Policy Configuration : Overview of Interfaces

Configuring Interface Settings
Interface settings define the networks associated with the LAN, WAN, optional (OPT), and WWAN interfaces. This includes protocols, gateways, DNS servers, Virtual LANs, and management settings.
IPv4 and IPv6 IP addresses are accepted/displayed in the Network > Interfaces screens.
To configure the network interface general settings for one or more SonicWALL appliance, select the desired configuration from the following:
Static Mode
Static means that you assign a fixed IP address to the interface.
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Click on the Configure icon in the Configure column for the Interface you want to configure. The Edit Interface window is displayed.
If you want to create a new zone, select Create new zone. The Add Zone window is displayed. See the Network > Zones page for instructions on adding a zone.
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Select Static from the IP Assignment menu.
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Enter any optional comment text in the Comment field. This text is displayed in the Comment column of the Interface table.
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Transparent Mode
The following options are available when configuring an interface in Transparent Mode:
For LAN, DMZ, or Multicast interfaces, configure the following settings:
Static—For static IP addresses, enter the IP Address for the interface and Subnet Mask for the network.
Transparent Mode—For transparent mode, select an address object that contains the range of IP addresses you want to have access through this interface in the Transparent Range menu.
PortShield Switch Mode—For SonicWALL TZ 210, TZ 210W and NSA 240 appliances, you can configure interfaces for PortShield switch mode that manually groups ports together to share a common network subnet as well as common zone settings. For more information, refer to Configuring PortShield Groups .
Layer 2 Bridge Mode
The following options are available when configuring an interface in Layer 2 Bridge Mode:
Layer 2 Bridged Mode—On appliances running SonicOS Enhanced 3.5 and 4.0 or higher, you can select Layer 2 Bridged Mode for physical interfaces in either the LAN or the DMZ zone. On appliances running SonicOS Enhanced 5.5 or higher, you can select Layer 2 Bridge Mode for the WLAN zone.
In the Bridged-to field, select a WAN, LAN, or DMZ interface with a static IP address.
Select Block all non-IPv4 traffic to allow only IPv4 traffic on this bridge-pair.
Select Never route traffic on this bridge-pair to prevent traffic from being routed to another interface.
Select Only sniff traffic on this bridge-pair to allow the bridged interface to be connected to a mirrored port on a switch in a one-arm mode to do intrusion detection by examining traffic going through the switch.
Select Disable stateful-inspection on this bridge-pair to enable asymmetric routing on this interface.
Layer 2 Bridge Bypass Relay Control
The Engage physical bypass on malfunction option enables Layer 2 Bridge Bypass Relay Control, also known as “Fail to Wire.” The bypass relay option provides the user the choice of avoiding disruption of network traffic by bypassing the firewall in the event of a malfunction. The bypass relay is closed for any unexpected anomaly (power failure, watchdog exception, fallback to safe-mode).
Selecting the Engage physical bypass on malfunction option automatically configures the other Layer 2 Bridge mode options as follows:
Comment—Enter any comments regarding the interface.
Management—Select one or more of the following management options:
HTTP—Allows HTTP management over the interface.
HTTPS—Allows HTTPS management over the interface.
Ping—The interface responds to ping requests.
SNMP—The interface supports Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).
SSH—The interface supports Secure Shell (SSH) for CLI-based administration.
User Login—Select from the following user login options:
HTTP—When selected, you are able to login using HTTP.
HTTPS—When selected, you are able to login using HTTPS.
Add rule to enable redirect from HTTP to HTTPS—Redirects you to HTTPS when they attempt to access the device using HTTP. This option is only applicable when HTTPS access is enabled and HTTP access is not.
Wired Mode (2-Port Wire)
Wire Mode 2.0 can be configured on any zone (except wireless zones). Wire Mode is a simplified form of Layer 2 Bridge Mode, and is configured as a pair of interfaces. In Wire Mode, the destination zone is the Paired Interface Zone. Access rules are applied to the Wire Mode pair based on the direction of traffic between the source Zone and its Paired Interface Zone. For example, if the source Zone is WAN and the Paired Interface Zone is LAN, then WAN to LAN and LAN to WAN rules are applied, depending on the direction of the traffic.
In Wire Mode, administrators can enable Link State Propagation, which propagates the link status of an interface to its paired interface. If an interface goes down, its paired interface is forced down to mirror the link status of the first interface. Both interfaces in a Wired Mode pair always have the same link status.
