep Sygate (old version ) and Kerio in my toolkit for them but will consider the steps they need to learn before scaring them completely. I am the 'on call' minib neighbour now