Web Filter Common FAQs
How do Web Filter and Web Filter Lite work?
Web Filter and Web Filter Lite both transparently scans HTTP traffic in order to block or log specific activity. Websites can be blocked or logged based on Category (Pornography, Social Networking, etc.), URL (facebook.com, youtube.com, etc.), MIME Type or File Type (.exe, .mp3, etc..). Web Filter has a more robust feature set that is explained in a FAQ entry below.
Can I use both Web Filter and Web Filter Lite?
We do not recommend running both Web Filter and Web Filter Lite at the same time - if you have access to the trial or full version of Web Filter, we recommend using it rather than Web Filter Lite.
Is Web Filter really better than Web Filter Lite?
Web Filter is the same as Web Filter Lite except it is based on SiteFilter technology. Web Filter is better than Web Filter Lite in many ways:
- HTTPS Filtering
- Many More categories (141 vs. 15)
- Larger database (450+ million URLs vs ~1 million)
- Dynamic categorization of new sites
- SafeSearch enforcement
- Password option for the Unblock feature
Can I install Web Filter/Web Filter Lite on a single computer to use as Parental Control software?
No - Untangle is designed to operate as a gateway or transparent bridge for an entire network and is not meant to filter the computer it is installed on. Installing Untangle will wipe out all existing data on the PC it is installed to. For filtering a single PC, other Internet filter/Parental Control software can be used.
Why is a site not being properly displayed even though I added it to the Pass List?
It's common for a web site to display links, banners and content from other web sites as part of their web pages. There are two easy methods to re-integrate the content while maintaining your access controls. A good example is Facebook - when you go to 'facebook.com', much of the site is loaded from 'fbcdn.net', which also must be put on the pass list for it to display properly. To fix these problems, just look in the Event Log for domains that are still being blocked when you load the site.
Can I block all web sites except certain ones?
Yes, simply block all categories (including "Uncategorized"). Then add whatever sites you'd like to pass to the Pass List. Please be aware that the complex nature of the web and the fact that many applications communicate over HTTP can make this approach difficult.
Why block both MIME Type and File Types?
In an ideal world, both pieces of information would always be present for every web request. However, some sites use incorrect content types or extensions. The behavior of operating systems (Windows vs. Mac) is also different when given only file extension or content type. To be safe, both lists should be used.
What kind of reporting features do Web Filter and Web Filter Lite offer?
Web Filter and Web Filter Lite provide network- and user-based reporting. Data from these apps is fed into Reports to show high level trends such as peak network usage hours as well as allowing administrators to drill down to the individual user level for activity monitoring.
Can I grant privileged access to some users while still blocking sites for everyone else?
There are several ways to accomplish this:
- Policy Manager can be used to create multiple racks, which allows you to have separate filtering settings for individuals or groups of users. The easiest example is a school, where you would want Teachers to have more relaxed internet filter settings than the students. Different settings can be applied to any individual or group in your organization such as CEOs, Administrative Assistants or Accounting Departments.
- The Passed Client IPs List allows you to exempt specific users from all filtering inside the Web Filter/Web Filter Lite applications.
- The Unblock option displays a button that, when clicked, will allow users to bypass the block page. Web Filter has an additional option to require a password for this.
Can I let users access certain sites during lunch?
You can leverage Policy Manager to set up specific filtering settings for different days or time periods, such as allowing Facebook during breaks or after work hours.
Windows Vista/7 computers showing "No Internet Access" but everything is fine. Whats going on?
Make sure you're not blocking access to the domain www.msftncsi.com; this is part of a test that Microsoft runs to see if there is an active internet connection. Once you've verified this domain is not blocked, simply restart the PC and that should take care of it.
