Windows Server 2003 : Windows Firewall (part 1) - Internet Connection Firewall

The built-in Windows Firewall, first known as the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF), is part of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP and Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows Server 2003 improved the firewall and renamed it the Windows Firewall. 

1. Internet Connection Firewall (ICF)

The Windows Server 2003 built-in firewall is not enabled by default. Installation of SP1 will not change this. The firewall can be enabled and configured to provide rudimentary protection for the server. When enabled, logging is not turned on.

To enable and configure the ICF , begin by clicking Start and selecting the Control Panel. Double-click Network Connections. Right-click the network connection to be shared and select Properties. Select the Advanced tab and click "Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet," as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Enable the Internet Connection Firewall from the network connection using the Advanced tab on the Properties page

Click the Settings button. If you must provide access to services on the private network or on this host, select the service and enter the IP address of the server where the service resides. Click OK. Click the Security Logging tab and select "Log dropped packets" and/or "Log successful connections." If required, change log file options, as shown in Figure 2. "Log file options" include the Name options (the name of the firewall log file and the path to its location) and a "Size limit" in kilobytes. If the log file reaches the limit set in the "Size limit" box, a new firewall log file is created. Click OK.

Select the ICMP tab. Click to select ICMP options from those shown in Figure 3 if ICMP communications are permitted. Click OK twice to close network settings.

If you need to provide a service connection that is not listed by default on the Advance Settings Services page, as shown in Figure 4, you can configure a custom service definition.

Figure 2. Logging is not configured by default and should be enabled

Figure 3. Configure ICMP if required for troubleshooting

To do so, select the Services page. Click the Add button and enter a description of the service. In the Service Settings page shown in Figure 5, enter the computer name or IP address of the computer on which the service will run.

Enter a value in the "External port number for this service" field and click TCP or UDP. Enter a value in the "Internal port number for this service" field. When you have finished, click OK.

Figure 4. Some services are already configured as exceptions and can simply be selected

Figure 5. Configure custom services to allow access to programs

Now that you have enabled ICF and customized some of the service settings, it is time to examine some of the modifications that have been introduced with the service packs.