Lately I have been learning how to configure the Checkpoint firewall because majority of the firewalls on the company I'm working for are Checkpoints. Like many of the firewalls available on the market it is GUI-based. What sets it apart though is that it is not html-based and use a client software called SmartDashboard instead to configure their firewall.
I really find its interface pretty intuitive and convenient. You can drag and drop objects and besides the toolbars and the menus, right-clicking reveals more options. And the most important thing, it is stable.
Too bad I cannot say the same thing about the Pix Device Manager (PDM) or the ASA Device Manager (ASDM). When I first used the PDM about three years ago, it was slow, counter-intuitve and was plagued with bugs.
Yes, it is relatively easier to delete, move and insert access-list entries using the PDM. But it is a different story when make use of the comments section. Somehow the comments get messed up when you move and delete the access-lists. Don't even think about using the PDM to configure object groups. Once you push the configurations, it will lock up the pix.
What's surprising is that just recently, I tried out the latest version of ASDM and guess what, the bugs are still there. I was editing and moving the access-lists and the comment section is still messy and when I pushed the configuration, the PDM hanged. Even the CLI was unusable. So I have to reload a production pix and this made me look bad to the bosses.
Well, it does look prettier though but sorry no brownie points for that. It's back to the command line for me.
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