Firewall MC Interface
Although the Firewall MC user interface is graphical and easy to use, it is helpful to understand how the interface is structured. The Firewall MC user interface is composed of the following major sections (see Figure 14-3):
Configuration tabs
Options bar
Table of contents (TOC)
Path bar
Instruction box
Content area
Scope bar
Object Selector handle
Tools bar
Activity bar
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Figure
14-3 Firewall MC User Interface
Configuration Tabs
The configuration tasks are broken down into the following five major categories:
Devices—Enables you to import device configurations and define device groups to be managed by the system
Configuration—Enables you to change the operational configuration of the devices managed by the system
Deployment—Enables you to generate configuration files, manage firewall configuration files, and submit or manage new jobs
Reports—Enables you to generate reports, view scheduled reports, and view reports
Admin—Enables you to configure system settings
NOTE
When you enable workflow, the Deployment tab changes to Workflow.
To access any of the categories, click the tab labeled with the appropriate name. The tabs are located across the top of the Firewall MC display.
Options Bar
After clicking one of the major configuration tabs, the options for that selection are displayed in a list located in the window just below the configuration tabs. Figure 14-3 shows a window in which the Configuration tab has been selected. The options associated with the Configuration tab are as follows:
Device Settings
Access Rules
Translation Rules
Building Blocks
View Config
MC Settings
Click an option to display the information in the content area or a menu of available choices (known as the TOC) on the left side of the Firewall MC interface.
Table of Contents
The table of contents (TOC) is a menu of choices that is displayed on the left side of the Firewall MC interface. It presents a list of suboptions you can select based on the option chosen. As shown in Figure 14-3, for instance, the Configuration > Device Settings option has the following selections:
Firewall OS Version
Interfaces
Failover
Auto Update Server
Routing
Firewall Device Administration
Logging
Servers and Services
Advanced Security
Config Additions
Path Bar
The path bar provides a visual road map indicating where you are with respect to the Firewall MC interface. It is located above the TOC and below the options bar, and it begins with the text “You Are Here.”
Figure 14-3 shows a situation in which the value of the path bar is Configuration > Device Settings > Interfaces. This indicates that you performed the following steps to reach the current window:
You clicked the Configuration tab.
You clicked the Device Settings option.
You clicked the Interfaces TOC option.
Instructions Box
Some pages provide you with an Instructions box on the right side of the Firewall MC display. When displayed, this box provides you with a brief overview of the page that you have selected. The Instructions box provides less information than the Help option on the tools bar.
Content Area
The content area displays the information associated with the option that you selected (when no TOC selections are available) or the selection in the TOC that you click.
Scope Bar
The Scope bar displays the object or objects that you have selected using the Object Selector. Figure 14-3 shows a situation in which you have selected the firewall named PIX515A from the Perimeter firewall group, which is part of the Global group. When you perform configuration changes, the Scope bar indicates which devices will receive updated configuration information.
Object Selector
When making configuration changes using Firewall MC, you need to specify to which device or devices you want to apply changes. By clicking the Object Selector, you can select individual firewalls or firewall groups (see Figure 14-4). Any changes that you specify are then applied to that firewall or firewall group. The Scope bar indicates the device or group that you currently have selected.
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Figure
14-4 Object Selector
Tools Bar
Located in the upper-right portion of the Firewall MC interface is the Tools bar. The Tools bar has the following options:
Close
Help
About
Click Close to log out of the current Firewall MC user session. Select Help to open another browser window that displays detailed context-sensitive help information on using Firewall MC. Finally, click About to display information about the version of Firewall MC that you are using.
Activity Bar
The activity bar displays activities and Actions icons that vary depending on the information that you are changing. The activity bar is shown only when you are operating in either the Devices or Configuration tabs of the Firewall MC. The Actions icons that can be shown are as follows:
Add—Add a new activity
Open—Open a new or existing activity (selected from a popup window)
Close—Close the activity shown by the activity bar
Save and Deploy—Save and generate a device configuration file
Submit—Submit an activity
Reject—Reject an activity
Approve—Approve an activity
Undo—Discard the activity shown by the activity bar
View Details—show the details of the current changes
NOTE
Some of the activity options are not available unless you enable workflow. Workflow is explained later in the chapter.