Test Center Daily | InfoWorld Staff » Vista countdown tips: 3 days out

January 27, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Vista countdown tips: 3 days out

TAGS: Vista

Tip 3: Flash Your Firewall
Already sucked down some Advil because of this issue. Seems something happened between Vista RC1 and the final RTM release that my SonicWall SafeAtOffice firewall didn't like. Unfortunately, the problem looks like a Vista problem when it happens.

All your other PCs are working fine. And a cabled connection to the firewall even off the Vista machine looks fine. Then you go wireless. Suddenly it's working intermittently where wireless under RC1 was as reliable as guilt after a Vegas visit.

Then you try and hook a second machine via wireless. Suddenly the Vista machine(s) can't get an IP address. They keep announcing an IP conflict with another machine. Assigning a static address solves the problem for a little while, but it returns after a bit.

For a good while, I thought it was Vista. Then maybe the adapater on the Gateway E255M notebook I was using. After all, the other four XP, two Linux and one Mac were working fine. Fortunately for me, Brian Chee over there at Geeks in Paradise also has a SafeAtOffice at home.

Same problem, smarter guy. He puts on some Kona, flashes the firmware on his Sonicwall and aloha! he's okay again. And Sonicwall isn't the only firewall maker with this trouble according to Webbified rumor. So check your firewall. And while you're at it, check your other networked appliances -- shared storage, printers, scanners and especially any higher-end switches with additional security features built-in. Better safe than calling Brian.

Posted by Oliver Rist on January 27, 2007 03:22 AM

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