How to Restrict Internet Acess

[attrofy]

I don't know if this is the right forum for this kind of question or not. I am looking for a way that a user can log on to our network (NT 4 backbone with 98/2000/Xp clients) and allow some users access to the interent, while disallowing other users. The users can float from PC to PC, so I need something more depenedant on either username, or pop up a password than on IP address. THe ulitmate solution would be to require a user to enter a particular password for certain privelages (i.e. unlimited access, restricted to certain sites, or no access). I have looked into some of the proxy software, and haven't seen too many options in this catergory. Mostly whitelist/blacklist type of restrictions assigned by IP. As we use DHCP, this poses a bit of problem as well. Any sugestions? Keep it simple as I am not a network guru.
Thanks, Russell

 

[dilettante]

If you are using Active Directory, Microsoft's Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server supports web proxying by user and group as well as by IP range.

This appears to be a BIIIG package though, consisting of a firewall, a web cache, and a proxy server (and probably the kitchen sink).

It IS the only one I know of that is user-aware though.

See:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/tr...technet/prodtechnol/isa/evaluate/isatecov.asp

 

[hnd]

Look at the wingate site (

http://www.wingate.com

) Wigate professional is a powerful proxy Server with a lot of functionality. (User blocking, blocking special sites, blocking special services ......) Perhaps it is the tool you need.


hnd
hasso55@yahoo.com

 

[wybnormal]

SonicWall will do this.. as will the *old* ProxyServer.. both can be configured to where you are prompted for a login in order to gain access to the internet.

ISA works but it's a royal pain in the butt.. even when you call MS for help, often the techs there do not know alot more then you do.. it's that new. We already had one problem with their mail server wizard not working right and they (MS) had to come up with a workaround.. "boy, I need to remember this workaround".. oh joy... it also has some issues with talking to Exchange..

MikeS Find me at

http://www.packetattack.com

"The trouble with giving up civil rights is that you never get them back"

 

[attrofy]

Thanks for your suggestions, I'll check both of those proxy prog's and see if they will do what we are looking for - affordably. Any more suggestions, let me know.

Russell

 

[attrofy]

One problem I didn't mention, we are using satellite for web connection (yeah, I know - but NOTHING else available). WE have a proxy sort of thing going with the sattelite server. It was installed and configured from the sattelite company. I have asked about using other proxy software. THey claim that it will interefere with their software and cause the connection to run slower. We have limited user licenses available for the amount of users we have on the system. My first reaction is that it is hooey, but I have noticed a definate performance decrease when clients don't point their proxy settings properly, and my fear is that by running a second proxy software, that I will be reducing the bandwith (wich already sucks enough) further, by trying to allow the first proxy to allocate bandwidth to the one user that has 15+ machines fighting to split the allocated bandwidth accordingly. I may thinking of proxies incorrectly with this fear, but my understanding is that since the satellite is a wireless transmitter, that the software is actually sequencing the transmisions for multiple users, allowing more bandwidth per transmission cycle for each user - as opposed to a fixed line that has a certain bandwidth pumped in all the time. As more users start to take their portion of the bandwidth, it causes the remaining bandwidth to be split more or less equally among the remaining users. So my ultimate concern is not to slow things down any further than they already are. Any way to take advantage of the server (running win2K) for the satellite, as far as by allowing only certain users to connect???