One of the applications included in the management of a dedicated server is firewall protection.
A firewall is used in conjunction with a web server as a security measure. It is a function that applies a configuration that accepts or denies transfer of data in whatever form the transfer is taking place. It can encrypt or proxy all information that is travelling to and from a computer between different security domains. The dedicated server firewall is established based on a particular set of criteria that forces the moving data to adhere to specific rules.
Levels of Trust
The web server's firewall inspects all traffic that attempts to pass through it and based on the preset criteria, determines if the data transfer may continue. The firewall is configured to variable levels of trust from which it makes its determination. Typically, the Internet is a traffic zone where the trust level is extremely low due to the fact that computer viruses and worms can be sent easily over the internet through emails and contracted by visiting websites. These viruses and worms can be extremely harmful to a computer, to the point of rendering it useless.
An internal network is considered to be on a higher trust level, since the data that is being transferred originates from an internal source, thereby lowering the likelihood of the harmful elements which can destroy documents and software programs. A traffic zone that includes data transfer involving both the internet and the intranet (internal network) is referred to as a "perimeter network" or Demilitarized zone (DMZ) and is managed by dedicated servers as an intermediate trust level.
How a Firewall Works
Picture a fire door in an office building to gain a clear understanding of the function of a firewall in a web server. In both cases, its task is to contain or delay potentially damaging factors from spreading to the rest of the facility. If a firewall is not correctly configured it can become essentially useless. The typical standard security level that is built into a firewall allows only traffic and connections that have been "explicitly allowed" but without in depth comprehension of network applications required in a specific operation the "default-allow" ruleset can be mistakenly implemented. This permits everything and anything to enter the system. Dedicated servers management covers this base - configuring the firewall for the specific needs of an organization so that there is no danger of a network system compromise.
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