Cobion's OrangeBox Web is a very similar product to DynaComm i:filter. Designed to integrate with a proxy server (for example, Microsoft ISA on Windows 2000/XP), it is also happy to sit on a number of popular Linux and Unix platforms. It can also be used as a proxy server in its own right if you have a small or medium-sized intranet network.
The basis of OrangeBox Web is policy-based user authentication. This is achieved through integration with your existing directory services: for example, it can be integrated with a Windows domain server or with LDAP directory services, such as Microsoft's Active Directory or Novell Directory Service. Not only does this make life a lot easier for the network administrator, but it also ensures synchronization of user lists.
After a very painless installation, all configuration is carried out via the management console. This has a very uncluttered GUI, and allows for very rapid policy setting, including the ability to drag and drop rules. Furthermore, policies can be imported from other instances of OrangeBox Web, and can be managed from the single console.
Rules are built from four elements. Firstly, to whom the rule applies. The information can be taken from your directory service, and can be at the user or group level, as well as IP/machine address. This can also be prioritized. Next, you can specify time intervals when access is allowed to particular users or groups. With these defined, you can then state what content is permitted. OrangeBox Web uses a customizable database of over 14 million URLs. You can also specify which file types are permitted.
Finally, you define what actions are to be taken when a rule is met. OrangeBox has five actions: allow, block, custom blockpage, passlock (which allows limited access to a usually banned URL) and priority, which allows a level of granularity to be specified.
As well as URL detection and standard keyword and text content filtering, OrangeBox Web also allows pictures on web sites to be scanned for forbidden content. Documentation is extensive, ranging from a very easy-to-follow installation guide to a hefty but informative user guide. However, perhaps Cobion should consider the services of a different translation bureau; there are too many mistranslations from the original German.
OrangeBox Web is an elegant solution that integrates seamlessly into most environments, but once again it lacks a built-in anti-virus scanner.
