Introduction

The LANCOM Content Filter enables you to filter certain content from your network, so preventing access to Internet pages with content that is illegal or offensive. It also enables you to stop private surfing on specific sites during working hours. This not only increases staff productivity and network security but also ensures that the full bandwidth is available exclusively for your business activities.

The LANCOM website filter is an intelligent content filter that works dynamically. It contacts a rating server that evaluates Internet sites reliably and accurately in accordance with the categories that you select.

The LANCOM Content Filter operates by checking the IP addresses behind the URLs that are entered. For any given domain it is possible to differentiate according to the path, meaning that specific areas of a URL may be rated differently.

As of LCOS 10.70, the BPjM module is a component of the Content Filter. The BPjM module is published by the German Federal Agency for the Protection of Children and Young People in the Media and blocks domains that may not be made accessible to children and young people in Germany.

The LANCOM Content Filter license you purchase is valid for a certain number of users and for a specific period (for one or three years). You will be informed of the expiry of your license in good time. The number of current users is monitored in the device, with the users being identified by their IP address. You can configure what should happen when the number of licensed users is exceeded: Access can either be denied or an unchecked connection can be made. The included BPjM module is not user-limited, regardless of the number of licensed Content Filter users.

All settings relating to categories are stored in category profiles. You select from predefined main and sub-categories in the LANCOM Content Filter: 59 categories are divided into 14 subject groups such as "Pornography, Nudity", "Shopping" or "Illegal Activities". You can activate or deactivate each of the categories that these groups contain. Sub-categories for "Pornography/Nudity" are, for example, "Pornography/Erotic/Sex" and "Swimwear/Lingerie".

When configuring these categories, administrators have an additional option of activating an override. When the override option is active, users may still access the forbidden site for a particular period of time by clicking on a corresponding button, but the administrator will be notified of this by e-mail, SYSLOG, or SNMP trap.

The category profile, whitelist and blacklist can be used to create a Content Filter profile that you can assign to particular users by means of the firewall. For example you can create a profile called "Employees_department_A" and assign this to all of the computers in that department.

When you install the LANCOM Content Filter, basic default settings are created automatically. These only need to be activated for the initial start. You can subsequently customize the behavior of the LANCOM Content Filter to match your own requirements.

Sensible default settings are also set up automatically for the BPjM module. Thus, a default firewall rule exists in the IPv4 or IPv6 firewall with the system object "BPJM" as the target station. Define as source stations the networks that are to be protected by the BPjM module. Activating the rule starts the BPjM module.