inbound & outbound traffic

[jessie]

Hi

Questions -

1. when user use internet browser go see a website in the office, - its ourbound traffic, right?

2. Mail server(in the office) open POP3 and SMTP. - its inbound traffic?

Thank you

Jessie

[Marvin Rhoads · Accepted solution]

It's all relative.

A user browsing a public website from within your office network makes a request INBOUND to the inside interface and OUTBOUND from the outside interface. This is the most common usage since it is most often an inbound access-list that is applied to control this behavior. Similarly we generally apply an access-list INBOUND on the outside interface to allow traffic to reach an internal (or DMZ-resident) office mail server.

[jessie]

Hi Marvin,

Actually, I took a test. Question was - user use internet browser go see a website in the office - inbound or outbound traffic? no both....what you would answer?

Thank you

Jessie

[Marvin Rhoads]

Well the question is very imprecise. More information or a diagram are required to answer with better confidence.

If I had to answer I assume the user and his browser are located in one of two places - a. on the public Internet somewhere (home, public location, or such) or b. in the office, and he is is browsing to a website that is hosted on a server on the office's private network - probably in a DMZ.

So the answer that makes the most sense is that in either case the traffic is INBOUND (to your office's outside firewall interface in case a. and to your office's inside firewall interface in case b.)

[jessie]

Hi Marvin,

The whole question was - "company decided to outsource POP3 and SMTP to outside hosting company, user browsing internet use http in the office."

POP3 - inbound or outbound?

SMTP - inbound or outbound?

HTTP - inbound or outbound?

Thank you

Jessie

[Gajendra R']

hi ,

Its would be Inbound traffic for you as user sitting outside using Internet and accessing Office web sites.

:-)