DynaBLocator configuration overview

Requirements to use DynaBLocator

To use the DynaBLocator feature, you must do the following:

Obtain a licensed customer ID to allow you to download the URL database.
Purchase a WebWasher DynaBLocator subscription, as described in Obtaining a DynaBLocator subscription. Alternatively, you can evaluate DynaBLocator.
Set up the DynaBLocator feature on this NetCache appliance, as described in Basic DynaBLocator options.
Regularly obtain new (updated) versions of the DynaBLocator URL database.
Network Appliance recommends that you set up NetCache to automatically obtain an updated URL database to ensure that the most recent list of potentially objectionable sites is always available. See DynaBLocator URL database updates for information about obtaining a new URL database manually and automatically.

Ways of setting up DynaBLocator content blocking in NetCache

You can set up DynaBLocator content blocking in two ways, as shown in the following table.

Method of configuring blocking for DynaBLocator	When you would use this method...
Selecting DynaBLocator categories on the WebWasher - DynaBLocator pages in the Appliance Manager	To block one or more categories of content as a global setting for your users
Setting access control rules for DynaBLocator	To make exceptions to the policies that you have set up for entire content categories. For example, you might Exclude URLs from DynaBLocator categories you have blocked Override blocking of content for specific users
Setting category restrictions by authentication group	To block a category that you have not blocked on the Access Control - WebWasher - DynaBLocator page (that is, for all users) for a specific group of authenticated users

Method of configuring blocking for DynaBLocator

When you would use this method...

Selecting DynaBLocator categories on the WebWasher - DynaBLocator pages in the Appliance Manager

To block one or more categories of content as a global setting for your users

Setting access control rules for DynaBLocator

To make exceptions to the policies that you have set up for entire content categories. For example, you might

Exclude URLs from DynaBLocator categories you have blocked
Override blocking of content for specific users

Setting category restrictions by authentication group

To block a category that you have not blocked on the Access Control - WebWasher - DynaBLocator page (that is, for all users) for a specific group of authenticated users

Although you could use ACLs to block entire categories of content, the easiest way to block categories is to block the content categories on the WebWasher - DynaBLocator pages. Then use ACLs to set exceptions to your DynaBLocator category settings. See DynaBLocator blocking with ACLs for more information.

Note
If you decide to use only ACL rules for DynaBLocator blocking, you must also set up some basic DynaBLocator options, as described in Basic DynaBLocator options.

Precedence of access control settings

NetCache access control list options have precedence over DynaBLocator options. NetCache checks all ACL rules that are set before it checks content category restrictions that are set in the DynaBLocator options.

Using NetCache ACLs is helpful, for example, if a DynaBLocator content category restricts a URL that you want one or more of your users to be able to access. You can explicitly allow the URL by using NetCache access control options. All other URLs in the DynaBLocator content category continue to be restricted, but the users you specified in the ACL can access the URL that you explicitly allowed for them.

Settings for user authentication groups are checked after ACLs and before category settings on the WebWasher - DynaBLocator page.