In Wire Mode, administrators can Disable Stateful Inspection. When Disable Stateful Inspection is selected, Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) is turned off. When Disable Stateful Inspection is not selected, new connections can be established without enforcing a 3-way TCP handshake. Disable Stateful Inspection must be selected if asymmetrical routes are deployed.
When the Bypass when SonicOS is restarting or down option is selected, and the Wire Mode Type is set to Secure, traffic continues to flow even when the SonicWALL Security Appliance is rebooting or is down. The Bypass when SonicOS is restarting or down option is always enabled and is not editable when Disable Stateful Inspection is selected.
To configure Wire Mode 2.0:
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Navigate to Network > Interfaces.
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Click Add Interface.
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Click Configure for the interface you want to configure.
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Under the General tab, in the IP Assignment list, select Wire Mode (2-Port Wire).
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In the Zone list, select WAN.
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In the Paired Interface Zone list, select LAN.
 
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Select Enable Link State Propagation.
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Select Disable Stateful Inspection.
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Select Bypass when SonicOS is restarting or down.
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Tap Mode (1-Port Tap)
To configure an interface for Tap Mode, complete the following steps:
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On the Network > Interfaces page, click Configure for the interface you want to configure for Wire Mode.
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In the Zone pull-down menu, select LAN.
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To configure the Interface for Tap Mode, in the Mode / IP Assignment pull-down menu, select Tap Mode (1-Port Tap) and click OK.
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To configure the Interface for Wire Mode, in the Mode / IP Assignment pull-down menu, select Wire Mode (2-Port Wire).Click OK.
Configuring WAN Settings
To configure the WAN settings for the SonicWALL appliance, complete the following steps:
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Static—Configure the following settings for static IP address interfaces:
IP Address—Enter the IP address of the interface.
Subnet Mask—Enter the subnet mask for the network.
Default Gateway—IP address of the WAN gateway.
DNS Server 1-3—IP addresses of the DNS Servers.
Comment—Enter any comments regarding the interface.
DHCP—Configure the following settings if the WAN IP address will use DHCP:
Host Name—Specifies the host name of the SonicWALL device on the WAN interface.
Comment—Enter any comments regarding the interface.
IP Address, Subnet Mask, Gateway (Router) Address, and DNS Server 1-3—These settings are automatically filled in by DHCP.
PPPoE—Configure the following settings if the WAN IP address uses PPPoE:
Always on
Work Hours or M-T-W-TH-F 08:00-17:00 (these two options are the same schedules)
M-T-W-TH-F 00:00-08:00
After Hours or M-T-W-TH-F 17:00-24:00 (these two options are the same schedules)
Weekend Hours or SA-SU 00:00-24:00 (these two options are the same schedules)
User Name—Enter username provided by the ISP.
Password—Enter the password used to authenticate the username with the ISP. This field is case-sensitive.
Comment—Enter any comments regarding the interface.
Service Name—Enter the name of a service that must be supported by PPPoE servers that respond to a client connection request. The service name can be up to 50 characters. Many installations use the system name as a service name, for example “sonicwall-server” or “redback-server.” If the service name is left blank the client connects to any service.
To configure the SonicWALL appliance(s) to dynamically obtain an IP address, select Obtain an IP Address automatically.
To configure the SonicWALL appliance(s) to use a fixed IP address, select Use the following IP Address and enter the IP address.
To configure the SonicWALL appliance(s) to obtain the DNS server information automatically, select Obtain DNS Server Address Automatically.
To specify DNS servers, select Specify DNS Servers and enter the DNS Server IP addresses.
Click the Protocol tab.
Inactivity Disconnect—Specify how long (in minutes) the SonicWALL appliance waits before disconnecting from the Internet, and select the check box.
Strictly use LCP echo packets for server keep-alive—This check box is enabled when the client recognizes that the server relies on Link Control Protocol (LCP) echo requests for keeping the PPPoE connection alive.
Disconnect the PPPoE client if the server does not send traffic for __ minutes—Select this check box and enter the number of minutes to wait without traffic before the connection is ended. When enabled, the PPPoE client monitors traffic from the server on the tunnel and disconnects when no traffic is seen for the specified time period.
PPTP—Configure the following settings if the WAN IP address will use PPTP:
Always on
Work Hours or M-T-W-TH-F 08:00-17:00 (these two options are the same schedules)
M-T-W-TH-F 00:00-08:00
After Hours or M-T-W-TH-F 17:00-24:00 (these two options are the same schedules)
Weekend Hours or SA-SU 00:00-24:00 (these two options are the same schedules)
User Name—Enter username provided by the ISP.
