Sophos Firewall v19.5 early access is now available

We are pleased to announce that the early access program (EAP) is now underway for the latest and greatest Sophos Firewall OS release. This update to Sophos Firewall brings a number of exciting enhancements and top requested features, such as…

Xstream SD-WAN

• SD-WAN load balancing builds on the powerful SD-WAN capabilities introduced in v19 to add load balancing across multiple SD-WAN links for added performance and redundancy.
• IPSec VPN capacity is also significantly increased, enabling up to double the number of concurrent tunnels depending on your XGS Series model.
• Dynamic routing with OSPFv3 (IPv6) which has been one of our top requested features, bringing enhanced routing, flexibility, security, and performance.

Xstream protection and performance

• Xstream FastPath Acceleration of TLS-encrypted traffic takes advantage of the hardware crypto capabilities in the Xstream Flow Processor to accelerate TLS encrypted traffic flows on the FastPath. This feature is available on the XGS 4300, 4500, 5500, and 6500, and provides added headroom and performance for traffic that requires deep-packet inspection.

High availability

• Several status, visibility, and ease-of-use enhancements improve the operation of high-availability (HA) configurations.
• Redundant link support enables your high-availability devices to be connected with multiple redundant HA links to add resiliency and reliability.

Quality-of-life enhancements

• Host and service object search enables you to perform free text searches for host and service objects by name or value.
• Enhanced .log file storage enables advanced troubleshooting.
• Azure AD SSO for web console and UI login offers an alternate and easier method of authentication.
• Enhanced 40G interface support with auto-detection of advanced port configurations on XGS 5500 and 6500 models.

New 4G/5G hardware support

• New 4G/5G interface modules are launching alongside v19.5 to provide new high-speed cellular connectivity options for modular desktop models, including the XGS 116(w), 126(w), and 136(w).

Get the full list of what’s new

Download the full What’s New guide for a complete overview of all the great new features and enhancements in v19.5.

Getting started

Please visit the SFOS v19.5 EAP registration page to get started.

Sophos Firewall OS v19.5 EAP1 is a fully supported upgrade from any v18.5 firmware as well as v19, including the very recent v19 MR1 build 365 release.

Once you’re up and running, please provide feedback through your Sophos Firewall’s feedback mechanism (top right of every screen on your Firewall). Also visit our EAP community forums to share your experience with others.

Note: Please do not call Sophos Support for issues related to the EAP. Troubleshooting and support for all EAP versions is handled solely through the online Sophos Community EAP forums.