Cisco PIX firewall overview

Cisco PIX firewall is an older technology that is currently being replaced by ASA firewalls. PIX firewall is a dedicated firewall that does not serve any other purposes such as a sensor or a concentrator, as the ASA firewalls do. Cisco PIX firewall models come in the 500 series of appliances and the most popular one is the PIX 501 firewall for homes and small businesses. Larger businesses generally migrate toward the PIX 515 firewall.

All Cisco PIX firewalls run the PIX operating system, which is based on the IOS but more complicated. This can create a lot of problems for users who are familiar with Cisco IOS in that is causes frustration when working with the PIX operating system. The PIX firewall features a PIX device Manager (PDM) for a user friendly and intuitive interface. The GUI is actually a Java application downloaded through the web browser. Most commonly, PIX firewalls have outside interfaces that connect to the inside of a router and through a public Internet. Additionally, it has an inside interface that connects to a LAN switch connecting to a private internal network.

Article written by MyComputerAid.com