User Password—Enter the password used to authenticate the username with the ISP. This field is case-sensitive.
PPTP Server IP Address—this information is provided by your ISP.
PPTP (Client) Host Name—this information is provided by your ISP.
Comment—Enter any comments regarding the interface.
Inactivity Disconnect—Specify how long (in minutes) the SonicWALL appliance waits before disconnecting from the Internet.
Select from the following from the PPTP IP Assignment list box:
To configure the SonicWALL appliance(s) to use a fixed IP address, select Static and enter the IP address, subnet mask, and gateway IP address.
L2TP—Configure the following settings if the WAN IP address uses L2TP:
Always on
Work Hours or M-T-W-TH-F 08:00-17:00 (these two options are the same schedules)
M-T-W-TH-F 00:00-08:00
After Hours or M-T-W-TH-F 17:00-24:00 (these two options are the same schedules)
Weekend Hours or SA-SU 00:00-24:00 (these two options are the same schedules)
User Name—Enter username provided by the ISP.
User Password—Enter the password used to authenticate the username with the ISP. This field is case-sensitive.
L2TP Server IP Address—this information is provided by your ISP.
L2TP (Client) Host Name—this information is provided by your ISP.
Comment—Enter any comments regarding the interface.
Inactivity Disconnect—Specify how long (in minutes) the SonicWALL appliance waits before disconnecting from the Internet.
Select from the following from the L2TP IP Assignment list box:
To configure the SonicWALL appliance(s) to dynamically obtain an IP address, select DHCP.
To configure the SonicWALL appliance(s) to use a fixed IP address, select Static and enter the IP address, subnet mask, and gateway IP address.
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HTTP—When selected, allows HTTP management from the interface.
HTTPS—When selected, allows HTTPS management from the interface.
Ping—When selected, the interface responds to ping requests.
SNMP—When selected, the interface supports Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).
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User Login—Select from the following user login options:
HTTP—When selected, you are able to login using HTTP.
HTTPS—When selected, you are able to login using HTTPS.
Add rule to enable redirect from HTTP to HTTPS—Redirects you to HTTPS when they attempt to access the device using HTTP. This option is only applicable when HTTPS access is enabled and HTTP access is not.
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Click Update. The settings are saved. To clear any changes and start over, click Reset.
Advanced Settings
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Click the Advanced tab and configure the following Ethernet settings:
Link Speed—To configure the interface to automatically negotiate Ethernet settings, select Auto Negotiate. If you want to specify the forced Ethernet speed and duplex, select the appropriate setting.
Use Default MAC Address—Select to use the default MAC address.
Override Default MAC Address—Select to manually enter the MAC address.
Enable flow reporting—Select to enable flow reporting on flows created for this interface. This check box is available on SonicWALL appliances running 5.9 and higher firmware.
Enable Multicast Support—Select to enable multicast on the interface.
Interface MTU—Specify the size of the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) in octets (default: 1500).
Enable 802.1p tagging—QoS Marking is controlled per Access Rule from the Firewall > Access Rules page. Packets sent out this interface are tagged with VLAN id=0 and carry 802.1p priority information. Devices connected to this interface should support priority frames. This check box is available on SonicWALL appliances running 5.9 and higher firmware.
To shutdown the port, click Shutdown Port. A warning pop-up window displays, asking if you wish to administratively want to shut down the port. This check box is only available for SuperMassive series appliances running SonicOS 6.1 and higher firmware images.
To fragment packets that are larger than this MTU, select Fragment non-VPN outbound packets larger than this Interface's MTU.
To block notifications that this interface can receive fragmented packets, select Do not send ICMP Fragmentation Needed for outbound packets over the Interface MTU.
Expert Mode
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Under the Expert Mode Settings heading, select Use Routed Mode - Add NAT Policy to prevent outbound\inbound translation to enable Routed Mode for the interface. Routed Mode provides an alternative for NAT for routing traffic between separate public IP address ranges. NAT translations are automatically disabled for the interface, and all inbound and outbound traffic is routed to the WAN interface
In the Set NAT Policy's outbound\inbound interface to pull-down menu, select the WAN interface that is to be used to route traffic for the interface. The firewall then creates “no-NAT” policies for both the configured interface and the selected WAN interface. These policies override any more general M21 NAT policies that might be configured for the interfaces.
