CFP3/Help Guide/Miscellaneous Task Center/Settings
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Miscellaneous - Settings
The 'Settings' dialog box allows you to configure various options related to the operation of Comodo Firewall Pro and can be accessed by clicking the 'Miscellaneous' button followed by 'Settings'.
'General' tab
- Automatically
start the application with Windows (Recommended) - With
this option checked, Comodo Firewall Pro will be automatically loaded
every time you start your computer. This is the default and highly
recommended setting. Unchecking this box means the application will not
load at computer startup and, unless you have an alternative
firewall/intrusion detection system running, your computer will not be
protected.
- Show the balloon messages - These are the notifications that appear in the bottom right hand corner of your screen - just above the tray icons. Usually these messages say ' Comodo Firewall Pro is learning ' or 'Defense+ is learning ' and are generated when these modules are learning the activity of previously unknown components of trusted applications. Uncheck this option if you do not want to see these messages.
- Show the
traffic animation in tray - By default, the application's
'Shield' tray icon displays a small animation whenever traffic moves to
or from your computer.
If the traffic is outbound, you will see green arrows moving upwards on the right hand side of the shield. Similarly, for inbound traffic you will see red arrows moving down the left hand side. This provides a very useful indicator of the real-time movement of data in and out of your computer. Uncheck this box If you would rather not see this animation. - Automatically Detect New Private Networks - Checking this option means that the firewall will automatically detect any new networks that the computer is connected to. Comodo recommends users to leave this option at its default, enabled setting.
'Parental Control' tab
The parental control tab allows you to configure password protection for Comodo Firewall Pro.
Checking this box will activate password protection for all important
configuration sections and wizards within the interface. If you choose
this option, you must first specify and confirm a password by clicking
the 'Change Password...' button. You will be asked for this password
everytime you try to access important configuration areas (for example,
all sections in the Defense+
Tasks and Firewall
Tasks areas will require this password before
allowing you to view or modify their settings)
This setting is of particular value to parents, network administrators
and administrators of shared computers to prevent other users from
modifying critical firewall settings and exposing the machine to
threats.
If checked, no Firewall Alerts will be displayed when password protection is enabled. Parents and network admins may want to enable this setting if they do not want users to be made aware when a Firewall alert has been triggered. For example, a trojan horse program may be attempting to download itself or transmit private information to a third party. Usually, the firewall would generate an alert and ask the user how to proceed. If that user is a child or an inexperienced user then they may unwittingly click 'allow' just to 'get rid' of the alert and/or gain access to the website in question - thus exposing the machine to attack. Checking this option will block the connection but will not generate an alert.
If checked, no Defense+ Alerts will be displayed when password protection is enabled. Parents and network admins may want to enable this setting if they do not want users to be made aware when a Defense+ alert has been triggered. For example, a malware program may be attempting to modify, terminate or delete a critical registry key in order to launch an attack on your machine. Usually, the Defense+ intrusion detection system would generate an alert and ask the user how to proceed. If that user is a child or an inexperienced user then they may unwittingly click 'allow' just to 'get rid' of the alert - thus exposing the machine to attack. Checking this option will block the activity of the suspected malware but will not generate an alert.
'Update' tab
The 'Update' tab allows users to configure how Comodo Firewall Pro behaves regarding program updates; automatic lookups of unknown files and auto-submission settings.
- Automatically check for program updates - Determines whether or not Comodo Firewall Pro should automatically contact Comodo servers for updates. With this option checked, Comodo Firewall Pro will automatically check for updates every 24 hours AND every time you start your computer. If updates are found they are automatically downloaded and installed. We recommend that users leave this setting enabled to maintain the highest levels of protection. Users that choose to disable automatic updates can download them manually by clicking 'Check for Updates' in the 'Miscellaneous' section.
- Automatically perform an online lookup for unrecognized files - Whenever the Defense+ module detects an executable file that is not on the safelist (i.e. it does not yet recognize or trust the file) then it will connect to the Comodo servers and consult the master safelist database to see if we have any information about it. Any information discovered about a file is automatically downloaded to your computer and used to update your safelist. The lookup process is described in greater detail in the 'My Pending Files' area of Defense+ tasks. Comodo recommends leaving this setting enabled.
- Automatically submit the files in the submission queue to Comodo - Executable files that are unrecognized by Defense+ (not in the internal safelist) are automatically queued for submission to Comodo Digital Trust for analysis (see 'My Pending Files' for more details on submitting files). Leaving this option checked means that all queued files will be submitted immediately.
'Language' tab
Comodo Firewall Pro is available in multiple languages. You can switch between installed languages by selecting from the drop down menu.
In order for your choice to take effect, you must restart the firewall. You can do this by either:
(i) Restarting your computer (recommended)
(ii) Closing then restarting the firewall by right clicking on the firewall tray icon and selecting 'Exit'. To restart the firewall, select Start> Programs> Comodo>Firewall>Comodo Firewall Pro. The firewall will be in your choice of language the next time you restart the application.
'Themes' tab
The themes tab allows you to customize the look and feel of Comodo Firewall Pro according to your preferences. Use the drop down menu to switch between installed themes.
'Logging' tab
A log file is a record of all actions taken by Comodo Firewall Pro during the course of it's operation (for example, if the firewall blocks a particular application from connecting to an outside server then you will see a record of this 'block' action in the log files).
This tab allows you to configure the maximum size of the log file and the action that should be taken when the size limit is reached.
- If the log file size exceeds 'n' MB - choose the maximum size of the log file before Comodo Firewall implements your choice of action:
- Delete it and create a new file - choosing this option means the firewall will delete the current log file after it reaches the specified size and create a new one. All events recorded in the file at the point it reaches the size limit will be deleted and the logging will start over from scratch in a new file. If you wish to maintain archives of your log files you should either (i) select 'Move it to the specified folder' (explained below) (ii) regularly export your log files to html using the log viewer module.
- Move it to the specified folder - instead of deleting the log file, the firewall will move it to a folder of your choice when the size limit is reached. Click the blue text to choose the location of your folder.
- Disable Firewall Logging - checking this box means NO firewall events will be recorded in the 'View Firewall Events' interface. This setting will over-rule any individual 'Log as a firewall event...' instructions you created when 'Adding and Editing a Network Control Rule'.
- Disable Defense+ Logging - checking this box means NO firewall events will be recorded in the 'View Defense+ Events' interface. This setting will over-rule any individual log instructions that have been created for an application.
Log files and log file management are discussed in more detail in the sections 'View Firewall Events' and 'View Defense+ Events'.
