Windows 7 / Networking

Understanding Windows Firewall with Advanced Security

Windows Firewall with Advanced Security (also referred to as "Windows Firewall" in this tutorial) is a host-based, stateful firewall included in the Windows Vista operating system and later versions that can be used to specify which types of network traffic are allowed to pass between the local computer and the rest of the network. Specifically, Windows Firewall with Advanced Security is:

  • A host-based firewall designed to protect the local computer, as opposed to a perimeter firewall designed to protect the entire internal network.
  • A stateful firewall that can inspect and filter both inbound and outbound packets for both IPv4 and IPv6.

Windows Firewall with Advanced Security can also be used to protect network traffic as it passes between the local computer and other computers on the network. To accomplish this, Windows Firewall with Advanced Security uses IPsec.

Windows 7 builds upon the foundation of Windows Vista by adding new features and enhancements to Windows Firewall with Advanced Security. This section begins by outlining the improvements introduced previously in Windows Vista followed by a summary of the new improvements added in Windows 7. The section then continues by describing the underlying architecture of Windows Firewall with Advanced Security and how it works. Unless otherwise indicated, Windows Firewall and IPsec features available in Windows 7 are also available in Windows Server 2008 R2.

[Contents] [Next]

In this tutorial:

  1. Configuring Windows Firewall and IPsec
  2. Understanding Windows Firewall with Advanced Security
  3. Improvements to Windows Firewall Introduced Previously in Windows Vista
  4. Additional Improvements to Windows Firewall in Windows 7
  5. Understanding the Windows Filtering Platform
  6. Windows Firewall and the Startup Process
  7. Understanding Windows Service Hardening
  8. Understanding Service SIDs
  9. Windows Firewall and WSH
  10. Windows Firewall and Service Triggers
  11. Understanding Multiple Active Firewall Profiles
  12. Understanding Rules
  13. Understanding Firewall Rules
  14. Inbound vs . Outbound Rules
  15. Allow vs . Block Rules
  16. Allow If Secure Rules
  17. Authenticated Bypass Rules
  18. Filtering Conditions FOR Firewall RULES
  19. Understanding Connection Security Rules
  20. Types of Connection Security Rules
  21. Supported IPsec Settings for Connection Security Rules
  22. Default IPsec Settings for Connection Security Rules
  23. Windows Firewall and Windows PE
  24. Understanding Default Rules
  25. Understanding WSH Rules
  26. Understanding Rules Processing
  27. Managing Windows Firewall with Advanced Security
  28. Tools for Managing Windows Firewall with Advanced Security
  29. Managing Windows Firewall Using Control Panel
  30. Managing Windows Firewall Using the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security Snap-in
  31. Managing Windows Firewall Using Group Policy
  32. Considerations When Managing Windows Firewall Using Group Policy
  33. Managing Windows Firewall Using the Netsh Command
  34. Common Management Tasks
  35. Enabling or Disabling Windows Firewall
  36. Configuring Firewall Profiles and IPsec Settings by Using Group Policy
  37. Creating and Configuring Firewall Rules
  38. Creating and Configuring Connection Security Rules
  39. Monitoring Windows Firewall
  40. Troubleshooting Windows Firewall
  41. Troubleshooting Windows Firewall Using Firewall Logs
  42. Troubleshooting Windows Firewall Using Event Logs
  43. Troubleshooting Windows Firewall Using Auditing
  44. Troubleshooting IPsec Issues Using Netsh Wfp
  45. Troubleshooting Windows Filtering Platform and IPsec Issues Using Netsh Trace