Overview:
The SonicWall Network Security appliance (NSA) series provides organizations that range in scale from mid-sized networks to distributed enterprises and data centers with advanced threat prevention in a highperformance security platform. Utilizing innovative deep learning technologies in the SonicWall Capture Cloud Platform, the NSa series delivers the automated real-time breach detection and prevention organizations need.
Benefits:
Superior threat prevention and performance
- Patent-pending real-time deep memory inspection technology
- Patented reassembly-free deep packet inspection technology
- On-box and cloud-based threat prevention
- TLS/SSL decryption and inspection
- Industry-validated security effectiveness
- Multi-core hardware architecture
- Dedicated Capture Labs threat research team
Network control and flexibility
- Powerful SonicOS operating system
- Application intelligence and control
- Network segmentation with VLANs
- High-speed wireless security
Easy deployment, setup and ongoing management
- Tightly integrated solution
- Centralized management
- Scalability through multiple hardware platforms
- Low total cost of ownership
Cutting-edge threat prevention with superior performance
Today’s network threats are highly evasive and increasingly difficult to identify using traditional methods of detection. Staying ahead of sophisticated attacks requires a more modern approach that heavily leverages security intelligence in the cloud. Without that cloud intelligence, gateway security solutions can’t keep pace with today’s complex threats. NSa series nextgeneration firewalls (NGFWs) integrate two advanced security technologies to deliver cutting-edge threat prevention that keeps your network one step ahead. Enhancing SonicWall’s multi-engine Capture Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) service is our patent-pending Real-Time Deep Memory Inspection (RTDMI™) technology. The RTDMI engine proactively detects and blocks mass market, zero-day threats and unknown malware by inspecting directly in memory. Because of the real-time architecture, SonicWall RTDMI technology is precise, minimizes false positives, and identifies and mitigates sophisticated attacks where the malware’s weaponry is exposed for less than 100 nanoseconds. In combination, SonicWall’s patented* single-pass Reassembly-Free Deep Packet Inspection (RFDPI) engine examines every byte of every packet, inspecting both inbound and outbound traffic on the firewall. By leveraging the SonicWall Capture Cloud Platform in addition to on-box capabilities including intrusion prevention, anti-malware and web/URL filtering, the NSa series blocks even the most insidious threats at the gateway.
Further, SonicWall firewalls provide complete protection by performing full decryption and inspection of TLS/ SSL and SSH encrypted connections regardless of port or protocol. The firewall looks deep inside every packet (the header and data) searching for protocol non-compliance, threats, zerodays, intrusions, and even defined criteria. The deep packet inspection engine detects and prevents hidden attacks that leverage cryptography, blocks encrypted malware downloads, ceases the spread of infections, and thwarts command and control (C↦C) communications and data exfiltration. Inclusion and exclusion rules allow total control to customize which traffic is subjected to decryption and inspection based on specific organizational compliance and/or legal requirements.
When organizations activate deep packet inspection functions such as IPS, antivirus, anti-spyware, TLS/SSL decryption/inspection and others on their firewalls, network performance often slows down, sometimes dramatically. NSa series firewalls, however, feature a multi-core hardware architecture that utilizes specialized security microprocessors. Combined with our RTDMI and RFDPI engines, this unique design eliminates the performance degradation networks experience with other firewalls.
Network control and flexibility
At the core of the NSa series is SonicOS, SonicWall’s feature-rich operating system. SonicOS provides organizations with the network control and flexibility they require through application intelligence and control, real-time visualization, an intrusion prevention system (IPS) featuring sophisticated anti-evasion technology, high-speed virtual private networking (VPN) and other robust security features.
Using application intelligence and control, network administrators can identify and categorize productive applications from those that are unproductive or potentially dangerous, and control that traffic through powerful applicationlevel policies on both a per-user and a per-group basis (along with schedules and exception lists). Business-critical applications can be prioritized and allocated more bandwidth while nonessential applications are bandwidthlimited. Real-time monitoring and visualization provides a graphical representation of applications, users and bandwidth usage for granular insight into traffic across the network.
For organizations requiring advanced flexibility in their network design, SonicOS offers the tools to segment the network through the use of virtual LANs (VLANs). This enables network administrators to create a virtual LAN interface that allows for network separation into one or more logical groups. Administrators create rules that determine the level of communication with devices on other VLANs.
Built into every NSa series firewall is a wireless access controller that enables organizations to extend the network perimeter securely through the use of wireless technology. Together, SonicWall firewalls and SonicWave 802.11ac Wave 2 wireless access points create a wireless network security solution that combines industry-leading next-generation firewall technology with high-speed wireless for enterprise-class network security and performance across the wireless network.
Easy deployment, setup and ongoing management
Like all SonicWall firewalls, the NSaNSA series tightly integrates key security, connectivity and flexibility technologies into a single, comprehensive solution. This includes SonicWave wireless access points and the SonicWall WAN Acceleration (WXA) series, both of which are automatically detected and provisioned by the managing NSa firewall. Consolidating multiple capabilities eliminates the need to purchase and install point products that don’t always work well together. This reduces the effort it takes to deploy the solution into the network and configure it, saving both time and money.
Cloud-based centralized management, reporting, licensing and analytics are handled through the SonicWall Capture Security Center. Administrators are provided with an intuitive dashboard for managing all aspects of the network in real time, including critical security alerts. Together, the simplified deployment and setup along with the ease of management enable organizations to lower their total cost of ownership and realize a high return on investment.
Secure, High-speed Wireless
Combine an NSa series next-generation firewall with a SonicWall SonicWave 802.11ac Wave 2 wireless access point to create a highspeed wireless network security solution. NSa series firewalls and SonicWave access points both feature 2.5 GbE ports that enable multi-gigabit wireless throughput offered in Wave 2 wireless technology. The firewall scans all wireless traffic coming into and going out of the network using deep packet inspection technology and then removes harmful threats such as malware and intrusions, even over encrypted connections. Additional security and control capabilities such as content filtering, application control and intelligence and Capture Advanced Threat Protection can be run on the wireless network to provide added layers of protection.
