• SonicOS 7.1
• About SonicOS
  • Working with SonicOS
  • SonicOS Workflow
  • How to Use the SonicOS Administration Guides
  • Guide Conventions
• About Device
  • Device Log Introduction
• Settings
  • Filtering the Base Setup View
  • Configuring the Logging and Alert Levels
    • Setting the Logging Level
    • Setting the Alert Level
  • About Other Top Row Buttons
    • Edit Attributes of All Categories
    • Reset All Event Counts
    • Save Template
    • Import Template
      • Default Template
      • Minimal Template
      • Analyzer/ViewPoint/GMS Template
      • Firewall Action Template
      • Custom Template
    • View Logs
  • About the Log Settings Base Setup Table
    • Category Column
    • Color Column
    • ID Column
    • Priority Column
    • GUI Column
    • Alert Column
    • Syslog Column
    • Internet Protocol Flow Information Export (IPFIX) Column
    • Email Column
    • Event Count Column
    • Edit and Reset Count Icons
  • Configuring Event Attributes Globally
  • Configuring Event Attributes Selectively
    • Configuring Event Attributes by Category
    • Configuring Event Attributes by Group
    • Configuring Event Attributes by Event
    • About Filename Logging
• Syslog
  • About Event Profiles
  • About Syslog Server Profiling
  • Using a GMS/Analytics Server for Syslog
  • Syslog Settings
  • Syslog Servers
    • Adding a Syslog Server
    • Editing a Syslog Server
    • Enabling Syslog Servers
    • Disabling Syslog Server
    • Deleting Syslog Servers
• Automation
  • Email Settings
  • Mail Server Settings
  • FTP Log Automation
• Name Resolution
• Reports
  • Data Collection
  • View Data
  • Backup Logs Information
• AWS
  • Enabling AWS Logs
• SonicWall Support
  • About This Document

SonicOS Workflow

When working with SonicWall products, you can use the following workflow as a guide for setting up your security solution.

You begin your planning as you start making your purchasing decisions. Your sales partners can help you assess your environment and make recommendations based on the kinds of security services you need. You can learn more about SonicWall products by reviewing product information and solutions. After selecting the solution, you can schedule your implementation.

After planning and scheduling your solution, you begin setting up the firewalls. The Getting Started Guides for your products can help you begin setting up the pieces to your solution. The getting started guides are designed to help you install the firewall to a minimal level of operation. Before performing any detailed configuration tasks described in the SonicOS Administration Guides, you should have your firewall set up and basic operation validated.

The configuration block of the workflow refers to the many tasks that combine to define how your firewall is integrated into your security solution and how it behaves when protecting your environment. Depending on the features of your security solution, this task can be quite complex. The System Administration Guides are broken into the key command sets and features. Some documents may be used for all solutions, but others may be used use only if you integrated that feature into your solution. For example, High Availability or Wireless Access Points are not necessarily used by all customers. More information about a feature's workflow is presented in the feature administration guide. Refer to the specific Administration Guide for a SonicOS feature for more information.

Configuration tends to be a one-time activity, although you might make minor adjustments after monitoring performance or after diagnosing an issue. The configuration activity can be broken down into the more detailed flow as the following figure shows. This also mirrors the key functions that are listed across the top of the management interface.

There is some flexibility in the order in which you do things, but this is the general work-flow you would follow when configuring your firewall. Start by defining the settings on the firewall. Next you set up the system and other devices that your firewall is connected to, and you can choose to implement High Availability when done. After your device, network, and system is configured, you should define the objects that you want to monitor. Then you use those objects to define the policies that protect your network. The final step to preparing your setup is to validate the user authentication.