An enterprise may have multiple departments, and each department has specific functions and responsibilities and requires specific network management policies, which complicates the configuration. As the egress gateway of the enterprise network, the FW uses virtual systems to manage departments separately, simplifying the configuration.
Networking Requirements
Medium-sized enterprise A deploys a firewall as the network gateway. The network of this enterprise is divided into three subnets respectively for the R&D, financial, and administrative department. The security policies for the three departments are different and must meet the following requirements:
- The intranet has only one public IP address and one outside interface. Therefore, all departments must use the same interface to access the Internet.
- Internet access is granted to all employees of the administrative department, some employees of the R&D department, but none of the employees of the financial department.
- The three departments have similar traffic volumes and therefore are assigned the same amount of virtual system resources.
Configure virtual systems to meet the preceding requirements. Figure 1 shows the networking diagram.
Figure 1 Networking diagram of network isolation (Layer-3 access, virtual systems sharing the WAN interface of the public system)
Data Planning
Item
|
Data
|
Description
|
public
|
- Outside interface: GE0/0/1
- Security zone to which the outside interface belongs: Untrust
- Outside interface IP address: 1.1.1.1/24
- Inside interface: virtual interface Virtual-if0 of the public system
- Security zone to which the inside interface belongs: Trust
- IP address of the carrier network gateway: 1.1.1.254/24
|
In the example, all departments must access the Internet from their own virtual systems through the public system. The departments do not have overlapping private IP addresses. Therefore, you are advised to configure the NAT policies on the public system.
|
vsysa
|
- Virtual system name: vsysa
- Outside interface: vsysa's virtual interface
- Security zone to which the outside interface belongs: Untrust
- Inside interface: GE0/0/3
- Inside interface IP address: 10.3.0.1/24
- Private IP address range: 10.3.0.0/24
- Security zone to which the inside interface belongs: Trust
- Administrator: admin@@vsysa
- IP addresses allowed to access the Internet: 10.3.0.2 to 10.3.0.10
|
-
|
vsysb
|
- Virtual system name: vsysb
- Outside interface: vsysb's virtual interface
- Security zone to which the outside interface belongs: Untrust
- Inside interface: GE0/0/4
- Inside interface IP address: 10.3.1.1/24
- Private IP address range: 10.3.1.0/24
- Security zone to which the inside interface belongs: Trust
- Administrator: admin@@vsysb
|
-
|
vsysc
|
- Virtual system name: vsysc
- Outside interface: vsysc's virtual interface
- Security zone to which the outside interface belongs: Untrust
- Inside interface: GE0/0/5
- Inside interface IP address: 10.3.2.1/24
- Private IP address range: 10.3.2.0/24
- Security zone to which the inside interface belongs: Trust
- Administrator: admin@@vsysc
|
-
|
Resource class
|
- Name: r1
- Reserved Number for session: 10000
- Maximum Number for session: 50000
- User: 300
- User Group: 10
- Policy: 300
- Outbound Reserved Bandwidth: 20 Mbps
|
The three departments have similar traffic volumes and therefore are assigned the same resource class.
|
Configuration Roadmap
- The public system administrator creates three virtual systems vsysa, vsysb, and vsysc, assigns resources, and configures an administrator for each virtual system.
- The public system administrator configures routes and NAT policies for intranet users to access the Internet.
- The administrator of the R&D department logs in to the FW to configure IP addresses, routes, and security policies for vsysa.
- The administrator of the financial department logs in to the FW to configure IP addresses, routes, and security policies for vsysb.
- The administrator of the administrative department logs in to the FW to configure IP addresses, routes, and security policies for vsysc.
Procedure
- Click Dashboard on the main menu. In the Device Information area, click Configure on the line of Virtual System to enable the virtual system function.

- Configure a resource class.
- Choose .

- Click Add and set the following parameters.

- Click OK.
- In the root system, create virtual systems vsysa, vsysb, and vsysc and allocate resources to them.
- Choose .

- Click Add and then the Basic Settings tab and set the following parameters.

- Click the Interface Settings tab and allocate interfaces to the virtual system.

- Click OK.
- Create vsysb and vsysc and allocate resources to them.
- Create administrators for the virtual systems in the root system.
- Select vsysa in the Virtual System drop-down list at the upper right corner of the page to access vsysa.

- Choose .

- Click Add and set the following parameters.
User Name
|
admin@@vsysa
|
Authentication Type
|
Local authentication
|
Password
|
Vsysadmin@123
|
Confirm Password
|
Vsysadmin@123
|
Role
|
system-admin
|
Service type
|
web telnet ssh
|
- Repeat these steps to create administrators admin@@vsysb for vsysb and admin@@vsysc for vsysc.
- In the root system, set IP addresses for the interfaces and assign the interfaces to security zones. The IP address of Virtual-if 0 can be set to any address but it must be different from the IP addresses of all the other interfaces.
- Select public from the Virtual System drop-down list in the upper right corner to access the public system.
- Choose .
- Click the interface name and set the following parameters for the interface.
Interface
|
GigabitEthernet 0/0/1
|
Virtual-if 0
|
Security Zone
|
untrust
|
trust
|
IP Address
|
1.1.1.1/24
|
172.16.0.1/24
|
- Click OK.
- In the root system, configure routes for intranet users to access the Internet.
- Choose .

