This section presents a step-by-step procedure for generating your PMDF firewall configuration files using the PMDF firewall configuration utility, PMDF CONFIGURE FIREWALL. Refer to Chapter 11 for a sample configuration dialogue.

1. Configuration of PMDF should be done using the SYSTEM account to ensure that the necessary privileges are available to create the configuration files. If you are not logged in as SYSTEM, do so now.
   
2. Begin the configuration procedure by invoking the PMDF CONFIGURE FIREWALL utility as follows:

   $ PMDF CONFIGURE FIREWALL

   
   

3. The configuration procedure will optionally print out detailed explanations of each prompt as it proceeds. Unless you are conversant with the procedure, enable the detailed output.
   
4. The answers to all the questions are logged to a file in the PMDF_TABLE: directory. After the first configuration, PMDF CONFIGURE FIREWALL can use the answers to the previous run as the default answers. The utility will ask:

   Do you want to use answers from the previous run as defaults?

   Answer YES if you want to have your previous answers presented as default answers. You can use the backslash character, \, to clear a default answer.
   

5. Closely examine the example configuration presented in Chapter 11. Parts of the sample site are probably representative of your own network configuration. In addition, the example was run with detailed prompting enabled, and will prepare you for the answers you need to provide for your own site.
   
6. Once you have completed running the PMDF CONFIGURE FIREWALL utility, type out or print the PMDF_TABLE:firewall.checklist file and complete the configuration by following the steps outlined in the checklist.
   
7. If you have purchased and installed the optional PMDF-LAN gateway for use on this firewall, you will need to run its configuration procedure after configuring PMDF with the PMDF CONFIGURE FIREWALL utility.
   
8. Test out your configuration initially by sending mail from the firewall system to someone on an internal system. Using the VMS MAIL utility, send a message to an address of the form

   IN%"username@domain"

   where username@domain is a valid address. PMDF should accept the message and send it off the firewall system.
   

9. If messages do not seem to be getting out, use the QM utility to examine the PMDF message queues and see if the messages are stuck on your system. Examination of log files in the PMDF_LOG: directory can help isolate network delivery problems. See the section Maintenance and Troubleshooting in the PMDF System Manager's Guide for additional information on tracking PMDF delivery problems.
   
10. If everything appears to be functional, and you have completed your configuration for the present, you might want to compile your configuration for increased performance. Use the PMDF CNBUILD utility. See the PMDF System Manager's Guide for more information.