URL database tab

In this tab, the URL database provider can be changed. Two providers are available:

  • Embedded URL database: provider selected by default when a “standard” maintenance service is subscribed.

  • Extended Web Control: this provider is available only if you have subscribed to the option, which offers a cloud-based URL database. The advantage of this URL filter is its higher quality compared to the embedded solution.

The following operation can be performed:

URL database provider

Select the URL database provider that you wish to use. You can then choose its URL categories in the URL filtering module.

If the provider has been changed, a warning message will appear, informing the user that any URL filter policy using a category from the current provider will stop functioning.
During the migration, you are advised to apply a URL filter policy that does not involve URL categories that are about to be deleted. This is due to different category names according to the URL databases. 
For example, older URL filter policies with rules containing Extended Web Control categories must be rewritten with the categories from the embedded URL database.

A box below the URL database provider options shows information about the provider's URL categories that are currently in use (names of categories and their descriptions).

To download updates of URL databases:

  • Embedded URL database: updates can be downloaded through the firewall's Active Update module. This module also makes it possible to change the addresses of update servers if a mirror site is used.

  • Extended Web Control: since this URL database is cloud-based, updates are downloaded dynamically and transparently.

If the servers are temporarily inaccessible, a page will indicate that the query mechanism for the classification of the site will be automatically relaunched.