- Click Add and configure a static route to the Internet.
Protocol
|
IPv4
|
Source Virtual Router
|
public
|
Destination Address/Mask
|
0.0.0.0/0.0.0.0
|
Destination Virtual Router
|
public
|
Next Hop
|
1.1.1.254
|
Outgoing Interface
|
NONE
|
- Click OK.
- In the root system, configure security policies for intranet users to access the Internet.
- Choose .
- Choose Add Security Policy and set the following IP address range.
Name
|
to_internet
|
Source Zone
|
trust
|
Destination Zone
|
untrust
|
Action
|
permit
|
Virtual system administrators can configure strict security policies abased on the IP addresses of intranet employees. Therefore, the root system administrator does not need to specify the IP address range.
- Click OK.
- In the root system, configure a NAT policy for intranet users to access the Internet.
- Choose , click Add, and set the following NAT policy parameters.
Name
|
nat1
|
NAT Type
|
NAT
|
NAT Mode
|
Source address translation
|
Source Zone
|
trust
|
Destination Type
|
Outbound Interface
|
Outbound Interface
|
GigabitEthernet 0/0/1
|
Source Address
|
10.3.0.0/16
|
Source Address Translated To
|
Outbound Interface
|
- Click OK.
- Set IP addresses in vsysa.
Use the vsysa administrator account admin@@vsysa to log in to the firewall. Change the login password before performing the following operations.
Set IP addresses for interfaces and assign the interfaces to security zones. The IP address of Virtual-if 1 can be set to any address but it must be different from the IP addresses of all the other interfaces.
The IDs of Virtual-if interfaces are randomly assigned from available IDs in the system. Therefore, in the actual configuration, the interface may not be Virtual-if 1.
- Select vsysa from the Virtual System drop-down list in the upper right corner to access vsysa.
- Choose .
- Click the interface name and set the following parameters for the interface.
Interface
|
GigabitEthernet 0/0/3
|
GigabitEthernet Virtual-if 1
|
Security Zone
|
trust
|
untrust
|
IP Address
|
10.3.0.1/24
|
172.16.1.1/24
|
- Click OK.
- Configure routes in vsysa to guide Internet access traffic from employees in vsysa to the root system.
In this example, the network topology and routing configuration are simplified. If vsysa only needs to communicate with the Internet, set Destination Address/Mask to 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0. That is, all packets are sent to the root system. In practice, for accurate routing information, Destination Address/Mask should be set to a specific Internet address range that the intranet users are allowed to access. Incorrect routing configurations may interrupt the communications of the private networks connected to vsysa.
- Choose .

- Click Add and configure the following default route.
Protocol
|
IPv4
|
Source Virtual Router
|
vsysa
|
Destination Address/Mask
|
0.0.0.0/0.0.0.0
|
Destination Virtual Router
|
public
|
Next Hop
|
—
|
Outgoing Interface
|
NONE
|
- Click OK.
- Repeat these steps to configure a static route to guide return traffic of employees in vsysa from the Internet to intranet.
Protocol
|
IPv4
|
Source Virtual Router
|
vsysa
|
Destination Address/Mask
|
10.3.0.0/255.255.255.0
|
Destination Virtual Router
|
vsysa
|
Next Hop
|
10.3.0.254
|
Outgoing Interface
|
NONE
|
- Click OK.
- Configure security policies in vsysa.
- Choose .

