Using the Main Console

The Main Console for the Personal Firewall is available from your Start menu: click Start|Programs|Sygate Personal Firewall|Sygate Personal Firewall. The main console appears. You can also bring up the main console by clicking the System Tray Icon.

The Personal Firewall interface is simple and intuitive. The main console (click to view image) provides real-time network traffic updates, online status, and links to logs, help files, and the Applications List.

The Personal Firewall interface is re-sizable, so you can view it as a full-screen or part-screen image.

Menus and Toolbar

The top of the screen displays a standard menu.

Toolbar Buttons

The buttons located below the menu items can be used to quickly access logs, view the Help file, or access the Applications List.

Traffic History Graphs

One of most noticeable features of the Personal Firewall is the set of Traffic History graphs (click to view image) that are located below the toolbar on the main console.

The Traffic History graphs produce a real-time picture of the last two minutes of your traffic history. The graphs reload new information every second, providing instant data, as measured in bytes, about your incoming and outgoing network traffic.

The Traffic History graphs are broken into three sections. On the left side of the graphs section are the Incoming and Outgoing Traffic History graphs. These provide a visual assessment of the current traffic that is entering and leaving your computer through a network interface. This includes traffic that is allowed and traffic that is blocked. The green lines and bars indicate traffic that is allowed to pass through, and the red coloring indicates traffic that is being blocked by the Personal Firewall.

Additionally, the Attack History graph on the right side of the console provides information on attempted attacks against your machine.

Broadcast Traffic

Broadcast traffic is network traffic that is sent to every computer in a particular subnet, and thus is not directed specifically to your computer. If you do not want to see this traffic, you can remove it from this graphical view by choosing to Hide Broadcast Traffic. You will then only see "unicast" traffic in this graph, which is traffic that directed specifically to your computer.

Running Applications Field

The Running Applications Field provides a list of all applications and system services that are currently running on the your system. The display of application names can be changed through the View menu, or by right-clicking in the Running Applications field and selecting the desired view from the menu that appears.

You can also view the status of the applications. An application’s “status” refers to the permissions that you allow itwhether it can access your Internet connection, if it can access that connection without asking you first, or if it is blocked from accessing the Internet or network altogether.

You can change the status of applications from the Running Applications field by right-clicking on an application’s icon and selecting the desired status.

Running Applications Field

Icon

Status

Description

 

Allow

Icon appears normal, with no marks

 

Ask

Icon appears with a small, yellow question mark

 

Block

Icon appears with a red circle and cross-out mark

Additionally, application icons will display a small blue dot on lower left-hand or right-hand corner to indicate if it is receiving (left-hand) or sending (right-hand) traffic.

You can hide the display of system services by clicking Hide Windows Services above the Running Applications field. There are a number of services running at any given time, and since they are often crucial to the operation of your computer, you most likely want to allow them. You will see pop-ups that ask you if you want to allow these services to run. It is generally fine to allow them, and you can allow them permanently without worry. The Personal Firewall will block the services or applications if anything within the application’s executable file changes. For instance, if you download a Trojan horse or an email virus that affects a service or application, the Personal Firewall will notice the difference and ask you if you want to allow it. If you have not made any changes to the service or application (such as an upgrade), then you will want to block these applications from running and alert your system administrator. See “Understanding Pop-Up Messages” for details on pop-up messages.

Message Console

The Message Console of the Personal Firewall is located below the Running Applications field on the main console. It provides a real-time update of server-client communication, including profile downloads, Profile Serial Numbers, and server connection status.

 

The Message Console is, by default, hidden from view. To view the Message Console, click Show Message Console below the Running Applications field on the main console. The Message Console will appear.

To hide the Message Console from view, click Hide Message Console. The Message Console will collapse so that only the Show Message Console button is apparent.

Status Bar

The Status Bar, located along the bottom of the Personal Firewall main console, provides the user with the current location profile information.