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How to whitelist a URL
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How to set up a whitelist (how to unblock a URL)
If you have a situation where a URL is getting blocked, but you want users to be able to access the site, you basically have two options:
1. You can delete the URL from the category.
2. You can "whitelist" the URL.
This article explains the second option--whitelisting a URL.
Go to Library -> Category Groups -> Custom Categories -> Add Category
Create a new category which will hold a list of URLs that you want to whitelist, or "always allow."
After you've created the category, click on it, and then select URLs.
Type the URL into the "Edit URL List" field
Click Add
Click Apply Action
Click Reload Library
(Whenever you reload the library, it may take up to 20-minutes for changes to take effect).
Now... all you have to do is move this custom category to the "ALLOW" list in whch profile(s) you want this to affect.
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For a more detailed explanation of the "Allow" whitelist feature:
Beginning with R3000 software version 2.0.00.32 and higher, the category profile screens contains four columns, or lists. They are: Pass, Allow, Warn, Block.
The "Pass" and "Allow" lists might seem redundant, but there is a difference.
The "Pass" list simply holds categories that you want to allow access to.
As for the "Allow" list, think of it as a "whitelist." (In previous versions, it was known as the "Always Allow" list).
Here's an example of how to utilize the "Allow" whitelist:
Your organization wants to block Pornography, but the Marketing Department needs to see playboy.com because they advertise there. You can't take playboy.com out of the "Pornography/Adult Content" category because then everyone can see it. So, you add playboy.com to a CUSTOM category and set it to "Allow" for the Marketing Department's IP Group profile.
When making filtering decisions, the R3000 normally looks at the "Allow, Block, Warn, Pass" in that order. The "Allow" Custom category or whitelist is treated differently. If the R3000 finds a base URL in the "Allow" list, it stops at that point and simply allows the request through; the other lists are not checked. We do not recommend moving entire 8e6-Supplied Categories into the "Allow" list -- remember, this is a whitelist. It's best to use a custom category and insert specific URLs, as needed.
We do not recommend moving entire 8e6-Supplied Categories into the "Allow" list--remember, this is a whitelist. It's best to use a custom category and insert specific URLs, as needed.
Suppose you have "http://www.pictures.com" in your "Allow" list.
If a user goes to...
http://www.pictures.com/PornPics
the user will NOT get blocked because the base URL (pictures.com) is in the "Allow" whitelist.
You should always be aware of what's in your "Allow" list. If you move entire categories in the "Allow" list, you might run into situations where you think a site is getting blocked, but it isn't because the URL is in the "Allow" whitelist. Note: the Minimum Filtering Level still applies to the Allow whitelist.
- This article was previously published as:
- 8e6 KB 284700