Network Adapter - Rule Classification

Introduction

In most cases a server will use two or more network adapters for internet sharing. One adapter is used to handle all LAN traffic while another adapter is connected to the internet via a modem.

The network adapter field allows you to choose which adapter the rule will use for classification. By choosing the LAN adapter the rule will only filter traffic that flows through that point (incoming from LAN or outgoing to LAN). Selecting the internet adapter instructs the rule to classify traffic that flows to and from the internet.

The network adapter criteria only relates to the gateway computer and does not determine which network adapter a traffic stream actually originated from. For example to control a stream from a client's network adapter 192.168.0.20 that travels through the gateway at 192.168.0.1, you would choose the LAN adapter (192.168.0.1) and add the client's IP address (192.168.0.20) to the local endpoint field.

Usage

Most gateway computers use Network Address Translation which overwrites the local address with the address of the gateway for each stream. For that reason we recommend the use of the LAN adapter for rules. This allows the product to differentiate between local computers on the network during classification.

To choose the network adapter simply select it from the list in the rule classification window. For servers that use a separate adapter for each subnet, select the adapter that corresponds to the traffic you are filtering for the local endpoint field.

Before creating any rules it is important to set the correct orientation for each adapter in options to ensure correct operation. If the orientation is not set correctly the server will confuse upload and download traffic, as well as local and remote endpoints.

User Interface

The Network Adapter field is accessible through the properties window for the rule, under the processing tab. Click the field to display a list of adapters then choose one from the list.

Specifications