Overview
URL filter section can be used to block access to URLs based on their host name and / or file path. If the URL is denied, an error page template is sent to the web browser.
URL filter can not only be used to block access to specific websites, but it can also be used to very effectively and granularly block specific objects like banners and advertisement, search engine queries, URLs containing specific words like 'sex' or 'mail', and access to IMs and Chats like Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, MSN Messenger, etc.
Screen-Shots
Main Section
Allow / Deny Subsection
Main Section
|
Allow / Deny Sub-Section
You can define rules either under the Allow or Deny subsection, depending on the selected Policy. If Policy is Allow, you should define rules under the Deny subsection, and If Policy is Deny, you should define rules under the Allow subsection.
|
Example
Suppose you wanted to restrict the 'Accounts' group from accessing some specific web sites.
Create the following entry in the Profiles section:
Next, go to the URL filter section and add the following rule under Deny subsection (Presuming that Policy is Allow).
The first rule defines that when users with 'Accounts' profile, request for the sites specified in Host field, give that request another profile - Blocked-Site. This rule only defines the situation, and does not do any blocking. The second rule, defined under URL filter section, blocks all requests with Blocked-Site profile.