Create shared physical interfaces for Master NGFW Engines

In the properties of the physical interface, you must add multiple Virtual Resources.

Before you begin

You have created Virtual Resources.

For more details about the product and how to configure features, click Help or press F1.

Steps

  1. Select Configuration.
  2. Right-click an NGFW Engine, then select Edit <element type>.
  3. Browse to Interfaces.
  4. Select Add > Layer 3 Physical Interface.
  5. From the Virtual Resource drop-down list, select Multiple Virtual Resources.
  6. Click Add, then select the Virtual Resources that you want to use for the Virtual Firewalls.
  7. Configure the additional settings, then click OK.

Next steps

Create Virtual Firewalls that use the Virtual Resources that you have created.

Layer 3 Physical Interface Properties dialog box (Master NGFW Engine and Virtual Firewall)

Use this dialog box to define the Layer 3 Physical Interface properties for a Master NGFW Engine in the Firewall/VPN role or a Virtual Firewall.

Note: The available options can vary depending on the type of NGFW Engine, whether an interface is layer 2 or layer 3, and the type of layer 2 interface.
Option Definition
General tab
Interface ID The Interface ID automatically maps to a physical network port of the same number during the initial configuration of the engine. The mapping can be changed as necessary through the engine’s command line interface.
Note: Changes to the Master NGFW Engine interface mapping do not affect the Interface IDs that are defined for Virtual NGFW Engines in Virtual Resource elements.
Type
  • None — Corresponds to a single network interface on the NGFW Engine.
  • Aggregated Link in High Availability Mode — Represents two interfaces on the NGFW Engine. Only the first interface in the aggregated link is actively used. The second interface becomes active only if the first interface fails. Connect the first interface to one external switch and the second interface to another external switch.
    Note: When you select a Virtual Resource for an interface in the Master NGFW Engine, two Physical Interfaces are created in the Virtual Firewall properties. Each interface in the aggregated link interface pair is represented by a separate Physical Interface in the Virtual Firewall properties.
  • Aggregated Link in Load Balancing Mode — Represents up to eight interfaces on the NGFW Engine. The interfaces in the aggregated link are actively used and connections are automatically balanced between the interfaces.

    This mode is implemented based on the IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation standard. Connect the interfaces to a single external switch. Make sure that the external switch supports the Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) and that LACP is configured on the switch.

Note: We recommend that you do not use the IP address of an Aggregated Link interface as the primary or secondary control IP address of the NGFW Engine.
Second Interface ID

(When Type is Aggregated Link in High Availability Mode)

The second interface in the aggregated link for high availability Mode.
Additional Interface(s)

(When Type is Aggregated Link in Load Balancing Mode)

Lists interfaces that you have added for an aggregated link. Click Add to add a row to the table, or Remove to remove the selected row.
Option Definition
Virtual Resource section

(Master NGFW Engines only)

Virtual Resource

The Virtual Resource associated with the interface. Select the same Virtual Resource in the properties of the Virtual NGFW Engine to add the Virtual NGFW Engine to the Master NGFW Engine. If the interface is to be used for the Master NGFW Engine system communications, select None.

For Master NGFW Engines that host Virtual Firewalls, you can select Multiple Virtual Resources to allow several Virtual Firewalls to share a single physical interface.

To add multiple Virtual Resources for Virtual IPS engines or Virtual Layer 2 Firewalls, add VLAN Interfaces to the Physical Interface, then select a Virtual Resource in the properties of each VLAN Interface.
Allow VLAN Definition in Virtual Engine

(When the Virtual Resource option is a single Virtual Resource)

When selected, you can add VLAN Interfaces to the automatically created physical interfaces in the Virtual NGFW Engines that are associated with this interface.
Virtual Engine Interface ID

(When the Virtual Resource option is a single Virtual Resource)

Specifies the Interface ID of the Physical Interface in the Virtual NGFW Engine that is associated with this interface.
Cluster MAC Address

(When the Virtual Resource option is a single Virtual Resource)

Specifies a MAC address for the Master NGFW Engine. Do not use the MAC address of any actual network card on any of the Master NGFW Engine nodes.
Interface Throughput Limit

(When the Virtual Resource option is a single Virtual Resource)

Enter the throughput for the link on this interface as megabits per second. If the Virtual Resource element has a limit defined, the limit defined in that element is always used.
Virtual Resources table

(When the Virtual Resource option is Multiple Virtual Resources)

Select the Virtual Resources that you want to use for the associated Virtual Firewalls. Click Add to add an element to the table, or Remove to remove the selected element.
Virtual Resource The selected Virtual Resource element.
Interface ID Specifies the Interface ID of the Physical Interface in the Virtual NGFW Engine that is associated with this interface.
Throughput Limit Enter the throughput for the link on this interface as megabits per second. If the Virtual Resource element has a limit defined, the limit defined in that element is always used.
MAC Address Prefix

(When the Virtual Resource option is Multiple Virtual Resources)

Enter a unique unicast MAC address prefix (the first five octets of a MAC address) that identifies the interface and groups the Virtual Firewalls that use this interface. Each individual Virtual Firewall is identified by a full unique unicast MAC address (the prefix and the final octet which is taken from the Virtual Firewall ID).
Option Definition
Interface Settings for Master NGFW Engine section

(Master NGFW Engines only)

The options in this section apply only to the Master NGFW Engines system communications.
Option Definition
Zone

(Optional)

 Select the network zone to which the interface belongs. Click Select to select an element, or click New to create an element.
QoS Mode

(Optional)

Defines how QoS is applied to the link on this interface.

