Quick Reference Guide

Table Of Contents
Appendix B: Network Planning for Dual WAN Ports | 173
Network Planning for Dual WAN Ports
B
his appendix describes the factors to consider when planning a network using a firewall that has
dual WAN ports.
This appendix contains the following sections:
What You Need to Do Before You Begin” on this page.
“Overview of the Planning Process” on page 177.
“Inbound Traffic” on page 178.
“Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)” on page 181.
What You Need to Do Before You Begin
The VPN firewall is a powerful and versatile solution for your networking needs. To make the
configuration process easier and to understand all of the choices available to you, you should
consider the following items before you begin:
1. Plan your network
a. Determine whether you will use one or both WAN ports. For one WAN port, you may
need a fully qualified domain name either for convenience or to remotely access a
dynamic WAN IP address.
b. If you intend to use both WAN ports, determine whether you will use them in rollover
mode for increased system reliability or load balancing mode for maximum
bandwidth efficiency. See the topics in this appendix for more information. Your
decision has the following implications:
Fully qualified domain name
- For rollover mode, you need a fully qualified domain name to implement
features such as exposed hosts and virtual private networks.
- For load balancing mode, you may still need a fully qualified domain name
either for convenience or to remotely access a dynamic WAN IP address.
Protocol binding
- For rollover mode, protocol binding does not apply.