IM Firewall Deployment Configurations

The Standard deployment configuration of the Barracuda IM Firewall consists of simply placing the appliance on your network between your Internet Firewall and your LAN, and assigning an IP address for access and configuration via the Barracuda Web-based administration interface.

Mirrored Port Deployment Configuration

If an inline deployment is not an option for your network, the Barracuda IM Firewall can be configured to listen to IM traffic on a mirrored port from your switch. All services work in this mode except any public IM blocking features since a mirrored port is read only. Since both the Barracuda IM Firewall and the Barracuda Web Filter sit inline, the mirrored port deployment is common when used with a Barracuda Web Filter.

Server Only Deployment Configuration

When using only the IM server of the Barracuda IM Firewall, the product may be installed anywhere on the network. Typically the server will be placed in a DMZ for access by remote users and any other Barracuda IM Firewalls with which secure communication is desired. For this type of deployment, it is recommended that the public IM networks are blocked either by the corporate firewall or by the Barracuda Web Filter.