Features:
| RFDPI engine |
| Reassembly-Free Deep Packet Inspection (RFDPI) |
This high-performance, proprietary and patented inspection engine performs stream-based, bi-directional traffic analysis, without proxying or buffering, to uncover intrusion attempts and malware and to identify application traffic regardless of port. |
| Bi-directional inspection |
Scans for threats in both inbound and outbound traffic simultaneously to ensure that the network is not used to distribute malware and does not become a launch platform for attacks in case an infected machine is brought inside. |
| Stream-based inspection |
Proxy-less and non-buffering inspection technology provides ultra-low latency performance for DPI of millions of simultaneous network streams without introducing file and stream size limitations, and can be applied on common protocols as well as raw TCP streams. |
| Highly parallel and scalable |
The unique design of the RFDPI engine works with the multi-core architecture to provide high DPI throughput and extremely high new session establishment rates to deal with traffic spikes in demanding networks. |
| Single-pass inspection |
A single-pass DPI architecture simultaneously scans for malware, intrusions and application identification, drastically reducing DPI latency and ensuring that all threat information is correlated in a single architecture. |
| Firewall and networking |
| REST APIs |
Allows the firewall to receive and leverage any and all proprietary, original equipment manufacturer and third-party intelligence feeds to combat advanced threats such as zero-day, malicious insider, compromised credentials, ransomware and advanced persistent threats. |
| Stateful packet inspection |
All network traffic is inspected, analyzed and brought into compliance with firewall access policies. |
| High availability/clustering |
The NSa series supports Active/Passive (A/P) with state synchronization, Active/Active (A/A) DPI and Active/Active clustering high availability modes. Active/Active DPI offloads the deep packet inspection load to cores on the passive appliance to boost throughput. |
| DDoS/DoS attack protection |
SYN flood protection provides a defense against DoS attacks using both Layer 3 SYN proxy and Layer 2 SYN blacklisting technologies. Additionally, it protects against DoS/DDoS through UDP/ICMP flood protection and connection rate limiting. |
| IPv6 support |
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is in its early stages to replace IPv4. With SonicOS, the hardware will support filtering and wire mode implementations. |
| Flexible deployment options |
The NSa series can be deployed in traditional NAT, Layer 2 bridge, wire and network tap modes. |
| WAN load balancing |
Load-balances multiple WAN interfaces using Round Robin, Spillover or Percentage methods. |
| Advanced quality of service (QoS) |
Guarantees critical communications with 802.1p, DSCP tagging, and remapping of VoIP traffic on the network. |
| H.323 gatekeeper and SIP proxy support |
Blocks spam calls by requiring that all incoming calls are authorized and authenticated by H.323 gatekeeper or SIP proxy. |
| Single and cascaded Dell N-Series and X-Series switch management |
Manage security settings of additional ports, including Portshield, HA, PoE and PoE+, under a single pane of glass using the firewall management dashboard for Dell’s N-Series and X-Series network switch. |
| Biometric authentication |
Supports mobile device authentication such as fingerprint recognition that cannot be easily duplicated or shared to securely authenticate the user identity for network access. |
| Open authentication and social login |
Enable guest users to use their credentials from social networking services such as Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ to sign in and access the Internet and other guest services through a host's wireless, LAN or DMZ zones using pass-through authentication. |
| Management and reporting |
| Cloud-based and on-premises management |
Configuration and management of SonicWall appliances is available via the cloud through the SonicWall Capture Security Center and on-premises using SonicWall Global Management System (GMS). |
| Powerful single device management |
An intuitive web-based interface allows quick and convenient configuration, in addition to a comprehensive command-line interface and support for SNMPv2/3. |
| IPFIX/NetFlow application flow reporting |
Exports application traffic analytics and usage data through IPFIX or NetFlow protocols for real-time and historical monitoring and reporting with tools such as SonicWall Scrutinizer or other tools that support IPFIX and NetFlow with extensions. |
| Virtual private networking (VPN) |
| Auto-provision VPN |
Simplifies and reduces complex distributed firewall deployment down to a trivial effort by automating the initial site-to-site VPN gateway provisioning between SonicWall firewalls while security and connectivity occurs instantly and automatically. |
| IPSec VPN for site-to-site connectivity |
High-performance IPSec VPN allows the NSa series to act as a VPN concentrator for thousands of other large sites, branch offices or home offices. |
| SSL VPN or IPSec client remote access |
Utilizes clientless SSL VPN technology or an easy-to-manage IPSec client for easy access to email, files, computers, intranet sites and applications from a variety of platforms. |
| Redundant VPN gateway |
When using multiple WANs, a primary and secondary VPN can be configured to allow seamless, automatic failover and failback of all VPN sessions. |
| Route-based VPN |
The ability to perform dynamic routing over VPN links ensures continuous uptime in the event of a temporary VPN tunnel failure, by seamlessly re-routing traffic between endpoints through alternate routes. |
| Content/context awareness |
| User activity tracking |
User identification and activity are made available through seamless AD/LDAP/Citrix1/Terminal Services1 SSO integration combined with extensive information obtained through DPI. |
| GeoIP country traffic identification |
Identifies and controls network traffic going to or coming from specific countries to either protect against attacks from known or suspected origins of threat activity, or to investigate suspicious traffic originating from the network. Ability to create custom country and Botnet lists to override an incorrect country or Botnet tag associated with an IP address. Eliminates unwanted filtering of IP addresses due to misclassification. |
| Regular expression DPI filtering |
Prevents data leakage by identifying and controlling content crossing the network through regular expression matching. Provides the ability to create custom country and Botnet lists to override an incorrect country or Botnet tag associated with an IP address. |
Breach prevention subscription services