If Full QoS or DSCP Handling and Throttling is selected, a QoS policy must also be selected. If Full QoS is selected, the throughput must also be defined.

If the interface is a Physical Interface, the same QoS mode is automatically applied to any VLANs created under it.

QoS Policy

(When QoS Mode is Full QoS or DSCP Handling and Throttling)

The QoS policy for the link on this interface.

If the interface is a Physical Interface, the same QoS policy is automatically selected for any VLANs created under it.

Note: If a Virtual Resource has a throughput limit defined, the interfaces on the Virtual NGFW Engine that use a QoS policy all use the same policy. The policy used in the first interface is used for all the interfaces.
Interface Throughput Limit

(When QoS Mode is Full QoS)

Enter the throughput for the link on this interface as megabits per second.

If the interface is a Physical Interface, the same throughput is automatically applied to any VLANs created under it.

The throughput is for uplink speed (outgoing traffic) and typically must correspond to the speed of an Internet link (such as an ADSL line), or the combined speeds of several such links when connected to a single interface.

CAUTION:
Make sure that you set the interface speed correctly. When the bandwidth is set, the NGFW Engine always scales the total amount of traffic on this interface to the bandwidth you defined. This scaling happens even if there are no bandwidth limits or guarantees defined for any traffic.
CAUTION:
The throughput for a Physical Interface for a Virtual NGFW Engine must not be higher than the throughput for the Master NGFW Engine interface that hosts the Virtual NGFW Engine. Contact the administrator of the Master NGFW Engine before changing this setting.
Option Definition
MTU

(Optional)

The maximum transmission unit (MTU) size on the connected link. Either enter a value between 400–65535 or select a common MTU value from the list.

If the interface is a Physical Interface, the same MTU is automatically applied to any VLANs created under it.

The default value (also the maximum standard MTU in Ethernet) is 1500. Do not set a value larger than the standard MTU, unless you know that all devices along the communication path support it.

To set the MTU for a Virtual NGFW Engine, you must configure the MTU for the interface on the Master NGFW Engine that hosts the Virtual NGFW Engine, then refresh the policy on the Master NGFW Engine and the Virtual NGFW Engine.
LLDP Mode Specifies how LLDP is used on the interface.
  • Disabled — LLDP is not used.
  • Receive Only — The interface only receives LLDP announcements from other directly connected devices in the network.
  • Send and Receive — The interface sends LLDP announcements from the NGFW Engine and receives LLDP announcements from other directly connected devices in the network.
  • Send Only — The interface only sends LLDP announcements from the NGFW Engine.
Comment

(Optional)

 A comment for your own reference.
Option Definition
Advanced tab

(All optional settings)

Override Engine's Default Settings When selected, the default settings of the NGFW Engine are overridden.
SYN Rate Limits
  • Default — The interface uses the SYN rate limits defined for the NGFW Engine on the Advanced Settings branch of the Engine Editor.
  • None — Disables SYN rate limits on the interface.
  • Automatic — This is the recommended mode if you want to override the general SYN rate limits defined on the Advanced Settings branch of the Engine Editor. The NGFW Engine calculates the number of allowed SYN packets per second and the burst size (the number of allowed SYNs before the NGFW Engine starts limiting the SYN rate) based on the NGFW Engine’s capacity and memory size.
  • Custom — Enter the values for Allowed SYNs per Second and Burst Size.
Allowed SYNs per Second Defines the number of allowed SYN packets per second.
Burst Size The number of allowed SYNs before the NGFW Engine starts limiting the SYN rate.

We recommend that you set the burst size to be at least one tenth of the Allowed SYNs per Second value. If the burst size is too small, SYN rate limits do not work. For example, if the value for Allowed SYNs per Second is 10000, set the value for Burst Size to at least 1000.

Enable Log Compression

By default, each generated Antispoofing and Discard log entry is logged separately and displayed as a separate entry in the Logs view. Log Compression settings allow you to define the maximum number of separately logged entries. When the defined limit is reached, a single antispoofing log entry or Discard log entry is logged. The single entry contains information about the total number of the generated Antispoofing log entries or Discard log entries. After this log entry, the logging returns to normal and all generated entries are once more logged and displayed separately. Log Compression is useful when the routing configuration generates a large volume of antispoofing logs or the number of Discard logs becomes high.

For each event type, Antispoofing or Discard, you can define:
  • Log Rate (Entries/s) — The maximum number of entries per second. The default value for antispoofing entries is 100 entries/s. By default, Discard log entries are not compressed.
  • Burst Size (Entries) — The maximum number of matching entries in a single burst. The default value for antispoofing entries is 1000 entries. By default, Discard log entries are not compressed.
Set to Default Returns all changes to the log compression settings to the default settings.