networking/internet connection sharing

I got two machines on Win ME sharing connection with a 3COM ethernet gateway that has a built in firewall. I found after I bought it that it was a discontued item,so getting tech help on it takes an act of congress. I use Zone Alarm Pro and don't need the firewall. Is there any way to disable it or better yet, is there any way to share this connection without the router?

 

I have several systems behind my router, and I prefer it over software programs any day.
Zone Alarm does have 1 advantage over a hardware firewall however. It tells you if you are sending something you didn't know about.
Most home routers though perform NAT, which means there would be a firewall in place because they can't route directly to you. Only a higher class router could do that.

 

Blufx - to add on a little to Bursley

The hardware firewall in your device is fast enough you won't notice any speed issues with it running and it should get along with ZA just fine.

Also, there are a few baddys on the net these days that will make a serious attempt to uninstall protection programs from your PC as part of their infection process. They absolutely cannot touch a hardware firewall so it is a little added protection.

 

Thanks Newt and Bursley, I didn't know that. I really liked ZA Pro because in and out traffic feature. But the reason I wanted to bypass the hardware firewall was because ever since I installed it, I haven't been able to send or recieve files by ICQ ,AOL IM, or MSN messenger.And I can't find a word of info on it in the manual or 3Com's webpage. Now, I don't have these systems networked, I'm just sharing internet connection. Could this in any way be the problem?

 

Blufx - you will need to know what TCP port each of the applications uses and allow the traffic thru the port(s).

Surely there is a mention in the user manual about blocking and opening ports in the firewall.

For the ports used by the programs you mentioned, take a look Here .

 

Thanks again, I got to do some reading now. I don't know anything about this. And believe it or not, there is nothing in the user manual about this. Perhaps I should look for another router.


Mark

 

Blufx - if you really have a firewall you cannot configure, I have to agree that a different router is in order.

 

This is comparing apples and oranges. Hardware router/firewalls are designed to protect the network, whereas ZA is for individual machines, both are different in their approach.

ZA Pro can also protect a network, but as far as monitoring outgoing messages it can only protect the machine it is running on, so as far as the network is concerned it provides no more or less protection than a hardware router/firewall.

If you want outgoing messages monitoring I'd actually recommend Tiny Personal Firewall over Zone Alarm, it has a much smaller footprint and is easier to use (although without the flashy graphics), and run this on each machine as well as a network firewall.