Originally Posted by Rob M

If you tick the box that says 'Disable SPI Firewall' you will have turned the firewall off (SPI = Stateful Packet Inspection).

Until then it will (or at least should) continue to operate in the usual manner, keeping in mind the limitations of the firewall (it's probably checking inbound connection attempts only) and any configuration changes you have applied (for example any ports you may have opened/forwarded).