A Security Firewall Natively Added to flexiWAN

As security is becoming an integral part of enterprise networking, flexiWAN now adds a native security firewall. Capabilities such as LAN bridge configuration, OSPF improvements, and other smaller features were added as well.

Security Firewall Functionality

We’re happy to introduce a security firewall functionality in flexiWAN version 4.2.1. 

Firewall functionality relies on two parts, a firewall rules section available within every device settings and a firewall policies section where organization-wide firewall rules can be defined and then deployed at a mass scale. All this is configured in flexiManage, our cloud management system.

To view and add rules per device, simply navigate to device settings and click on the Firewall tab. From there, inbound or outbound rules can be added, including port forwarding or 1:1 NAT. If you just upgraded your flexiEdge devices to version 4.2.13, be sure to add rules for SSH in order to be able to access it remotely.



While each device can have its own device-specific rules, we’re also introducing Firewall Policies. Policies allow defining a set of firewall rules, called Global rules and then applying them to many flexiEdge devices in a bulk operation.



We’ve in-depth documented the new firewall feature in this documentation section. Also available is a firewall introduction video on our YouTube channel, so be sure to check it out!

LAN Bridge Configuration

Starting with this release, interfaces can be configured to work in a bridge mode with ease. Simply assign the same IP address to two or more interfaces to get it working. This is particularly useful if your device has multiple physical interfaces and you wish to use it as a smart switch. 

More details on bridge configuration can be found in this documentation section.



Advanced OSPF Configuration

The advanced OSPF configuration allows for easier integration with other devices, such as smart switches or 3rd party routers. For more information, please see the OSPF documentation section.

Static Routes Redistribution

Another feature that was requested a lot from our users, is the ability to redistribute static routes across multiple sites using OSPF. Together with the above-mentioned advanced OSPF configuration, it is now possible to redistribute static routes!

While a very simple feature, it will bring major benefits and can be configured via the usual Static Routes tab in device settings.



Many Smaller Improvements and Bug Fixes

In this release, we focused on scale improvements, when managing hundreds of tunnels or devices. Another great feature we added is a core dump, which is now enabled by default, improving the troubleshooting or bug-hunting process.

Please check out flexiWAN version 4.2.1 release notes for a full list of features and bug fixes.