A firewall keeps viruses and other unauthorized programs from accessing your computer when it's connected to a network/internet.

To Configure a Firewall

Windows

All Windows operating systems provide a built in firewall. By default it is turned ON (recommended). You might want to change the settings of the firewall only when you have problems connecting to the internet.

Macintosh

Macintosh OS X 10.4 and 10.5 have built in firewalls. Macintosh OS users can configure their firewall settings using System Preferences. By default the firewall is Macintosh OS X is not ON.  To turn it on, do the following:

1. Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu. 
2. Click Security. 
3. Click the Firewall tab. 
4. Unlock the pane by clicking the lock in the lower-left corner and enter the administrator username and password. 
5. Click Start to enable the firewall. 

For More Help

Contact the IT support center for more details about enabling or configuring personal firewalls at support@uh.edu.