Physical Ports, Interfaces, And Zones; Table 27 Physical Ports, Interfaces, And Zones - ZyXEL Communications ZyWALL 1050 User Manual

5.3 Physical Ports, Interfaces, and Zones

If you want to configure the ZyWALL effectively, you should understand the differences
between physical ports, interfaces, and zones. The following illustration provides an overview
of the relationship between physical ports, interfaces, and zones in the ZyWALL. It also
identifies the types of features you can configure with each one.
Table 27
Physical Ports, Interfaces, and Zones
Zones
(LAN, DMZ, WAN, ...)
Interfaces
(Ethernet, VLAN,...)
Physical Ports
(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
A physical port is the place to which you connect the cable. As shown above, you do not
usually configure physical ports to use various features. You configure interfaces and zones.
The ZyWALL supports 1:1, 1:M, M:1, and M:N relationships between physical ports and
interfaces.
There are many types of interfaces in the ZyWALL. In addition to being used in various
features, interfaces also describe the network that is directly connected to the ZyWALL.
• Port groups create a hardware connection between physical ports at the layer-2 (MAC
address) level.
• Ethernet interfaces are the foundation for defining other interfaces and network policies.
You also configure RIP and OSPF in these interfaces.
• VLAN interfaces recognize tagged frames. The ZyWALL automatically adds or
removes the tags as needed. Each VLAN can only be associated with one Ethernet
interface.
• Bridge interfaces create a software connection between Ethernet or VLAN interfaces at
the layer-2 (data link, MAC address) level. Then, you can configure the IP address and
subnet mask of the bridge. It is also possible to configure zone-level security between the
member interfaces in the bridge.
• PPPoE/PPTP interfaces support Point-to-Point Protocols (PPP). ISP accounts are
required for PPPoE/PPTP interfaces.
• Virtual interfaces increase the amount of routing information in the ZyWALL. There
are three types: virtual Ethernet interfaces (also known as IP alias), virtual VLAN
interfaces, and virtual bridge interfaces.
• The auxiliary interface, along with an external modem, provides an interface the
ZyWALL can use to dial out. This interface can be used as a backup WAN interface, for
example. The auxiliary interface controls the DIAL BACKUP port.
Chapter 5 Configuration Basics
Used in firewall, IDP, and remote management
Used in VPN, device HA, DDNS, policy routes, static routes, HTTP
redirect, and virtual server
Used in port groups.
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