TABLE OF CONTENTS Every two or three years, Check Point releases a major upgrade to its main FireWall-1/VPN-1 product, now called VPN-1 Pro. Though the changes from versions 4.0/4.1 to NG (Next Generation) were significant, the changes from NG to NG with Application Intelligence (NG AI), and then from NG AI to NGX are both more moderate in scope.
This chapter discusses the significant changes between NG AI and NGX and partitions these changes into eight major categories. If you feel you re facile and competent with NG AI, a reading of this chapter will bring you most of the way toward preparing you for version NGX.
The Check Point SmartConsole GUI clients have long been a significant competitive advantage for Check Point in the firewall space. Using SIC (Secure Internal Communications), these clients provide a common user interface and communicate with the SmartCenter Server over an encrypted, authenticated, private channel over any IP network, including the Internet.
However, when thinking about a universal client and considering the benefits of communicating over an encrypted, authenticated, private channel over any IP network, including the Internet, most people s thoughts quickly turn to their Web browsers, particularly with HTTPS and SSL.
Until now, anyone who wanted access into the SmartCenter Server needed to install the GUI clients, a possible problem in organizations with strict configuration management policies or for administrators who can t always use their own laptops. SmartPortal is new to version NGX and allows the firewall administrator to extend read-only browser-based access to the...
