Accessing the command line in NG Firewall

Overview

This article provides instructions to access the NG Firewall's command-line interface. 

Connection methods

There are two ways to launch the command line:

Via console

This requires a keyboard, mouse, and monitor connected directly to the NG Firewall hardware. From the main splash screen, click the Terminal tile to load the command line interface.

Via SSH from the local network

This option requires that SSH access is enabled in Access Rules. SSH access is disabled by default and must be enabled via the admin GUI. This approach requires a management computer which is connected to one of the NG Firewall’s internal/LAN interfaces.

Enabling SSH access in NG Firewall

1. Go to Config > Network > Advanced > Access Rules and click Add at the top left-hand corner to create a new rule.
2. Add these three conditions to your new rule:
   1. Source Address is [IP address of your management computer]
   2. Destination Port is 22
   3. Protocol is TCP
      
3. Click Done to save the rule.
4. Click on the cross icon at the left-hand side of the screen and drag your rule to the top of the list, into position #1.
5. Click Save to commit the change.
6. Click Yes to accept the warning.

Once you have completed your task(s), you may wish to return to Access Rules in the NG Firewall admin GUI and disable the new SSH Access Rule you created.

Connecting to the command line via SSH

1. On your management computer, open the built-in terminal app. For example, in Windows, open Command Prompt; on a macOS device, open Terminal.
2. Enter the command ssh root@192.168.2.1
   If the interface you’re connected to has a different IP address, use that address.
3. Once the connection has been established, you will be prompted for the admin password. (If you have multiple admin accounts, only the password for admin will work.)

Connecting to the command line via serial console

If you are unable to connect to the appliance via SSH, you have physical access to it, and you have the appropriate cable, you can also connect via serial console connection (depending on your physical hardware). Please refer to this article for more details: Managing wSeries and eSeries appliances via Serial Console