Excluding file types to be scanned

About excluding file types

Some administrators, because of the proliferation of new file types (with new file name extensions) that might be stored on the filer, prefer to specify what file types to exclude, rather than include, in a virus scan. The practice of specifying files to exclude, lets you forgo scanning file types assumed to be safe, at the same time ensuring that any new, unfamiliar file type stored on the filer does get virus scanned.

Use the vscan extensions exclude command line to list, specify, add to, or remove from the set of file types to be excluded from virus scan on the filer.

Typical vscan extensions exclude usage

Typically, you will use the vscan extensions exclude command in combination with the vscan extensions include command. You use include to specify a general virus scan, and use exclude to specify the file types to be excepted from the virus scan.

To exclude file types from virus scanning, complete the following steps.

Step	Action
1	At the filer console enter the following command line specifying the extensions of all file types that you want to exclude from virus scan: *vscan extensions exclude set ext[,ext...`]`*
2	Enter the following command line to specify virus scan of all other file types: vscan extensions include set ??? Result This command line instructs the virus scan program to scan all file types stored on the filer. But the result of both the "exclude" and the "include" command lines together is that all file types are scanned except for the file types whose extensions have been specified in the `vscan extensions exclude` command line described in Step 1.

Step

Action

At the filer console enter the following command line specifying the extensions of all file types that you want to exclude from virus scan:

vscan extensions exclude set ext[,ext...]

Enter the following command line to specify virus scan of all other file types:

vscan extensions include set ???

Result

This command line instructs the virus scan program to scan all file types stored on the filer. But the result of both the "exclude" and the "include" command lines together is that all file types are scanned except for the file types whose extensions have been specified in the vscan extensions exclude command line described in Step 1.

Displaying files to exclude from a scan

To display the list of extensions of file types to be excluded from a virus scan on the filer, complete the following step.

Step	Action
1	Enter the following command: vscan extensions exclude Result The current list of extensions to be excluded from virus scan is displayed.

Specifying all the file types to exclude from a scan

To specify the list of extensions of file types that you want to exclude from virus scan, complete the following step.

Step	Action
1	Enter the following command: *vscan extensions exclude set ext[,ext...`]`* ext is the extension or extensions that you want to set for the list of file types excluded from virus scan. Note Using the `set` parameter will replace completely any existing file type extensions in the exclude list with the extensions you specified in this command. If an exclude list already exists and you merely want to add to it, use the `vscan extensions exclude add` command.

Step

Action

Enter the following command:

vscan extensions exclude set ext[,ext...]

ext is the extension or extensions that you want to set for the list of file types excluded from virus scan.

Note
Using the set parameter will replace completely any existing file type extensions in the exclude list with the extensions you specified in this command. If an exclude list already exists and you merely want to add to it, use the vscan extensions exclude add command.

Adding file types to exclude from a scan

To add the extensions of file types to be excluded from a virus scan, complete the following step.

Step	Action
1	Enter the following command: *vscan extensions exclude add ext[,ext...]* ext is the extension you want to add to the list of file types excluded from virus scan.

Example

vscan extensions exclude add txt

Note
Up to 255 file extensions can exist in the file extensions list.

Removing file types to exclude from a scan

To remove one or more file types to exclude from virus scan, complete the following step.

Step	Action
1	Enter the following command: *vscan extensions exclude remove ext[,ext...]* ext is the extension you want to remove from the list of file types excluded from virus scan.

Resetting the exclude file extensions to empty

To reset the file extensions list to the default, which is empty, complete the following step.

Step	Action
1	Enter the following command: vscan extensions exclude reset Result: The list of file extensions is set to the default empty value.

Exclude over include

If an extension for a file type is unintentionally entered in both the vscan include list (through the vscan extensions include command) and the vscan exclude list (through the vscan extensions exclude command, that file type will be excluded from the virus scan.

Excluding file types to be scanned

About excluding file types

Typical vscan extensions exclude usage

Result

Displaying files to exclude from a scan

Result

Specifying all the file types to exclude from a scan

Adding file types to exclude from a scan

Example

Removing file types to exclude from a scan

Resetting the exclude file extensions to empty

Result:

Exclude over include