Allow teachers to block websites using Websense

[FN-GM]

Has anyone come across a method where a teacher can run a program or script and block a url without needing access to websense manager?

 

Thanks

 

Z

[Edu-IT]

I can't see how this would be possible to be honest. I presume the filtering is provided by your LEA? Edited May 5, 2008 by Edu-IT

[FN-GM]

Nope we do all our own filtering.

 

Z

[antoeknee]

Personally I wouldn't allow a lot of teachers to turn on a kettle.

 

Our Websense is LEA provided so can't help with your request.

[FN-GM]

Well thats why i don't want them to have access to websense manager, just to block a site if necessary.

[SYNACK]

It depends on how the configuration is stored, if its in a database it may be possible to simply add a record to the block lists but this would be completely unsupported by websence and would require a good amount of pokeing around in their software.

 

I had thought of doing a similar thing with Surfcontrol which grabs its config from a database but it only gets teh configuration on service start up so changes would not happen until the service was restarted.

[FN-GM]

Ok thanks, is there anyway to do this but with ISA instead of Websense?

 

Z

[Edu-IT]

Ok thanks, is there anyway to do this but with ISA instead of Websense?

 

Z

Why don't you block the sites yourself? You could set up a form on your intranet page which saves URLs to a database/emails them and then you could go through this database or inbox at your convenience and block the URLs which need to be blocked.

 

What you're trying to do just complicates things in my opinion. Adding a URL to a filter takes a matter of seconds. If there is regularly a lot of URLs which need blocking then it might be worth improving your filtering.

Edited May 5, 2008 by Edu-IT

[FN-GM]

There are not many that do need blocking. We don't always have tome to block them, or we are not around to do so. Also teachers can't be bothered e-mail asking them to be blocked.

[Edu-IT]

There are not many that do need blocking. We don't always have tome to block them, or we are not around to do so. Also teachers can't be bothered e-mail asking them to be blocked.

What makes you think that they'll be bothered to block them themselves then?

 

If you have a form which only asks for the URL of the site with a send button then it's just the same as them entering the URL into a script.

 

It only takes a few seconds to block URLs and if you aren't around to do it then it's down to teachers to tell the kids not to go on the offending sites.

 

Obviously it's up to you how you do it.

Edited May 5, 2008 by Edu-IT

[SYNACK]

There looks to be a couple of ways to do that with ISA via scripting:

Scripts for ISA Server and Forefront TMG (isa_manage_url_sets.vbs)

Configuring the ISA Server 2006 HTTP Filter (HTTPFILTERCONFIG.VBS from the ISA 2006 SDK)

[FN-GM]

What makes you think that they'll be bothered to block them themselves then?

 

If you have a form which only asks for the URL of the site with a send button then it's just the same as them entering the URL into a script.

 

It only takes a few seconds to block URLs and if you aren't around to do it then it's down to teachers to tell the kids not to go on the offending sites.

 

 

Listen this is how i want it to be done, it saves us time for one and its more easier for the teacher. It works in my another school so we are trying to give it a go in the other.

[Joedetic]

Question stands that why don't you just copy the way you're doing it in your other school???

 

Or at least take how you're doing it there and modify it to this situation :S

[beeswax]

Has anyone come across a method where a teacher can run a program or script and block a url without needing access to websense manager?

 

Thanks

 

Z

 

Do you have Net Support? You can block individual websites from in there.

[FN-GM]

We do but its not on all machines plus the block doesn't always seem to work.

[EduTech]

I have been looking around myself, google etc cant seem to find any thing there... you might find it hard as aint it designed so no one can "admin" it so to speak unless you go through the console.

 

James

[browolf]

i've got some web scripts that interact with ISA server. it wouldnt be hard to use them as a base to create a block site page.

 

all you need is a blocked site rule, and a form that adds urls to that rule. I got a form that adds sites to a rule to be allowed when the internet is otherwise "off"

 

make of this what you will

</pre><form action="allowurlprocess.asp" method="get">
 

Input address here in the form http://address/* only [slash asterisk on the end is required]

 
 
 
 
 

   

</for

 

processing page:

 

<% sub processform()

   
dim root
set root = CreateObject("FPC.Root")

dim array
dim urlsetsarray

set array = root.GetContainingArray
set urlsets = array.RuleElements.URLSets

set urlset = urlsets.item("tempallowed")

url=request.querystring("url")

urlset.add url
urlsets.save


end sub %>

<% processform %>

 

teachers need allocated admin rights on isa but its never been a problem since they dont have direct access to the server nor the admin software. I dont think too many even understand the concept of a proxy.

[FN-GM]

i've got some web scripts that interact with ISA server. it wouldnt be hard to use them as a base to create a block site page.

 

all you need is a blocked site rule, and a form that adds urls to that rule. I got a form that adds sites to a rule to be allowed when the internet is otherwise "off"

 

make of this what you will

</pre><form action="allowurlprocess.asp" method="get">
 

Input address here in the form http://address/* only [slash asterisk on the end is required]

 
 
 
 
 

   

</for

 

processing page:

 

<% sub processform()

   
dim root
set root = CreateObject("FPC.Root")

dim array
dim urlsetsarray

set array = root.GetContainingArray
set urlsets = array.RuleElements.URLSets

set urlset = urlsets.item("tempallowed")

url=request.querystring("url")

urlset.add url
urlsets.save


end sub %>

<% processform %>

 

teachers need allocated admin rights on isa but its never been a problem since they dont have direct access to the server nor the admin software. I dont think too many even understand the concept of a proxy.

 

 

Thanks i will give that a go.

 

Question stands that why don't you just copy the way you're doing it in your other school???

 

Or at least take how you're doing it there and modify it to this situation :S

 

Well we are using websense but the other school are using Frog to filter.