Next Generation Firewall 7.0 Installation Guide

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Maintenance
To maximize the benefit of Forcepoint NGFW, upgrade the SMC and Forcepoint NGFW regularly.
Maintaining the Security Management Center
When there is a new version available, upgrade the SMC before upgrading NGFW Engines.

Introduction to the Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall solution
Before setting up Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall (Forcepoint NGFW), it is useful to know what the different components do and what engine roles are available. There are also tasks that you must complete to prepare for installation.
Security Management Center deployment
SMC is the management component of the Forcepoint NGFW system. SMC must be installed and running before you can deploy the Forcepoint NGFW engines.
Forcepoint NGFW deployment
Forcepoint NGFW deployment consists of adding and configuring engine elements in the SMC, and configuring the Forcepoint NGFW software on the engine.
Maintenance
To maximize the benefit of Forcepoint NGFW, upgrade the SMC and Forcepoint NGFW regularly.
- Upgrading licenses
  You must upgrade licenses if you upgrade the SMC, the SMC Appliance, or the NGFW Engines to a new major release.
- Maintaining the Security Management Center
  When there is a new version available, upgrade the SMC before upgrading NGFW Engines.
  - Upgrading the SMC
    You can upgrade SMC components without uninstalling the previous version.
  - Uninstall the SMC
    Usually, it is not necessary to uninstall the SMC, but you can do so if needed.
- SMC Appliance maintenance
  The SMC Appliance has a specific patching process that keeps the SMC software, operating system, and appliance firmware up-to-date.
- Upgrading NGFW engines
  When a new version of Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall introduces features that you want to use, upgrade the Forcepoint NGFW engines.
Appendices

SMC maintenance

When there is a new version available, upgrade the SMC before upgrading NGFW Engines.

Note: For information about SMC Appliance maintenance, see the SMC maintenance chapter.

Upgrading the SMC
You can upgrade SMC components without uninstalling the previous version.
Uninstall the SMC
Usually, it is not necessary to uninstall the SMC, but you can do so if needed.

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Published 25 August 2023