Version 0.9.4 came out while testing was being performed and it had the added feature of probing for network cards. The probe was accurate for my card, but keep your information handy just in case. Once you take care of networking information, which consists of informing SmoothWall some IP information, all you do is set up a root password and a password for the Web administrator, quickly configure LILO, and off the installation goes. No package selection here, just a fast installation that wants to get down to business. The way SmoothWall is set up is pretty efficient.
Settings are through a set of Web pages, which makes it a breeze to configure by remote.
Root is just like root on any other Linux box, so there's not a lot to say there. The admin user has full access to all of the Web pages, both status and active configuration, to make all of the firewall settings. The status of network traffic, running services, and interfaces are all displayed on the home page for the SmoothWall box. With admin access, a user can get into the configuration pages and manage PPP connections, password administration, and firewall logs. The system can even be set up as a DHCP server, which is a real boon for those of us tired of wrangling IP masquerading for a network with a single door to the Internet.