- Click Add and set the following IP address range.
Name
|
ipaddress1
|
IP Address Range
|
10.3.0.2-10.3.0.10
|
- Click OK.
- Choose .
- Choose Add Security Policy and configure a security policy for vsysa based on the following parameter values to prohibit employees on a specific network segment from access the administrative department network. Because routes have been configured in the root system to divert the return traffic to vsysa and vsysc, vsysa and vsysc to communicate with each other through the root system. To isolate the virtual systems, you must configure this security policy in vsysa.
Name
|
to_admin_department
|
Source Zone
|
trust
|
Destination Zone
|
untrust
|
Source Address/Region
|
ipaddress1
|
Destination Address/Region
|
10.3.2.0/24
|
Action
|
deny
|
- Click OK.
- Configure the following security policy for vsysa to allow employees on a specific network segment to access the Internet.
Name
|
to_internet
|
Source Zone
|
trust
|
Destination Zone
|
untrust
|
Source Address/Region
|
ipaddress1
|
Action
|
permit
|
- Click OK.
- Configure another security policy for vsysa to prohibit all employees from accessing the Internet. The priority of this policy is lower than that of the previous policy, and therefore no address range needs to be specified.
Name
|
to_internet2
|
Source Zone
|
trust
|
Destination Zone
|
untrust
|
Action
|
deny
|
- Click OK.
- The financial department administrator admin@@vsysb and administrative department administrator admin@@vsysc log in to the FW and configure IP addresses, security zones, and security policies for vsysb and vsysc, respectively.
The configuration is similar to that of the R&D department except the following:
- The IP address of the inside interface is different.
- You do not need to create an IP address range for the financial department. You only need to configure a security policy to prevent all IP addresses from accessing the Internet.
- You do not need to create an IP address range for the administrative department. You only need to configure a security policy to prohibit all IP addresses from accessing the R&D department network and another security policy to allow all IP addresses to access the Internet.
Verification
- Access the Internet from the administrative department. If the access succeeds, the IP addresses, security policies of vsysc, and NAT policy of the public system are correctly configured.
- Access the Internet from the financial department. If the access fails, the IP addresses and security policies of vsysb are correctly configured.
- Use a PC that is allowed to access the Internet and a PC that is not allowed to access the Internet from the R&D department to access the Internet. If the results are as expected, the IP addresses and security policies of vsysa are correctly configured.
Configuration Scripts
Configuration script of the root system:
#
sysname FW
#
vsys enable
#
resource-class r1
resource-item-limit session reserved-number 10000 maximum 50000
resource-item-limit policy reserved-number 300
resource-item-limit user reserved-number 300
resource-item-limit user-group reserved-number 10
resource-item-limit bandwidth 20 outbound
#
vsys name vsysa 1
assign resource-class r1
assign interface GigabitEthernet0/0/3
#
vsys name vsysb 2
assign resource-class r1
assign interface GigabitEthernet0/0/4
#
vsys name vsysc 3
assign resource-class r1
assign interface GigabitEthernet0/0/5
#
interface GigabitEthernet0/0/1
ip address 1.1.1.1 255.255.255.0
#
interface Virtual-if0
ip address 172.16.0.1 255.255.255.0
#
firewall zone trust
set priority 85
add interface Virtual-if0
#
firewall zone untrust
set priority 5
add interface GigabitEthernet0/0/1
#
ip route-static 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 1.1.1.254
#
security-policy
rule name to_internet
source-zone trust
destination-zone untrust
action permit
#
nat-policy
rule name nat1
source-zone trust
egress-interface GigabitEthernet0/0/1
source-address 10.3.0.0 16
action source-nat easy-ip
#
return
Configuration script of vsysa:
#
interface GigabitEthernet0/0/3
ip address 10.3.0.1 255.255.255.0
service-manage ping permit
#
interface Virtual-if1
ip address 172.16.1.1 255.255.255.0
#
firewall zone trust
set priority 85
add interface GigabitEthernet0/0/3
#
firewall zone untrust
set priority 5
add interface Virtual-if1
#
aaa
manager-user admin@@vsysa
password cipher %@%@@~QEN4"Db/xmvR'5@=5)^`WN]~h`Mwn-{BNPy#ZYE>`6`f]X%@%@
service-type web telnet ssh
level 15
bind manager-user admin@@vsysa role system-admin
#
ip address-set ipaddress1 type object
address 0 range 10.3.0.2 10.3.0.10
#
ip route-static 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 public
ip route-static 10.3.0.0 255.255.255.0 10.3.0.254
#
security-policy
rule name to_admin_department
source-zone trust
destination-zone untrust
source-address address-set ipaddress1
destination-address 10.3.2.0 24
action deny
rule name to_internet
source-zone trust
destination-zone untrust
source-address address-set ipaddress1
action permit
rule name to_internet2
source-zone trust
destination-zone untrust
action deny
#
return
Configuration script of vsysb:
#
interface GigabitEthernet0/0/4
ip address 10.3.1.1 255.255.255.0
service-manage ping permit
#
interface Virtual-if2
ip address 172.16.2.1 255.255.255.0
#
firewall zone trust
set priority 85
add interface GigabitEthernet0/0/4
#
firewall zone untrust
set priority 5
add interface Virtual-if2
#
aaa
manager-user admin@@vsysb
password cipher %@%@zG{;O|!gEN4"Db/xmvR'5@=5)^`WN]~h`Mwn-{BNPy#ZYE>`6`f]
service-type web telnet ssh
level 15
bind manager-user admin@@vsysb role system-admin
#
ip route-static 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 public
ip route-static 10.3.1.0 255.255.255.0 10.3.1.254
#
security-policy
rule name to_internet
source-zone trust
destination-zone untrust
action deny
#
return
Configuration script of vsysc:
#
interface GigabitEthernet0/0/5
ip address 10.3.2.1 255.255.255.0
service-manage ping permit
#
interface Virtual-if3
ip address 172.16.3.1 255.255.255.0
#
firewall zone trust
set priority 85
add interface GigabitEthernet0/0/5
#
firewall zone untrust
set priority 5
add interface Virtual-if3
#
aaa
manager-user admin@@vsysc
password cipher %@%@zG{;x|!gEN5"Db/6dvR'5@=5)^`WN]~h`Mwn-{BNPy#ZYE>`6`f]
service-type web telnet ssh
level 15
bind manager-user admin@@vsysc role system-admin
#
ip route-static 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 public
ip route-static 10.3.2.0 255.255.255.0 10.3.2.254
#
security-policy
rule name to_rd_department
source-zone trust
destination-zone untrust
destination-address 10.3.0.0 24
action deny
rule name to_internet
source-zone trust
destination-zone untrust
action permit
#
return