Sophos Firewall: v19.0 EAP1: Feedback and experiences

Um what?

Sophos Firmware Version SFOS 19.0.0 EAP1-Build244

Device Management

    1.  Reset to Factory Defaults
    2.  Show Firmware(s)
    3.  Advanced Shell
    4.  Flush Device Reports
    0.  Exit

    Select Menu Number [0-4]: 3

    Advanced shell is not available.

Will we be limited to Device Console for debugging?

This is completely stupid. I mean, I can understand to put a disclaimer somewhere in the process of accessing the advanced shell (maybe through enabling it via web gui), but a lot of home users are also professionals having a home lab environment. How could we tinker, if this feature is disabled?

Also the only way to bypass certain limitations (like the upload size in WAF through Exchange OWA) is by modifying certain values in psql and that is only possible through the advanced shell.

This is a huge step backwards!

This is completely stupid. I mean, I can understand to put a disclaimer somewhere in the process of accessing the advanced shell (maybe through enabling it via web gui), but a lot of home users are also professionals having a home lab environment. How could we tinker, if this feature is disabled?

Also the only way to bypass certain limitations (like the upload size in WAF through Exchange OWA) is by modifying certain values in psql and that is only possible through the advanced shell.

This is a huge step backwards!

I can only second this. I would understand removing shell access completely, like on other firewalls. Just for home/trial licenses makes no sense IMHO. Big +1 one home labs of professionals.

+1, removing the Advanced Shell for Home Users is a big mistake and the upload size for WAF using OWA is a pretty good example why. If Sophos is serious about this, then they'll lose the only thing left that stopped us from moving to another product. There are so many flaws in SFOS compared to UTM that don't get fixed, even in years (just like the WAF upload size), that this step is just another coffin nail for Sophos.

I hear you. At the same time, does Cisco, Fortinet, PAN, etc, have home editions of their firewalls that are free? I don't think you can install there software on your own hardware. My guess is that Cisco/Fortinet/PAN more prestigious and perhaps there's a lot of old equipment that can be bought cheaply when its dumped by companies, so maybe that's the way they serve the Home Lab users?.

Maybe Sophos should instead have a Home Lab edition that somehow is attached to a corporate license, specifically for this use case? PAN had cheaper versions of their low-end firewall for "lab" use, for example.

Please use the own Thread for this matter: https://community.sophos.com/sophos-xg-firewall/sfos-v19-early-access-program/f/discussions/131882/restricted-advance-shell---examples-of-challenges

I haven't upgraded my "home" device to v19 yet... can you tell me if they've taken shell access away completely, or can you still access it via ssh (eg ssh admin@devicename /bin/sh)?

At this stage totally removed.

ian