3.3.1. Configuration process

When you login to MS through MC, first an SSL encrypted channel is built, then firewall configurations currently stored in the MS database are downloaded into MC. When you finish doing configuration changes they are committed back into the MS database. At this point no changes are made to the firewall(s); only the database on the MS host is modified. It takes a separate action, an upload issued to actually propagate changes from the database down to the firewall(s). With this upload action the configuration changes get integrated into the configuration files on the PNS machine(s). For final activation, a reload or restart (depending on the situation and the service being modified) is needed to activate the changes.

A complete configuration cycle consists of the following steps.

Note

Not all of these steps are performed in each configuration cycle. Service reloads or restarts are typically postponed as long as possible and are likely to be performed only after all configuration tasks with the various service components are finished.