| Capture Advanced Threat Protection |
| Multi-engine sandboxing |
The multi-engine sandbox platform, which includes virtualized sandboxing, full system emulation, and hypervisor level analysis technology, executes suspicious code and analyzes behavior, providing comprehensive visibility to malicious activity. |
| Real-Time Deep Memory Inspection (RTDMI) |
This patent-pending cloud-based technology detects and blocks malware that does not exhibit any malicious behavior and hides its weaponry via encryption. By forcing malware to reveal its weaponry into memory, the RTDMI engine proactively detects and blocks mass-market, zero-day threats and unknown malware. |
| Block until verdict |
To prevent potentially malicious files from entering the network, files sent to the cloud for analysis can be held at the gateway until a verdict is determined. |
| Broad file type and size analysis |
Supports analysis of a broad range of file types, either individually or as a group, including executable programs (PE), DLL, PDFs, MS Office documents, archives, JAR, and APK plus multiple operating systems including Windows, Android, Mac OS X and multi-browser environments. |
| Rapid deployment of signatures |
When a file is identified as malicious, a signature is immediately deployed to firewalls with SonicWall Capture ATP subscriptions and Gateway Anti-Virus and IPS signature databases and the URL, IP and domain reputation databases within 48 hours. |
| Capture Client |
Capture Client is a unified client platform that delivers multiple endpoint protection capabilities, including advanced malware protection and support for visibility into encrypted traffic. It leverages layered protection technologies, comprehensive reporting and endpoint protection enforcement. |
| Encrypted threat prevention |
| TLS/SSL decryption and inspection |
Decrypts and inspects TLS/SSL encrypted traffic on the fly, without proxying, for malware, intrusions and data leakage, and applies application, URL and content control policies in order to protect against threats hidden in encrypted traffic. Included with security subscriptions for all NSa series models. |
| SSH inspection |
Deep packet inspection of SSH (DPI-SSH) decrypts and inspect data traversing over SSH tunnel to prevent attacks that leverage SSH. |
| Intrusion prevention |
| Countermeasure-based protection |
Tightly integrated intrusion prevention system (IPS) leverages signatures and other countermeasures to scan packet payloads for vulnerabilities and exploits, covering a broad spectrum of attacks and vulnerabilities. |
| Automatic signature updates |
The SonicWall Threat Research Team continuously researches and deploys updates to an extensive list of IPS countermeasures that covers more than 50 attack categories. The new updates take immediate effect without any reboot or service interruption required. |
| Intra-zone IPS protection |
Bolsters internal security by segmenting the network into multiple security zones with intrusion prevention, preventing threats from propagating across the zone boundaries. |
| Botnet command and control (CnC) detection and blocking |
Identifies and blocks command and control traffic originating from bots on the local network to IPs and domains that are identified as propagating malware or are known CnC points. |
| Protocol abuse/anomaly |
Identifies and blocks attacks that abuse protocols in an attempt to sneak past the IPS. |
| Zero-day protection |
Protects the network against zero-day attacks with constant updates against the latest exploit methods and techniques that cover thousands of individual exploits. |
| Anti-evasion technology |
Extensive stream normalization, decoding and other techniques ensure that threats do not enter the network undetected by utilizing evasion techniques in Layers 2-7. |
| Threat prevention |
| Gateway anti-malware |
The RFDPI engine scans all inbound, outbound and intra-zone traffic for viruses, Trojans, key loggers and other malware in files of unlimited length and size across all ports and TCP streams. |
| Capture Cloud malware protection |
A continuously updated database of tens of millions of threat signatures resides in the SonicWall cloud servers and is referenced to augment the capabilities of the onboard signature database, providing RFDPI with extensive coverage of threats. |
| Around-the-clock security updates |
New threat updates are automatically pushed to firewalls in the field with active security services, and take effect immediately without reboots or interruptions. |
| Bi-directional raw TCP inspection |
The RFDPI engine is capable of scanning raw TCP streams on any port bi-directionally preventing attacks that they to sneak by outdated security systems that focus on securing a few well-known ports. |
| Extensive protocol support |
Identifies common protocols such as HTTP/S, FTP, SMTP, SMBv1/v2 and others, which do not send data in raw TCP, and decodes payloads for malware inspection, even if they do not run on standard, well-known ports. |
| Application intelligence and control |
| Application control |
Control applications, or individual application features, that are identified by the RFDPI engine against a continuously expanding database of over thousands of application signatures, to increase network security and enhance network productivity. |
| Custom application identification |
Control custom applications by creating signatures based on specific parameters or patterns unique to an application in its network communications, in order to gain further control over the network. |
| Application bandwidth management |
Granularly allocate and regulate available bandwidth for critical applications or application categories while inhibiting nonessential application traffic. |
| Granular control |
Control applications, or specific components of an application, based on schedules, user groups, exclusion lists and a range of actions with full SSO user identification through LDAP/AD/Terminal Services/Citrix integration. |
| Content filtering |
| Inside/outside content filtering |
Enforce acceptable use policies and block access to HTTP/HTTPS websites containing information or images that are objectionable or unproductive with Content Filtering Service and Content Filtering Client. |
| Enforced Content Filtering Client |
Extend policy enforcement to block internet content for Windows, Mac OS, Android and Chrome devices located outside the firewall perimeter. |
| Granular controls |
Block content using the predefined categories or any combination of categories. Filtering can be scheduled by time of day, such as during school or business hours, and applied to individual users or groups. |
| Web caching |
URL ratings are cached locally on the SonicWall firewall so that the response time for subsequent access to frequently visited sites is only a fraction of a second. |
