Do I need a firewall?

[horizon]

Hi,

I've set up my Freenas system and it runs pretty good, does everything I need it to do.
I've read a lot of times that you need a firewall for your Freenas.
Does that apply to all setups?

I do not plan to remote control my machine over the internet.
The only services that are on are AFS, CIFS, S.M.A.R.T. and UPS.

The only plugins that run are plex and virtual box.

Can't I configure a software firewall on the system that only allows local computers to connect to it?

 

[anodos]

This is not the firewall you're looking for (think perimeter firewall instead). FreeNAS itself doesn't need one. Just configure your services / permissions correctly.

 

[danb35]

Yes, you need some kind of a firewall for your FreeNAS server. You probably have one already, in the form of your Internet router. If the IP address if your server is 192.168.something, 172.16.something, or 10.something, your server is not exposed directly to the Internet, and you're probably at least reasonably safe.