RM - Windows Live Messenger & Web Messenger

[WithoutMotive]

As from today, it looks like Windows Live Messenger and access to Web Messenger have been filtered by RM.
It has always been filtered on our Curriculum network but now it seems to be across both networks.

I suppose its a good idea but it does prevent me from talking to colleagues in other schools.
Another useful resource of mine down the drain.

[bishopsgarthstockton]

erm... I've got mine to bypass the lot so i can talk to the NM when he works from home.

[WithoutMotive]

Enlighten me because, believe it or not, I do rely on people on there sometimes

[TechMonkey]

We had messenger cut off about a month ago. They are looking into it as it appears to be their webmail filter that is doing it but they can't track down the address causing it to be filtered. Woill let you know if we get anything back.

[WithoutMotive]

Cheers, TechMonkey.

It was off and on all over the place about 2 weeks ago and, since then, filtering has been completely turned off. It was only today when I came in I noticed the filtering back on and stuff was blocked.

Thanks again. Hope they sort it out.

[nawbus]

We had a similar problem last year. It took ages to sort out and ended up with RM totally resetting our filters.
Been fine since though!

[webman]

Meebo.com

[TechMonkey]

Meebo.com

Filtered

[webman]

Hehe Thankfully I have squid running on my home network for such eventualities so I can just create an SSH tunnel to it for encrypted + unfiltered browsing Only for emergencies though. Obviously.

[bishopsgarthstockton]

use a firewall bypass?

[Quackers]

Put the location its trying to connect to as a permit rule in the RM Safetynet managment webpage , and it will over ride the RM Porn Filter etc.

For example a teacher wanted somthing of youtube for a class,which RM Pornography normally filters, so instead of turning the porn filter off, i just put *.youtube.com as a permit rule and it lets it through.

[dancingdruid]

I use my own broadband connection at home - easier than constantly fiddling with the filter etc (handy for viewing the blocked sites and for anything that can use a socks proxy - I can even stream my itunes collection down the tunnel from home).

Of course it means having a box running openssh on at home - I've had my router doing this running dd-wrt firmware and I've also used a linux box like the NSLU2. Of course you could use a windows machine as well.

As well as proxying web browsing etc using putty, it's also handy for accessing my vista box if the need arises (wake on lan, remote desktop) without leaving the vista machine exposed to the net.

[Ric_]

Of course you could invite your colleagues to join EduGeek and everybody can help each other out

Oh... and use the phone for those immediate cries for help :P

[TechMonkey]

Put the location its trying to connect to as a permit rule in the RM Safetynet managment webpage , and it will over ride the RM Porn Filter etc.

For example a teacher wanted somthing of youtube for a class,which RM Pornography normally filters, so instead of turning the porn filter off, i just put *.youtube.com as a permit rule and it lets it through.

Tracking down the blocking URL is the problem. even RM don't seem to be able to find it. We unfiltered all the necessary addresses when we first got it working now when it doesn't work nothing shows up in the filtered list as being blocked. Turn off the RM Webmail and Chat filter list and it works, put it back on and it goes. Even more strange is that it seems to come and go now so no idea if that is RM trying to work it out or just general fiddling!

[steveg]

The 2 url's you need to permit on your filter are:

*.messenger.hotmail.com
*.messenger.live.com

Steve