Installing the PIX Firewall Setup Wizard

The PIX Firewall Setup Wizard provides an easy-to-use interface for building the initial PIX Firewall configuration. Once configured, the PIX Firewall enables hosts on local networks to initiate connections to the Internet or to another "outside" network, while protecting local hosts from connections originating from an outside network.

Note The PIX Firewall can have two or more network interfaces. For any pair of interfaces, one of the interfaces is the local, or internal interface, and one is the external interface. The relative security level of the interface defines whether it is the local or external interface; that is, the interface with the higher security level is the local interface, while the interface with the lower security level is the external interface. For example, a perimeter interface with a security level of 70 is the local interface relative to another interface with a security level of 40.

Along with the initial configuration settings, the PIX Firewall Setup Wizard allows you to configure these optional features:

PIX Firewall Manager, a graphical user interface for administering the PIX Firewall and for graphing system activity from log messages.
Failover, a mechanism for a PIX Firewall to be redundant by allowing two identical units to serve the same functionality. The failover feature requires optional hardware. Failover is not supported on the PIX 506 or the PIX 515 with an R (restricted) license.

Following the initial configuration, refer to the Configuration Guide for the Cisco Secure PIX Firewall Version 5.2 for detailed configuration options. Before continuing with the configuration, familiarize yourself with the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and network mask values used at your site.

This chapter includes the following sections:

PIX Firewall Setup Wizard Requirements

The PIX Firewall Setup Wizard has the following PIX Firewall installation requirements:

PIX Firewall unit installed and cabled as described in the previous chapters in this guide.
Serial cable connection from the PIX Firewall to the Windows-based computer running the Setup Wizard.
Network cable connections for all PIX Firewall interfaces.
Windows 95 Workstation or Windows NT Server version 3.51 or later.
IP addresses for each PIX Firewall interface.
IP addresses to use for address translation (optional).
IP addresses for network routers.
PIX Firewall privileged mode password. Once set, the password cannot be viewed and must be obtained from its creator. You can select the default password if you do not want to set a specific password.

Optional features require the following information and hardware for configuration:

PIX Firewall Manager configuration: requires the IP address of the Windows NT computer running the application.
Failover configuration: requires an additional PIX Firewall and a failover cable to connect the two units. Failover also requires IP addresses for the network interfaces on the PIX Firewall unit that operates as the Standby unit. The IP addresses for the Standby unit must be on the same networks as the Active unit's (the PIX Firewall connected to the Standby unit) network interfaces.

The PIX Firewall Setup Wizard is available online at CCO (Cisco Connection Online).

Installing PIX Firewall Setup Wizard

Follow these steps to install the PIX Firewall Setup Wizard:

Note If the PIX Firewall currently has a console connection (HyperTerminal) from the Windows-based computer, you must disconnect from the terminal emulator before running the Setup Wizard. The Setup Wizard cannot share the same serial cable connection with the console.

Step 1 From the Windows NT system, insert the first PIX Firewall Setup Wizard diskette in the diskette drive. Use one of the following to start the install:

From My Computer by double-clicking the diskette icon, and then double-clicking the miniature computer Setup icon.
By clicking Run on the Start menu and entering the starting filename as a:\setup.exe.

Once the installation program starts, you are prompted with a series of dialog boxes.

Step 2 Follow the instructions in the dialog boxes. In many cases you can simply click Next to accept the default values, and the installation will proceed without interruption. Alternately, you can enter values appropriate for your site and PIX Firewall installation.

Step 3 At the last dialog box, click Finish.

The PIX Firewall is now configured with the basic operating parameters, allowing connections from hosts on internal interfaces of the PIX Firewall to hosts on the outside interfaces.

Table of Contents