| Enforced antivirus and anti-spyware |
| Multi-layered protection |
Utilize the firewall capabilities as the first layer of defense at the perimeter, coupled with endpoint protection to block, viruses entering network through laptops, thumb drives and other unprotected systems. |
| Automated enforcement option |
Ensure every computer accessing the network has the appropriate antivirus software and/or DPI-SSL certificate installed and active, eliminating the costs commonly associated with desktop antivirus management. |
| Automated deployment and installation option |
Machine-by-machine deployment and installation of antivirus and anti-spyware clients is automatic across the network, minimizing administrative overhead. |
| Next-generation antivirus |
Capture Client uses a static artificial intelligence (AI) engine to determine threats before they can execute and roll back to a previous uninfected state. |
| Spyware protection |
Powerful spyware protection scans and blocks the installation of a comprehensive array of spyware programs on desktops and laptops before they transmit confidential data, providing greater desktop security and performance. |
SonicOS feature summary
Firewall
- Stateful packet inspection
- Reassembly-Free Deep Packet Inspection
- DDoS attack protection (UDP/ICMP/SYN flood)
- IPv4/IPv6
- Biometric authentication for remote access
- DNS proxy
- REST APIs
TLS/SSL/SSH decryption and inspection1
- Deep packet inspection for TLS/SSL/SSH
- Inclusion/exclusion of objects, groups or hostnames
- TLS/SSL control
- Granular DPI SSL controls per zone or rule
Capture advanced threat protection1
- Real-Time Deep Memory Inspection
- Cloud-based multi-engine analysis
- Virtualized sandboxing
- Hypervisor level analysis
- Full system emulation
- Broad file type examination
- Automated and manual submission
- Real-time threat intelligence updates
- Block until verdict
- Capture Client
Intrusion prevention1
- Signature-based scanning
- Automatic signature updates
- Bi-directional inspection
- Granular IPS rule capability
- GeoIP enforcement
- Botnet filtering with dynamic list
- Regular expression matching
Anti-malware1
- Stream-based malware scanning
- Gateway anti-virus
- Gateway anti-spyware
- Bi-directional inspection
- No file size limitation
- Cloud malware database
Application identification1
- Application control
- Application bandwidth management
- Custom application signature creation
- Data leakage prevention
- Application reporting over NetFlow/IPFIX
- Comprehensive application signature database
Traffic visualization and analytics
- User activity
- Application/bandwidth/threat usage
- Cloud-based analytics
Web content filtering1
- URL filtering
- Proxy avoidance
- Keyword blocking
- HTTP header insertion
- Bandwidth manage CFS rating categories
- Unified policy model with app control
- Content Filtering Client
VPN
- Auto-provision VPN
- IPSec VPN for site-to-site connectivity
- SSL VPN and IPSec client remote access
- Redundant VPN gateway
- Mobile Connect for iOS, Mac OS X, Windows, Chrome, Android and Kindle Fire
- Route-based VPN (OSPF, RIP, BGP)
Networking
- PortShield
- Jumbo frames
- Enhanced logging
- VLAN trunking
- RSTP (Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol)
- Port mirroring
- Layer-2 QoS
- Port security
- Dynamic routing (RIP/OSPF/BGP)
- SonicWall wireless controller
- Policy-based routing (ToS/metric and ECMP)
- NAT
- DNS/DNS proxy
- DHCP server
- Bandwidth management
- Link aggregation (static and dynamic)
- Port redundancy
- A/P high availability with state sync
- A/A clustering
- Inbound/outbound load balancing
- L2 bridge, wire/virtual wire mode, tap mode
- 3G/4G WAN failover
- Asymmetric routing
- Common Access Card (CAC) support
Wireless
- WIDS/WIPS
- RF spectrum analysis
- Rogue AP prevention
- Fast roaming (802.11k/r/v)
- Mesh networking (802.11s)
- Floor plan view/Topology view
- Band steering
- Beamforming
- AirTime fairness
- MiFi extender
- Guest cyclic quota
- LHM guest portal
VoIP
- Granular QoS control
- Bandwidth management
- SIP and H.323 transformations per access rule
- H.323 gatekeeper and SIP proxy support
Management and monitoring
- Capture Security Center, GMS, Web UI, CLI, REST APIs, SNMPv2/v3
- Logging
- Netflow/IPFix exporting
- Cloud-based configuration backup
- BlueCoat Security Analytics Platform
- SonicWall access point management
- Dell N-Series and X-Series switch management including cascaded switches
1 Requires added subscription
Additional Features:
Capture Cloud Platform
SonicWall's Capture Cloud Platform delivers cloud-based threat prevention and network management plus reporting and analytics for organizations of any size. The platform consolidates threat intelligence gathered from multiple sources including our award-winning multi-engine network sandboxing service, Capture Advanced Threat Protection, as well as more than 1 million SonicWall sensors located around the globe.
If data coming into the network is found to contain previously-unseen malicious code, SonicWall’s dedicated, in-house Capture Labs threat research team develops signatures that are stored in the Capture Cloud Platform database and deployed to customer firewalls for up-to-date protection. New updates take effect immediately without reboots or interruptions. The signatures resident on the appliance protect against wide classes of attacks, covering tens of thousands of individual threats with a single signature. In addition to the countermeasures on the appliance, NSa firewalls also have continuous access to the Capture Cloud Platform database which extends the onboard signature intelligence with tens of millions of signatures.
In addition to providing threat prevention, the Capture Cloud Platform offers single pane of glass management and administrators can easily create both real-time and historical reports on network activity.
Advanced threat protection
At the center of SonicWall automated, real-time breach prevention is SonicWall Capture Advanced Threat Protection service, a cloud-based multi-engine sandbox that extends firewall threat protection to detect and prevent zeroday threats. Suspicious files are sent to the cloud where they are analyzed using deep learning algorithms with the option to hold them at the gateway until a verdict is determined. The multi-engine sandbox platform, which includes Real-Time Deep Memory Inspection, virtualized sandboxing, full system emulation and hypervisor level analysis technology, executes suspicious code and analyzes behavior. When a file is identified as malicious, it is blocked and a hash is immediately created within Capture ATP. Soon after, a signature is sent to firewalls to prevent follow-on attacks.
The service analyzes a broad range of operating systems and file types, including executable programs, DLL, PDFs, MS Office documents, archives, JAR and APK.
