Hello guys, i would like to know if any of you know the way(s) to block web messengers, i mean the onea that you can use from your mail client (such as yahoo, google, hotmail), that little application . The problem is that our CEO sent us the direction to block al IM, and thats the only problem i have right now . If any of you can help me with this issue, please help me!

I´ll thank you 4EVER!

Use your browser to send messages on each one you want to block, then look in the Astaro 'Content Filter (HTTP)' log to see the FQDN of the servers. Add these to 'Always block'. For Google chat, it's something like b.google.com. If the traffic isn't going through the HTTP/S Proxy, you can define DNS Groups and write packet filter rules to block the traffic.

Cheers - Bob

__________________
ACE V7 - Astaro Preferred Partner since V3
Addicted to my iPhone!

We use the standard settings for IM/P2P blocking and GMail chat gets stopped cold with no problems. Not sure about the other clients.

I just reran my experiment. In IM/P2P, I chose "Block completely" for 'Google Talk/Jabber'. I fired up the live logs for 'Content Filter (HTTP)' and 'IM/P2P Classifier'. I also went into my packet filter rules to select logging of all outbound traffic. I still was able to establish a chat session between two different gmail accounts on two different computers, one "outside" the Astaro and the other in 'Internal (Network)'. Nothing appeared in the log. I did the same with Yahoo Chat from inside Yahoo mail.

MBrophy, can you check your 'IM/P2P Classifier' log and confirm that it shows the blocking of gmail chat when done from inside gmail? I don't use this, so I wonder what I need to do differently to configure the blocking of email chat with IM/P2P.

Cheers - Bob

__________________
ACE V7 - Astaro Preferred Partner since V3
Addicted to my iPhone!

I have the IM/P2P set to block completely and when I go to MSN Canada - The all-new MSN Canada, home of world-class services such as Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger, and News, Sports, Financial and Entertainment services it doesn't seem to be working which works for me...

Yes, but is the reason the IM/P2P - is that what the IM/P2P log indicates?

Cheers - Bob

__________________
ACE V7 - Astaro Preferred Partner since V3
Addicted to my iPhone!

sorry for the delay.

Here is how I am setup that allows me access to GMail, but no to chat.

Attached Images

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I have no exceptions, I had "Block" and now I have "Log" - in neither case does the chat from a gmail window appear in the IM/P2P log. Do you see gmail chat blocked in your IM/P2P log?

Cheers - Bob

__________________
ACE V7 - Astaro Preferred Partner since V3
Addicted to my iPhone!

Blocked.

10.x VLan is private network
172.16.x address is Astaro LAN interface so my IE settings look something like this

172.16.x.x:8083


-Mark

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	astaro2.jpeg (9.3 KB, 7 views)
	astaro3.jpeg (11.7 KB, 5 views)

I had a similar problem, the IM/P2P proxy does a good job of blocking IM clients but I found some people still using AIM Express and MSN via Web Messengers. In HTTP/S under URL Filtering Categories there is a category called 'Information and Communications'. One of the sub-categories of this category is 'Instant Messaging'. I created a new Filter Category called Instant Messaging and placed this subcategory in it and I add it as a blocked category where needed in HTTP/S Profiles. It worked great for AIM Express and MSN Web clients, I'm not sure about Google Chat.

Another useful sub-category is 'anonymizers' by creating a filter category for this one you can block the really smart guys who now how to use external proxies or VPN's to bypass your filtering.