Firewall configuration tips for Windows 7 systems

        Since the introduction of the first firewall (Internet Connection firewall) built into Windows XP, Microsoft has been steadily improving the firewall capabilities of its later systems. The Windows Firewall in the latest client operating system, Windows 7, has been revolutionized to provide more user-friendly features and a significant improvement in the firewall for mobile users. In this article, we'll cover Windows Firewall in Windows 7, and how to configure issues with multiple firewall policies. History of

WindowsXP

Windows Firewall Firewall software provides a simple and basic functions only, and only to protect inbound traffic, blocking inbound connections to any non-native started, default In the case, the firewall is turned off. The SP2 system is enabled by default, allowing system administrators to enable firewall software through Group Policy. Vista's firewall is built on the new Windows Filtering Platform (WFP), which adds the ability to filter outbound traffic through the Advanced Security MMC snap-in. In Windows 7, Microsoft has further tuned the firewall's capabilities to make the firewall more user-friendly, especially on mobile computers, and capable of supporting multiple firewall policies.



Windows7 firewall in Vista, Windows7 basic firewall settings through the Control Panel program is set, and Vista is different, you can also access advanced settings through the control panel (including the configuration Station connection filtering) without creating an empty MMC and adding a snap-in. Just click on the Advanced Settings link in the left panel, as shown in Figure 1.

more network options

Vista firewall allows the user to select the public network or private network, while in Windows7, you have three choices: both the public network, home network or work network, after all It is considered a private network.

If you select "Home Network" option, you can create a Homegroup. In this case, network discovery (networkdiscovery) is automatically turned on so that you can see other computers and devices on the network, and they can see your computer. Computers belonging to Homegroup can share pictures, music, videos, and document libraries, as well as share hardware devices such as printers. If you have files in your folder that you don't want to share, you can also exclude them.

If you choose "Work Network", network discovery is enabled by default, but you can not create or join Homegroup, if you join the computer to a Windows domain (via ControlPanel