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SmoothGuardian uses faster URL technology than SmoothGuard and supports regular expression URL matching. However SmoothGuardian's main feature is text analysis. Several mechanisms are provided, including phrase matching against a list of points weighted phrases and PICS labels. The text analysis gives SmoothGuardian the ability to determine on-the-fly if the web pages are suitable or not. This mechanism catches pages that simple URL filters such as N2H2 and SurfControl do not. SmoothGuardian provides true web content filtering.

SmoothGuardian is a completely new product from SmoothWall and directly replaces SmoothGuard. SmoothGuardian uses DansGuardian™ filtering technology.

Specifications

The main specifications of SmoothGuardian are as follows:

• True content filtering based on text analysis which scans each textual page for phrases and calculates a likely rating for the page which can then be blocked. The phrase scanning uses an intelligent algorithm to match phrases in web pages mixed in with HTML code and white space. It uses the latest techniques in pattern matching by building up a Deterministic Finite Automaton graph at daemon start time. This allows phrase searching using large lists to be significantly faster than the Quick Search method used by lesser filters.
• PICS label filtering (Platform for Internet Content Selection).
• Super fast URL blocking (this is the only feature most other filters provide).
• Regular expression URL matching (advanced wild card matching).
• URL filtering can be configured to do a reverse lookup to block users that try to access the site by its IP address instead of domain name.
• Can block all IP based URLs.
• Can block adverts by the use of an advert URL block list.
• Can work in a 'greenlist' mode where all URLs are blocked except those listed in an exception site list.
• MIME type blocking (e.g. block certain types of downloads).
• File extension blocking (e.g. block certain types of downloads).
• Download size limiting.
• Upload size limiting.
• Upload attachment blocking (e.g. prevent or limit attachments by size in web mail).
• Built-in authentication and user database when in non-transparent mode.
• Authentication determines wether to block, filter or allow the client.
• Ident authentication (identification) is supported.
• Filtering can be switched to block, filter or allow workstations based on IP.
• Advanced logging and reporting including username (when using authentication), source IP, date, time, URL and reason for block if any.
• Log files can be exported for import into spreadsheets etc.
• The logging and blocking can be configured to work in Stealth Mode where all the pages are filtered and logged as normal, but no pages are actually blocked. It allows the administrator to monitor if people are visiting 'bad' sites and downloading dangerous file types without the users' knowledge.
• The IE and Netscape 'Automatic proxy configuration script' feature is supported.

Features

The main features that the specifications provide are as follows:

• It comes with huge blocklists which are categorised into different topics such as chat, gambling and pornography which allows you to tailor the type of filtering to your exact needs. This provides protection from illegal web browsing within your organisation as well as ensuring your users don't waste time and bandwidth.
• The blocklists that filter use are updated weekly so that new sites can be quickly added and the filtering continuously tuned.
• Advert blocking and hiding thus saving bandwidth and hiding potentially troublesome pages.
• Greenlist (also known as whitelist) mode. This would allow you to, for example, limit users to only those sites required to do their job.
• File blocking allows you to minimise risk of virus infected files and trojan programs as well as saving bandwidth by preventing users from downloading files not related to work. It also has legal benefits because it helps prevent your users from downloading illegal software and copyrighted files such as music.
• File size download blocking allows you to prevent users from wasting bandwidth by downloading large files such as movies and CD images and thus saving you money.
• Upload limiting allows you to prevent legal and other issues with users using web mail to leak confidential documents.
• The built in authentication allows you set up a network with users who can access the web without any additional server.
• The advanced logging allows you to monitor which users (if authentication is enabled) visit which web sites and so keep them in check.

There are many more features not yet listed here, but the screen shots to the right will reveal some of these.

Feedback

The following are user comments from those using DansGuardian™ filtering technology.

"The flexibility of the software is very good... I highly recommend it to anybody needing a filter."

"...it way surpasses a lot of commercial 'banlist only' products as it allows the kids to use webmail without me panicking that they're getting offensive stuff through it."

"The logging is excellent and the way I can have whitelists and blacklist is extremely flexible."

"...a great alternative to CyberPatrol and N2H2's products."

"If anyone is thinking about moving, I've used Websense, Xstop, squidGuard in the past with moderate success, but none of them were as nice."

"I am very pleased with the performance. We switched over from CyberPatrol which was crashing our Novell server."

System Requirements

Even though SmoothGuardian filtering is highly optimised, content filtering requires a lot of processing power — a lot more than a standard SmoothWall firewall. The recommended system requirements are:

• Minimum: 300Mhz x86-compatible processor, 96Mb RAM, 2Gb disk
• Recommended : 500Mhz processor, 192Mb RAM, 4Gb disk
• Optimal: 1Ghz+ processor, 256Mb RAM, 4Gb disk

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