For complete endpoint protection, the SonicWall Capture Client combines next-generation anti-virus technology with SonicWall's cloud-based multi-engine sandbox.
Reassembly-Free Deep Packet Inspection engine
The SonicWall Reassembly-Free Deep Packet Inspection (RFDPI) is a singlepass, low latency inspection system that performs stream-based, bi-directional traffic analysis at high speed without proxying or buffering to effectively uncover intrusion attempts and malware downloads while identifying application traffic regardless of port and protocol. This proprietary engine relies on streaming traffic payload inspection to detect threats at Layers 3-7, and takes network streams through extensive and repeated normalization and decryption in order to neutralize advanced evasion techniques that seek to confuse detection engines and sneak malicious code into the network.
Once a packet undergoes the necessary pre-processing, including TLS/SSL decryption, it is analyzed against a single, proprietary memory representation of three signature databases: intrusion attacks, malware and applications. The connection state is then advanced to represent the position of the stream relative to these databases until it encounters a state of attack, or other “match” event, at which point a pre-set action is taken.
In most cases, the connection is terminated and proper logging and notification events are created. However, the engine can also be configured for inspection only or, in case of application detection, to provide Layer 7 bandwidth management services for the remainder of the application stream as soon as the application is identified.
Global management and reporting
For highly regulated organizations wanting to achieve a fully coordinated security governance, compliance and risk management strategy, SonicWall provides administrators a unified, secure and extensible platform to manage SonicWall firewalls, wireless access points and Dell N-Series and X-Series switches through a correlated and auditable workstream process. Enterprises can easily consolidate the management of security appliances, reduce administrative and troubleshooting complexities, and govern all operational aspects of the security infrastructure, including centralized policy management and enforcement; real-time event monitoring; user activities; application identifications; flow analytics and forensics; compliance and audit reporting; and more. In addition, enterprises meet the firewall’s change management requirements through workflow automation which provides the agility and confidence to deploy the right firewall policies at the right time and in conformance with compliance regulations. Available on premises as SonicWall Global Management System and in the cloud as Capture Security Center, SonicWall management and reporting solutions provide a coherent way to manage network security by business processes and service levels, dramatically simplifying lifecycle management of your overall security environments compared to managing on a device-by-device basis.
Flexible, Customizable Deployment Options:
NSa series at-a-glance
Every SonicWall NSa appliance utilizes a breakthrough, multi-core hardware design and RFDPI for internal and external network protection without compromising network performance. The NSa series NGFWs combine high-speed intrusion prevention, file and content inspection, and powerful application intelligence and control with an extensive array of advanced networking and flexible configuration features. The NSa series offers an affordable platform that is easy to deploy and manage in a wide variety of large, branch office and distributed network environments.
Specifications:
NSa 2650
The NSa 2650 delivers high-speed threat prevention over thousands of encrypted and even more unencrypted connections to mid-sized organizations and distributed enterprises.
NSa 3650
The SonicWall NSa 3650 is ideal for branch office and smallto medium-sized corporate environments concerned about throughput capacity and performance.
NSa 4650
The SonicWall NSa 4650 secures growing medium-sized organizations and branch office locations with enterprise-class features and uncompromising performance.
NSa 5650
The SonicWall NSa 5650 is ideal for distributed, branch office and corporate environments needing significant throughput and high port density.
| Firewall general |
NSa 2650 |
NSa 3650 |
NSa 4650 |
NSa 5650 |
| Operating system |
SonicOS 6.5.2 |
| Security processing cores |
4 |
4 |
10 |
10 |
| Interfaces |
4 x 2.5-GbE SFP,
4 x 2.5-GbE,
12 x 1-GbE,
1 GbE Management,
1 Console |
2 x 10-GbE SFP+,
8 x 2.5-GbE SFP,
4 x 2.5-GbE,
12 x 1-GbE,
1 GbE Management,
1 Console |
2 x 10-GbE SFP+,
4 x 2.5-GbE SFP,
4 x 2.5-GbE,
16 x 1-GbE,
1 GbE Management,
1 Console |
2 x 10-GbE SFP+,
2 x 10-GbE,
4 x 2.5-GbE SFP,
4 x 2.5-GbE,
16 x 1-GbE,
1 GbE Management,
1 Console |
| Expansion |
1 Expansion Slot (Rear)* |
| Built-in storage |
16 GB |
32 GB |
32 GB |
64 GB |
| Management |
CLI, SSH, Web UI, Capture Security Center, GMS, REST APIs |
| SSO users |
40,000 |
50,000 |
60,000 |
70,000 |
| Maximum access points supported |
48 |
96 |
128 |
192 |
| Logging |
Analyzer, Local Log, Syslog |
