Installation guide

Important to Know Before Installation

Before you start the installation, you need to carefully plan the site that you are going to install.

Consult the McAfee NGFW Reference Guide for IPS and Layer 2 Firewall Roles if you need more

detailed background information on the operation of the system than what is offered in this

chapter.

Supported Platforms

IPS engines and Layer 2 Firewalls can be run on the following general types of platforms:

• Purpose-built McAfee NGFW appliances.

• Standard Intel-compatible servers. Search for the version-specific Hardware Requirements in

the technical documentation search at http://www.stonesoft.com/en/customer_care/kb/.

• Virtualization platforms that support the deployment of Open Virtual Format (OVF) templates.

VMWare is officially supported. Other virtualization platforms may also be supported. There

are some additional requirements and limitations when the IPS engine or Layer 2 Firewall is

installed on a virtualization platform. See the Release Notes available at

http://www.stonesoft.com/en/customer_care/kb/ for more information. Detailed

instructions can be found in Installing the Engine on a Virtualization Platform (page 101).

The engines have an integrated, hardened Linux operating system that is always a part of the

McAfee NGFW engine software, eliminating the need for separate operating system installation,

configuration, and patching.

Date and Time Settings

The time settings of the engines do not need to be adjusted, as they are automatically

synchronized to the Management Server’s time setting. For this operation, the time is converted

to UTC time according to the Management Server’s time zone setting.

Capture Interfaces

IPS engines can be connected to a switch SPAN port or a network TAP to capture network traffic.

The considerations for these connection methods are explained below. Additionally, the IPS

engine can be installed inline, so that the network traffic flows through the engine, allowing

active blocking of any connection.

Layer 2 Firewalls are usually installed inline to inspect and block traffic. They can also be

configured in Passive Firewall mode, either by connecting the Layer 2 Firewall to a switch SPAN

port to capture network traffic or by setting the engine to only log connections in an inline

configuration.

For more specific information on compatibility of different network devices and McAfee IPS

engines and Layer 2 Firewalls, see http://www.stonesoft.com/support/.