Question Sonicwall TZ300

[naviseyer]

I cant seem to remember the password for the sonicwall TZ300 on my office network.
I know the only way to get myself back into the sonic wall is by doing a reset to factory settings.
unfortunately i was not the person to set up a firewall so i am not sure what settings i would have to do to get the network back up and running .

Anyone have any ideas on how difficult this would be? also what info do i need to make record of to help me reset the network ..

thanks for any or all help

Ivan

 

[USAFRet]

Well...

You didn't build and configure the system.
The person that did this apparently did not leave any documentation of the configuration.
You don't know the password to get into the system.

Degree of difficulty is down to two things...the complexity of the network, and your personal skills.

"network" means everything from where it comes into the building at the wall, down to each and every individual device, user, and permission needs.

 

[naviseyer]

Its a about 30 users plus IP phones a few printers and plotters 3 Nas storage,
Verizon provides the internet it comes in from Verizon to the sonicwall from the sonic wall to 2 switches from switches to patch panel out to work stations .
The server itself is a Dell its running windows 2012 R2 running 2VMs,
1 VM has all the data and also acts as the dns and the second VM is for Quickbooks only.
I have never set up a firewall from scratch before so im just trying to figure out what setting i will lose and how long it will take me to get it back up and running.
I have to be up and running by start of business Monday morning.
I can put it off because as of right now everything is running fine .
I just dont like not being able to access the firewall.

 

[USAFRet]

Well, wiping the system to get access to it due to not having the password WILL require a complete reconfiguration.
And obviously should only be done when you are quite sure of the needs and requirements.

And this is not something we out here can talk you through. A forum like this is not the right plaform.

One thing that stands out here is no mention of any backup situation.
Does that exist?

 

[naviseyer]

I have vss backups and also a full server back up but no back up of the sonicwall configuration. Its a small company So there are no VPN set up . Its as basic as it gets . I am just unsure of what setting up the firewall entails which is why i am reluctant to just jump in without having some sort of idea.

Is all i need to do is set it up as the dhcp which it is now currently set up as or if i would need to open ports and set each connection from workstation to server to internet . I really just am completely unfamiliar with setting up a sonicwall

 

[jsmithepa]

Yer screwed. Pardon my French but that's what happens when bosses go el-cheapo and don't manage IT correctly.

Should you risk to assume this responsibility, you need to tell the boss, "I can do this, gain access, but original settings will be wiped and we maybe down for some time until configuration restored manually" at which point Boss is gonna give you that "you shouldn't joke" look, then you should say "I suggest bring in a consultant to minimize down time" and this consultant should do an in-depth walk-thru to find out exactly what the network looks like before he resets the firewall.

SonicWalls have the capability to SAVE CONFIGURATION to an external file, whether this was done, or anybody know where is saved, and how recent is it, that's the question. If backup configuration available and not too old, you can reset and reload config and BAM! if you are very lucky.

 

[USAFRet]

"I have to be up and running by start of business Monday morning. "

Today being Saturday, from the current starting point condition, this cannot be done in 2 days.

 

[USAFRet]

This is when you turn yourself into the Project Manager, and hire a local consultant.

 

[naviseyer]

That's why i asked before i just jumped in... Unfortunately its a family business and i was volunteered to sort it out. I have been able to keep everything up and running Smoothly for the most part. I haven't really had to do much besides adding users and simple task like adding a workstation to the network or updating software and such . Now i have been asked to set up a vpn for a employee thats going to be on maternity leave . The problem is i cant gain access to the sonicwall without to a factory reset.
I wanted to thank everyone for there help
I defiantly appreciate it.

 

[USAFRet]

I feel your pain.
However, this would be a complete 'from zero' reconfiguration.

Which requires either good documentation of currently exists, or in depth investigation by a competent network engineer.

Since we have neither...outlook looks bleak.

At some point, someone is going to have to fix this whole thing.


You say you have VSS backups. Do you know, specifically, how to recover? Dead drive or whatever.
Have you tested this procedure?