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Bandwidth Management
SonicOS Enhanced can apply bandwidth management to both egress (outbound) and ingress (inbound) traffic on the interfaces in the WAN zone. Outbound bandwidth management is done using Class Based Queuing. Inbound Bandwidth Management is done by implementing ACK delay algorithm that uses TCP’s intrinsic behavior to control the traffic.
Class Based Queuing (CBQ) provides guaranteed and maximum bandwidth Quality of Service (QoS) for the SonicWALL security appliance. Every packet destined to the WAN interface is queued in the corresponding priority queue. The scheduler then dequeues the packets and transmits it on the link depending on the guaranteed bandwidth for the flow and the available link bandwidth.
Use the Bandwidth Management section of the Edit Interface screen to enable or disable the ingress and egress bandwidth management. Egress and Ingress available link bandwidth can be used to configure the upstream and downstream connection speeds in kilobits per second.
Enable Egress Bandwidth Management - Enables outbound bandwidth management.
Available Interface Egress Bandwidth (Kbps) - Specifies the available bandwidth for WAN interfaces in Kbps.
Enable Ingress Bandwidth Management - Enables inbound bandwidth management.
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Available Interface Ingress Bandwidth (Kbps) - Specifies the available bandwidth for WAN interfaces in Kbps
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To enable egress bandwidth management on this interface, select the check box and enter the bandwidth of the connection in the Available Interface Bandwidth field in kilobytes per second (Kbps).
To enable ingress bandwidth management on this interface, select the check box and enter the bandwidth of the connection in the Available Interface Bandwidth field in kilobytes per second (Kbps).
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Click Update. The settings are saved. To clear any changes and start over, click Reset.
Configuring Link Aggregation (SonicOS 5.9 or higher)
Link Aggregation groups up to four Ethernet interfaces together forming a single logical link to support greater throughput than a single physical interface could support, this is referred to as a Link Aggregation Group (LAG). This provides the ability to send multi-gigabit traffic between two Ethernet domains. All ports in an aggregate link must be connected to the same switch. The firewall uses a round-robin algorithm for load balancing traffic across the interfaces in a Link Aggregation Group. Link Aggregation also provides a measure of redundancy, in that if one interface in the LAG goes down, the other interfaces remain connected.
Link Aggregation is referred to using different terminology by different vendors, including Port Channel, Ether Channel, Trunk, and Port Grouping.
Link Aggregation failover
SonicWALL provides multiple methods for protecting against loss of connectivity in the case of a link failure, including High Availability (HA), Load Balancing Groups (LB Groups), and now Link Aggregation. If all three of these features are configured on a firewall, the following order of precedence is followed in the case of a link failure:
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HA takes precedence over Link Aggregation. Because each link in the LAG carries an equal share of the load, the loss of a link on the Active firewall forces a failover to the Idle firewall (if all of its links remain connected). Physical monitoring needs to be configured only on the primary aggregate port.
When Link Aggregation is used with a LB Group, Link Aggregation takes precedence. LB takes over only if all the ports in the aggregate link are down.
Link Aggregation Configuration
To configure Link Aggregation, complete the following tasks:
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On the Network > Interfaces page, click the configure icon for the interface that is to be designated the master of the Link Aggregation Group. The Edit Interface window displays.
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In the General tab, select a zone from the Zone pull-down menu.
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Click on the Advanced tab.
 
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In the Redundant/Aggregate Ports pull-down menu, select Link Aggregation.
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The Aggregate Port option is displayed with a check box for each of the currently unassigned interfaces on the firewall. Select up to three other interfaces to assign to the LAG.
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(Wire Mode only) The Paired Interface Aggregate Port option is displayed, select up to three paired interfaces.
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Set the Link Speed for the interface to Auto-Negotiate.
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Port Redundancy (SonicOS 5.9 or higher)
Port Redundancy provides a simple method for configuring a redundant port for a physical Ethernet port. This is a valuable feature, particularly in high-end deployments, to protect against switch failures being a single point of failure.
When the primary interface is active, it processes all traffic to and from the interface. If the primary interface goes down, the secondary interface takes over all outgoing and incoming traffic. The secondary interface assumes the MAC address of the primary interface and sends the appropriate gratuitous ARP on a failover event. When the primary interface comes up again, it resumes responsibility for all traffic handling duties from the secondary interface.
In a typical Port Redundancy configuration, the primary and secondary interfaces are connected to different switches. This provides for a failover path in case the primary switch goes down. Both switches must be on the same Ethernet domain. Port Redundancy can also be configured with both interfaces connected to the same switch.
