User guide

Chapter 3: Getting Started

28 WatchGuard Firebox System

Characteristics of a drop-in configuration:

• A single network that is not subdivided into smaller networks or

subnetted.

• The Firebox performs proxy ARP, a technique in which one host

answers Address Resolution Protocol requests for machines behind

that Firebox that cannot hear the broadcasts. The Trusted interface

ARP address replaces the router’s ARP address.

• The Firebox can be placed in a network without changing default

gateways on the Trusted hosts. This is because the Firebox answers

for the router, even though the router cannot hear the Trusted host’s

ARP requests.

• All Trusted computers must have their ARP caches flushed.

• The majority of a LAN resides on the Trusted interface by creating a

secondary network for the LAN.

The benefit of a drop-in configuration is that you don’t have to

reconfigure machines already on a public network with private IP

addresses. The drawback is that it is generally harder to manage and is