RE: [squid-users] Questions on URL filters

 
> some weeks ago there were some postings to the list stating
> several problems
> with Smartfilter crashing frequently on Solaris as well as with Secure
> Computing's support. As we already use Smartfilter for
> Netscape Proxy I agree
> regarding the support. Did you experience the mentioned crashes?
>
Ahem... The problem was squid with the SmartFilter patches crashing (SF
for squid is installed as a series of source patches to squid.) It was
not confined to Solaris, occuring on at least two distros of Linux as
well, tho it was restricted to squid 2.5. The problem has been
satisfactorily resolved by Secure Computing after a bit of a struggle
with their rather incompetant first line support. Once the problem
actually got to the programmers who knew something about their product
it was fixed within a day.

As an aside, the way that SF works with Netscape proxy is entirely
different (we ran NSP+SF before changing to squid.)

I am quite satisfied with SmartFilter as a product in itself. It is
fairly simple to configure and quite flexible. It includes a "free"
version of Cyfin reporter (there is a "pro" version costing $$$) for
producing some pretty management reports. The free Cyfin version does
the job for us (I use Calamaris as well for the more technical
information.)

SF's filter list is quite large compared to what is available for the
free filters such as SquidGuard (which I trialled here before
recommending renewing our SmartFilter licence) and can be configured to
be automatically incrementally downloaded (we have it set to do so every
Sunday.)

Lastly even tho we only run it on a single proxy, it can be distributed
across a proxy farm or out to the leaf proxies in a hierarchy using
centralised management.

Michael Lightfoot
Unix Consultant
ISG Host Systems
Comcare
+61 2 62750680
Apologies for the rubbish that follows...
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Received on Mon Apr 14 2003 - 21:49:23 MDT