Port Redundancy Failover
SonicWALL provides multiple methods for protecting against loss of connectivity in the case of a link failure, including High Availability (HA), Load Balancing Groups (LB Groups), and now Port Redundancy. If all three of these features are configured on a firewall, the following order of precedence is followed in the case of a link failure:
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When Port Redundancy is used with HA, Port Redundancy takes precedence. Typically an interface failover causes an HA failover to occur, but if a redundant port is available for that interface, then an interface failover occurs but not an HA failover. If both the primary and secondary redundant ports go down, then an HA failover occurs (assuming the secondary firewall has the corresponding port active).
When Port Redundancy is used with a LB Group, Port Redundancy again takes precedence. Any single port (primary or secondary) failures are handled by Port Redundancy just like with HA. When both the ports are down then LB kicks in and tries to find an alternate interface.
Port Redundancy Configuration
To configure Port Redundancy, complete the following tasks:
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On the Network > Interfaces page, click the configure icon for the interface that is to be designated the master of the Link Aggregation Group. The Edit Interface window displays.
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In the General tab, select a zone from the Zone pull-down menu.
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Click on the Advanced tab.
 
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In the Redundant/Aggregate Ports pull-down menu, select Port Redundancy.
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The Redundant Port pull-down menu is displayed, with all of the currently unassigned interfaces available. Select one of the interfaces.
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Set the Link Speed for the interface to Auto-Negotiate.
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Configuring VLAN Sub-Interfaces
When you add a VLAN sub-interface, you need to assign it to a Zone, assign it a VLAN Tag, and assign it to a physical interface. Based on your zone assignment, you configure the VLAN sub-interface the same way you configure a physical interface for the same zone.
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At the bottom of the Network > Interfaces page, click Add VLAN Interface. The Add Interface window displays.
 
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Select a Zone to assign to the interface. You can select LAN, DMZ, WLAN, or unassigned. The zone assignment does not have to be the same as the parent (physical) interface.
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Enter a Portshield Interface Name for the sub-interface.
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For LAN and DMZ, select Static or Transparent for the IP Assignment. WLAN interfaces use static IP addresses:
For static IP addresses, enter the IP Address for the interface and Subnet Mask for the network.
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Management—Select from the following management options:
HTTP—When selected, allows HTTP management from the interface.
HTTPS—When selected, allows HTTPS management from the interface.
Ping—When selected, the interface responds to ping requests.
SNMP—When selected, the interface supports Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).
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User Login—Select from the following user login options:
HTTP—When selected, you are able to login using HTTP.
HTTPS—When selected, you are able to login using HTTPS.
Add rule to enable redirect from HTTP to HTTPS—Redirects you to HTTPS when they attempt to access the device using HTTP. This option is only applicable when HTTPS access is enabled and HTTP access is not.
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Check Create Default DHCP Lease Scope to indicate that the amount of time allowed for an IP address issued by DHCP will be the default.
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The Virtual interface displays in the VLAN Interfaces table below the Interfaces table.
WAN Connection Model
To configure the WAN connection model for a SonicWALL appliance with WWAN capability running SonicOS Enhanced 3.6 or higher, navigate to the Network > Interfaces page and select one of the following options in the WAN Connection Model pull-down menu:
WWAN only—The WAN interface is disabled and the WWAN interface is used exclusively.
Ethernet only—The WWAN interface is disabled and the WAN interface is used exclusively.
Ethernet with WWAN Failover—The WAN interface is used as the primary interface and the WWAN interface is disabled. If the WAN connection fails, the WWAN interface is enabled and a WWAN connection is automatically initiated.
Managing WWAN Connections
To initiate a WWAN connection, complete the following steps:
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In the Interface Settings table, in the WWAN row, click Connect. The SonicWALL appliance attempts to connect to the WWAN service provider.
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Configuring MGMT Interfaces
To configure an interface for Management (MGMT) mode, complete the following:
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Click on the Configure icon in the Configure column for the Interface you want to configure. The Edit Interface window is displayed.
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Enter an IP address for a Default Gateway (optional).
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Enter any optional comment text in the Comment field. This text is displayed in the Comment column of the Interface table.
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To add a rule to redirect from HTTP to HTTPS, click Add rule to enable redirect from HTTP to HTTPS. This option is only visible if Allow management via HTTP is enabled on the System > Administration page.
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