| Firewall/VPN Performance |
NSa 2650 |
NSa 3650 |
NSa 4650 |
NSa 5650 |
| Firewall inspection throughput1 |
3.0 Gbps |
3.75 Gbps |
6.0 Gbps |
6.25 Gbps |
| Threat Prevention throughput2 (Max Security) |
600 Mbps |
730 Mbps |
1.2 Gbps |
1.7 Gbps |
| Threat Prevention throughput2,6 (Performance Optimized) |
1.20 Gbps |
1.75 Gbps |
2.50 Gbps |
3.40 Gbps |
| Application inspection throughput2 |
1.4 Gbps |
2.1 Gbps |
3.0 Gbps |
4.25 Gbps |
| IPS throughput2 |
1.4 Gbps |
1.8 Gbps |
2.3 Gbps |
3.4 Gbps |
| Anti-malware inspection throughput2 |
600 Mbps |
800 Mbps |
1.25 Gbps |
1.7 Gbps |
| IMIX throughput |
700 Mbps |
900 Mbps |
1.3 Gbps |
1.45 Gbps |
| TLS/SSL decryption and inspection throughput (DPI SSL)2 |
250 Mbps |
300 Mbps |
500 Mbps |
800 Mbps |
| VPN throughput3 |
1.3 Gbps |
1.5 Gbps |
3.0 Gbps |
3.5 Gbps |
| Connections per second |
14,000/sec |
14,000/sec |
40,000/sec |
40,000/sec |
| Maximum connections (SPI) |
1,000,000 |
2,000,000 |
3,000,000 |
4,000,000 |
| Maximum connections (DPI) |
500,000 |
750,000 |
1,000,000 |
1,500,000 |
| Maximum connections (DPI SSL) |
18,000 |
24,000 |
30,000 |
37,000 |
| Default connections (DPI/DPI SSL)4 |
500,000/12,000 |
625,000/15,000 |
750,000/18,000 |
1,000,000/19,000 |
| VPN |
NSa 2650 |
NSa 3650 |
NSa 4650 |
NSa 5650 |
| Site-to-site tunnels |
1,000 |
3,000 |
4,000 |
6,000 |
| IPSec VPN clients (max) |
50 (1,000) |
500 (3,000) |
2,000 (4,000) |
2,000 (6,000) |
| SSL VPN NetExtender clients (max) |
2 (350) |
2 (500) |
2 (1,000) |
2 (1,500) |
| Encryption/Authentication |
DES, 3DES, AES (128, 192, 256-bit)/MD5, SHA-1, Suite B Cryptography |
| Key exchange |
Diffie Hellman Groups 1, 2, 5, 14v |
| Route-based VPN |
RIP, OSPF, BGP |
| Networking |
NSa 2650 |
NSa 3650 |
NSa 4650 |
NSa 5650 |
| IP address assignment |
Static (DHCP, PPPoE, L2TP and PPTP client), Internal DHCP server, DHCP Relay |
| NAT modes |
1:1, many:1, 1:many, flexible NAT (overlapping IPS), PAT, transparent mode |
| VLAN interfaces |
256 |
256 |
400 |
500 |
| Routing protocols |
BGP, OSPF, RIPv1/v2, static routes, policy-based routing |
| QoS |
Bandwidth priority, max bandwidth, guaranteed bandwidth, DSCP marking, 802.1p |
| Authentication |
LDAP (multiple domains), XAUTH/RADIUS, SSO, Novell, internal user database, Terminal Services, Citrix, Common Access Card (CAC) |
| VoIP |
Full H323-v1-5, SIP |
| Standards |
TCP/IP, ICMP, HTTP, HTTPS, IPSec, ISAKMP/IKE, SNMP, DHCP, PPPoE, L2TP, PPTP, RADIUS, IEEE 802.3 |
| Certifications (in progress) |
ICSA Firewall, ICSA Anti-Virus, FIPS 140-2, Common Criteria NDPP (Firewall and IPS), UC APL, USGv6, CsFC |
| High availability5 |
Active/Passive with State
Sync |
Active/Passive with State Sync
Active/Active Clustering |
Active/Passive with State
Sync, Active/Active DPI with
State Sync, Active/Active
Clustering |
| Hardware |
NSa 2650 |
NSa 3650 |
NSa 4650 |
NSa 5650 |
| Power supply |
Dual, redundant
120W (one included) |
Dual, redundant
350W (one included) |
| Fans |
Dual, Fixed |
Dual, Removable |
| Input power |
100-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz |
| Maximum power consumption (W) |
37.2 |
46 |
93.6 |
103.6 |
| MTBF @25ºC in hours |
162,231 |
156,681 |
154,529 |
153,243 |
| MTBF @25ºC in years |
18.5 |
17.9 |
17.6 |
17.5 |
| Form factor |
1U Rack Mountable |
| Dimensions |
16.9 x 12.8 x 1.8 in (43 x 32.5 x 4.5 cm) |
16.9 x 16.3 x 1.8 in (43 x 41.5 x 4.5 cm) |
| Weight |
11.5 lb (5.2 kg) |
11.7 lb (5.3 kg) |
15.2 lb (6.9 kg) |
15.2 lb (6.9 kg) |
| WEEE weight |
12.1 lb (5.5 kg) |
12.3 lb (5.6 kg) |
19.6 lb (8.9 kg) |
19.6 lb (8.9 kg) |
| Shipping weight |
17.0 lb (7.7 kg) |
17.2 lb (7.8 kg) |
24.9 lb (11.3 kg) |
24.9 lb (11.3 kg) |
| Major regulatory |
FCC Class A, CE (EMC, LVD, RoHS), C-Tick, VCCI Class A, MSIP/KCC Class A, UL, cUL, TUV/GS, CB, Mexico CoC by UL, WEEE , REACH, ANATEL, BSMI |
| Environment (Operating/Storage) |
32°-105° F (0°-40° C)/-40° to 158° F (-40° to 70° C) |
| Humidity |
10-90% non-condensing |
1 Testing Methodologies: Maximum performance based on RFC 2544 (for firewall). Actual performance may vary depending on network conditions and activated services. 2 Threat Prevention/Gateway AV/Anti-Spyware/IPS throughput measured using industry standard Spirent WebAvalanche HTTP performance test and Ixia test tools. Testing done with multiple flows through multiple port pairs. Threat Prevention throughput measured with Gateway AV, Anti-Spyware, IPS and Application Control enabled. 3 VPN throughput measured using UDP traffic at 1280 byte packet size adhering to RFC 2544. All specifications, features and availability are subject to change. 4 For every 125,000 DPI connections reduced, the number of available DPI SSL connections increases by 3,000 except for NSa 9250 and above. 5 Active/Active Clustering and Active/Active DPI with State Sync require purchase of Expanded License. 6 Performance optimized mode can provide significant increases in performance without major impact to threat prevention efficacy. *Future use. All specifications, features and availability are subject to change.
Specifications (con't):
NSa 6650
The SonicWall NSa 6650 is ideal for large distributed and corporate central site sites requiring high throughput capacity and performance.
