Watchguard Question

[a]

Hello,

I have a simple question which I can't find an answer for. Hope someone can help?

With Watchguard (e.g. x750e) is it possible to make use of all the Ethernet ports so the box acts like a switch?

In other words, can I retire a small switch I use at the moment in favour of just the Firebox?

Thanks and I'm looking forward to giving mine a try when it arrives sometime next week!

EDIT: Another quick question - how loud is x750e? Any tips on making it nearly silent?

[stephenw10]

Yes, though it will never be as fast as a gigabit switch. Just bridge the ports you want and assign the bridge as LAN.

With no mods it's quite loud, there is no thermal control on the fans. It is possible to manually control the fan speed or using a script to monitor the CPU temp. It can run relatively quietly if loading/air temp allows. I have had one next to my desk before and it wasn't really any louder than my desktop PC.

Steve