Set Up WatchGuard Servers

WatchGuard Server Center is a single application you can use to set up and configure all your WatchGuard servers.

After you have installed WatchGuard System Manager (WSM) and the WatchGuard servers, the WatchGuard Server Center Setup Wizard creates the WatchGuard servers you installed on your computer. The wizard includes only the screens that correspond to the components you have installed. For example, if you installed the Log Server and the Report Server, but not the Quarantine Server, the wizard includes only the pages related to the Log Server and Report Server settings. The pages used to create a domain list for the Quarantine Server do not appear in the wizard.

If you did not install or configure some of the WatchGuard servers, you can install or configure them later. You can launch the WatchGuard System Manager Installer from the main configuration page of each server that is not installed. You can also launch the WatchGuard Server Center Setup Wizard from the main configuration page of each server that is not configured.

For more information, see Install or Configure WatchGuard Servers from WatchGuard Server Center.

Before You Begin

Before you run the wizard, make sure you have all of the necessary information:

  • To use a gateway Firebox to protect the Management Server, make sure you have the static IPv4 address of an external interface for the gateway Firebox.
    You cannot specify an IPv6 address for the external interface of the gateway Firebox in the Management Server settings.
  • The Management Server license key.
    To find the license key, see Find Your Management Server License Key.
  • To set up Quarantine Server, make sure you have the domain name or names for which the Quarantine Server will accept email messages.
  • To set up the Log Server, make sure you have the IP address of the management computer where you will install the Log Server.

Start the Wizard

  1. In the system tray, right-click the WatchGuard Server Center icon and select Open WatchGuard Server Center.
    If you do not see this icon, you did not install any WatchGuard server software.
    For instructions to run the installation process again and install one or more servers, see Install WatchGuard System Manager Software.
    The WatchGuard Server Center Setup Wizard starts.
  2. Review the Welcome page to make sure you have all the information required to complete the wizard.
  3. Click Next.
    The General Settings - Identify your organization name page appears.

General Settings

  1. In the Organization name text box, type the name to use for your organization.
    This name is used for the certificate authority on the Management Server, as described in Configure the Certificate Authority on the Management Server.
  2. Click Next.
    The General Settings - Set Administrator passphrase page appears.
  3. Type and confirm the Administrator passphrase.
    This passphrase must be at least 8 characters.
    The Administrator passphrase is controls access to the management computer (the computer on which WSM is installed).
  4. Click Next.

Management Server Settings

These settings appear in the wizard only if you installed the Management Server.

  1. If you have a gateway Firebox for the Management Server, click Yes.
    Although a gateway Firebox is optional, we recommend that you use a gateway Firebox to protect the Management Server from the Internet. If you specify a gateway Firebox, the wizard automatically connects to the gateway Firebox and adds an WG-Mgmt-Server policy with a static NAT rule to allow inbound connections through that Firebox to the Management Server.
    For more information, see About the Gateway Firebox.
  2. Type the external IP address and passphrases for the gateway Firebox.
  3. Click Next.
    The Management Server - Enter a license key page appears.
  4. Type the license key for Management Server and click Add.
    For information about how to find the license key, see Find Your Management Server License Key.
  5. Click Next.

When an interface whose IP address is bound to the Management Server goes down and then restarts, we recommend that you restart the Management Server.

Log Server and Report Server Settings

These settings appear in the wizard only if you installed the Log Server.

  1. Type and confirm the Authentication key to use for the secure connection between the Firebox and the Log Servers.

The allowed range for the encryption key is 8–32 characters. You can use all characters but spaces and slashes (/ or \).

  1. In the Database location text box, type the path to the folder where you want to keep all log files, report files, and report definition files.
    Or, click Browse and select a folder. Make sure you select a location that has plenty of free disk space.

We recommend that you select the default, built-in directory location for Log Server and Report Server files, which is automatically added to your management computer when you install the Log Server:

C:\ProgramData\WatchGuard\logs

Select the database location carefully. After you have installed the database you cannot change the directory location through the Log Server user interface. If you must change the location, follow the steps in the topic, Move the Log Data Directory.

  1. Click Next.

Quarantine Server Settings

These settings appear in the wizard only if you installed the Quarantine Server.

The domain list is the set of domain names for which the Quarantine Server accepts email messages. The Quarantine Server only sends messages for the users in the domains that are included in the domain list. Messages sent to users that are not in one of these domains are deleted.

  1. To add a domain, type the domain name in the top text box and click Add.
    The domain name appears in the list.
  2. To remove a domain, select the domain name from the list and click Remove.
    The domain name is removed from the list.
  3. Click Next.

WebBlocker Server Settings

These settings appear in the wizard only if you installed the WebBlocker Server.

You can choose to download the WebBlocker database now, or wait and download it later. The WebBlocker database has more than 220 MB of data. Your connection speed controls the download speed, which can be more than 30 minutes. Make sure the hard disk drive has a minimum of 250 MB of free space.

  1. To download the database now, select Yes and click Download.
    To download the database later, select No.
  2. Click Next.

The locally installed WebBlocker Server only supports Fireboxes with Fireware OS 12.1.x or lower installed. For more information, see the Fireware 12.1 Help.

Review and Finish

On the Review Settings page, review your settings to make sure they are correct.

To make changes to your settings:

  1. Click Back until you reach the page to change.
  2. Make any necessary changes.
  3. Click Next until you return to the Review Settings page.

If your settings are correct:

  1. Click Next.
    The server configuration progress indicator appears.
  2. When the configuration is complete, click Next.
    The WatchGuard Server Center Setup Wizard is complete page appears.
  3. Click Finish.
    WatchGuard Server Center appears.

From WatchGuard Server Center, you can:

See Also

Install WatchGuard System Manager Software