NSa 9250/9450/9650
The SonicWall NSa 9250/9450/9650 provide distributed enterprises and data centers with scalable, deep security at multi-gigabit speeds.
| Firewall general |
NSa 6650 |
NSa 9250 |
NSa 9450 |
NSa 9650 |
| Operating system |
SonicOS 6.5.2 |
| Security processing cores |
24 |
24 |
32 |
32 |
| Interfaces |
6 x 10-GbE SFP+,
2 x 10-GbE,
4 x 2.5-GbE SFP,
8 x 2.5-GbE,
8 x 1-GbE,
1 GbE Management,
1 Console |
10 x 10-GbE SFP+,
2 x 10-GbE,
8 x 2.5-GbE,
8 x 1-GbE,
1 GbE Management,
1 Console |
10 x 10-GbE SFP+,
2 x 10-GbE,
8 x 2.5-GbE,
8 x 1-GbE,
1 GbE Management,
1 Console |
10 x 10-GbE SFP+,
2 x 10-GbE,
8 x 2.5-GbE,
8 x 1-GbE,
1 GbE Management,
1 Console |
| Expansion |
1 Expansion Slot (Rear)* |
| Built-in storage |
64 GB |
1TB, 128 GB |
1TB, 128 GB |
1TB, 256 GB |
| Management |
CLI, SSH, Web UI, Capture
Security Center, GMS,
REST APIs |
CLI, SSH, Web UI, GMS, REST APIs |
| SSO users |
70,000 |
80,000 |
90,000 |
100,000 |
| Maximum access points supported |
192 |
192 |
192 |
192 |
| Logging |
Analyzer, Local Log, Syslog, IPFIX, NetFlow |
| Firewall/VPN Performance |
NSa 6650 |
NSa 9250 |
NSa 9450 |
NSa 9650 |
| Firewall inspection throughput1 |
12.0 Gbps |
12.0 Gbps |
17.1 Gbps |
17.1 Gbps |
| Threat Prevention throughput2 (Max Security) |
3.1 Gbps |
3.5 Gbps |
5.0 Gbps |
5.5 Gbps |
| Threat Prevention throughput2,6 (Performance Optimized) |
5.5 Gbps |
6.5 Gbps |
9.0 Gbps |
9.4 Gbps |
| Application inspection throughput2 |
6.0 Gbps |
7.75 Gbps |
10.8 Gbps |
11.5 Gbps |
| IPS throughput2 |
6.0 Gbps |
7.2 Gbps |
10.2 Gbps |
10.3 Gbps |
| Anti-malware inspection throughput2 |
3.5 Gbps |
3.7 Gbps |
5.0 Gbps |
5.5 Gbps |
| IMIX throughput |
2.65 Gbps |
2.65 Gbps |
4.1 Gbps |
4.1 Gbps |
| TLS/SSL decryption and inspection throughput (DPI SSL)2 |
1.45 Gbps |
1.5 Gbps |
2.1 Gbps |
2.25 Gbps |
| VPN throughput3 |
6.0 Gbps |
6.75 Gbps |
10.0 Gbps |
10.0 Gbps |
| Connections per second |
90,000/sec |
90,000/sec |
130,000/sec |
130,000/sec |
| Maximum connections (SPI) |
5,000,000 |
7,500,000 |
10,000,000 |
12,500,000 |
| Maximum connections (DPI) |
2,000,000 |
3,000,000 |
4,000,000 |
5,000,000 |
| Maximum connections (DPI SSL) |
100,000 |
100,000 |
200,000 |
300,000 |
| Default connections (DPI/DPI SSL)4 |
1,500,000/45,000 |
2,000,000/48,000 |
3,000,000/134,000 |
4,000,000/210,000 |
| VPN |
NSa 6650 |
NSa 9250 |
NSa 9450 |
NSa 9650 |
| Site-to-site tunnels |
8,000 |
12,000 |
12,000 |
12,000 |
| IPSec VPN clients (max) |
2,000 (6,000) |
2,000 (6,000) |
2,000 (6,000) |
2,000 (6,000) |
| SSL VPN NetExtender clients (max) |
2 (2,000) |
2 (3,000) |
2 (3,000) |
50 (3,000) |
| Encryption/Authentication |
DES, 3DES, AES (128, 192, 256-bit)/MD5, SHA-1, Suite B Cryptography |
| Key exchange |
Diffie Hellman Groups 1, 2, 5, 14v |
| Route-based VPN |
RIP, OSPF, BGP |
| Networking |
NSa 6650 |
NSa 9250 |
NSa 9450 |
NSa 9650 |
| IP address assignment |
Static (DHCP, PPPoE, L2TP and PPTP client), Internal DHCP server, DHCP Relay |
| NAT modes |
1:1, many:1, 1:many, flexible NAT (overlapping IPS), PAT, transparent mode |
| VLAN interfaces |
512 |
| Routing protocols |
BGP, OSPF, RIPv1/v2, static routes, policy-based routing |
| QoS |
Bandwidth priority, max bandwidth, guaranteed bandwidth, DSCP marking, 802.1p |
| Authentication |
LDAP (multiple domains), XAUTH/RADIUS, SSO, Novell, internal user database, Terminal Services, Citrix, Common Access Card (CAC) |
| VoIP |
Full H323-v1-5, SIP |
| Standards |
TCP/IP, ICMP, HTTP, HTTPS, IPSec, ISAKMP/IKE, SNMP, DHCP, PPPoE, L2TP, PPTP, RADIUS, IEEE 802.3 |
| Certifications (in progress) |
ICSA Firewall, ICSA Anti-Virus, FIPS 140-2, Common Criteria NDPP (Firewall and IPS), UC APL, USGv6, CsFC |
| High availability5 |
Active/Passive with State Sync, Active/Active DPI with State Sync, Active/Active Clustering |
| Hardware |
NSa 6650 |
NSa 9250 |
NSa 9450 |
NSa 9650 |
| Power supply |
Dual, redundant
350W (one included) |
Dual, redundant, 350W |
| Fans |
Triple, Removable |
| Input power |
100-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz |
| Maximum power consumption (W) |
144.3 |
86.7 |
90.9 |
113.1 |
| MTBF @25ºC in hours |
157,193 |
139,783 |
134,900 |
116,477 |
| MTBF @25ºC in years |
17.9 |
15.96 |
15.4 |
13.3 |
| Form factor |
1U Rack Mountable |
| Dimensions |
16.9 x 16.3 x 1.8 in (43 x 41.5 x 4.5 cm) |
| Weight |
17.9 lb (8.1 kg) |
17.9 lb (8.1 kg) |
| WEEE weight |
22.5 lb (10.2 kg) |
22.5 lb (10.2 kg) |
| Shipping weight |
27.8 lb (12.6 kg) |
27.8 lb (12.6 kg) |
| Major regulatory |
FCC Class A, CE (EMC, LVD, RoHS), C-Tick, VCCI Class A, MSIP/KCC Class A, UL, cUL, TUV/GS, CB, Mexico CoC by UL, WEEE , REACH, ANATEL, BSMI |
| Environment (Operating/Storage) |
32°-105° F (0°-40° C)/-40° to 158° F (-40° to 70° C) |
| Humidity |
10-90% non-condensing |
1 Testing Methodologies: Maximum performance based on RFC 2544 (for firewall). Actual performance may vary depending on network conditions and activated services. 2 Threat Prevention/Gateway AV/Anti-Spyware/IPS throughput measured using industry standard Spirent WebAvalanche HTTP performance test and Ixia test tools. Testing done with multiple flows through multiple port pairs. Threat Prevention throughput measured with Gateway AV, Anti-Spyware, IPS and Application Control enabled. 3 VPN throughput measured using UDP traffic at 1280 byte packet size adhering to RFC 2544. All specifications, features and availability are subject to change. 4 For every 125,000 DPI connections reduced, the number of available DPI SSL connections increases by 3,000 except for NSa 9250 and above. 5 Active/Active Clustering and Active/Active DPI with State Sync require purchase of Expanded License. 6 Performance optimized mode can provide significant increases in performance without major impact to threat prevention efficacy. *Future use. All specifications, features and availability are subject to change.
Services & Add-Ons:
Advanced Gateway Security Suite (AGSS)
Leverage SonicWall Advanced Gateway Security Suite (AGSS) to deliver a multi-engine sandbox, powerful anti‐virus, anti‐spyware, intrusion prevention, content filtering, as well as application intelligence and control services. An upgrade over CGSS, this package features Capture Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), a multi-engine sandbox that runs and inspects suspicious files, programs and code in an isolated cloud-based environment.
Comprehensive Gateway Security Suite (CGSS)
Get the most from your deep packet inspection firewall with the SonicWall Comprehensive Security Suite (CGSS) subscription. CGSS includes gateway anti-virus, anti-spyware, intrusion prevention, application intelligence and control service, content/URL filtering and 24x7 support. Combine security, productivity and support in a single, bundled solution that lowers TCO.
Gateway Security Services
Enable your business firewall to provide real-time network threat prevention with SonicWall gateway anti-virus, anti-spyware, intrusion prevention and application intelligence and control. Block the latest blended threats — including viruses, spyware, worms, Trojans, software vulnerabilities and other malicious code. Guarantee bandwidth prioritization and ensure maximum network security and productivity with granular policies for both groups and users.
Capture Advanced Threat Protection
The cloud-based SonicWall Capture Advanced Threat Protection Service scans a broad range of files to detect advanced threats, analyzes them in a multi-engine sandbox, blocks them prior to a security verdict, and rapidly deploys remediation signatures. The result is higher security effectiveness, faster response times and a lower total cost of ownership.
Content Filtering Services
Gain a cost-effective, easy-to-manage way to enforce protection and productivity policies, and block inappropriate, unproductive and dangerous web content in educational, business or government environments. SonicWall Content Filtering Service lets you control access to websites based on rating, IP address, URL and more. You get the ideal combination of control and flexibility to ensure the highest levels of protection and productivity, which you can configure and control from your network security appliance, eliminating the need for a costly, dedicated filtering solution. Extend enforcement of your internal policies to devices located outside the firewall perimeter by blocking unwanted internet content with the content filtering client.
Content Filtering Client
Extend the enforcement of web policies in IT-issued devices outside the network perimeter. Although it doesn't require a firewall, it can be optionally coupled with SonicWall Content Filtering Service as an ideal combination to keep students and employees off of dangerous or non-productive websites by switching to cloud-enforced policies even when they are using roaming devices.
Support Services
Benefit from advanced technical assistance and ongoing software and firmware updates with SonicWall Dynamic Support. The service includes:
- Telephone and web-based support 24x7
- Direct access to highly-trained senior support engineers
- Advance exchange hardware replacement in the event of a failure
- Access to electronic support tools
TotalSecure Hardware & Services Bundle
Enjoy the convenience and affordability of deploying your firewall as a SonicWall TotalSecure solution. This combines the hardware and services needed for comprehensive network protection from viruses, spyware, worms, Trojans, key loggers and more — without the complexity of building your own security package.
Comprehensive Anti-Spam Service
Block threats from your email server and stop spam at the gateway by adding SonicWall Comprehensive Anti-Spam Service (CASS) to your SonicWall firewall. Rapidly deploy your spam firewall software with one-click activation of up to 250 users.
Enforced Client Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware Software
Execute an innovative, multi-layered, anti-virus internet security strategy with SonicWall firewalls and Enforced Client Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware software. You get SonicWall Reassembly-Free Deep Packet Inspection anti-malware at the gateway, and enforced anti-virus protection at the endpoints. You can redirect any user with a non-compliant endpoint to a web page to install the latest Enforced Client Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware software. Provide automatically updated security definitions to the endpoint as soon as they become available. Plus, you can automate enforcement to minimize administrative overhead.
Documentation:
Download the SonicWall NSa Series Datasheet (.PDF)
