I am looking for a best alternative of wfilter for windos, which i used to block and filter internet access of the users in company.
Now i want to switch to nethserver (Community version) for testing purpose, all the systems and server are windows based, and i configured port-mirroring with the pc that was monitoring and filtering the other’s internet access. With port mirroring enabled, all the internet traffic passed from router to my pc first, then my pc monitored and filtered it and passed the filtered internet to the users. Can i deploy this linux based os same way through port mirroring? As the internet will only reach the linux pc first and then it pass on? Or do i need to adopt different method? If i am not wrong pc with nethserver installed needs to sit at top of network in order to monitor and filter whole network…is it right?
Also tell me if i can install it on a pc with 4 GB RAM and intel core2duo processor?
The port mirroring is good for test.
Now, the best way is to put a PC with two NICs between your routeur and the provider box.
This way, you will setup Nethserver as Firewall and web content filter.
Actually, what is your gateway? your provider box or something else?
Thank you for the quick response actually i don’t know what is provider box, i don’t have gateway either, but when you mirror your internet traffic to your pc, it acts like internet gateway, because all the traffic goes through that pc first, with wfilter, i didn’t had to use two NIC, does this version shows us the bandwidth report as well? I mean real-time, so that i could see which of my network user is consuming more bandwidth and volume? I want to block all social media and streaming sites so that employees don’t consume time with such things during work. Wfilter is not perfect as it can’t block some streaming sites like youtube, but can block the facebook well, so i hope blocking using wildcard is supported by nethserver…
What is the connection? an ADSL or optical fiber or other kind of connection?
You must have at least one modem or modem/router to do the gateway task.
When you configure your computer with Nethserver, what did you do on other windows server and windows client to be filtered? Did you change their IP configuration?
I have a modem that is connected to a router that also supports port mirroring, when i setup mirroring , my computer did all the filtering, but it don’t access its own internet due to direct mirroring. But it does monitors others, can you please guide me steps as a beginner? I have a network this way:
Modem coonected to the routher with static ip from my ISP
Router is connected to the switch
And all the computers including server of my network is connected to that switch.
This way my users access internet and server’s files.
So what should i do to install the nethserver PC between the switch and my router to be able to monitor and filter the users…i hope you understood my network topology I haven’t installed nethserver pc yet
Are you using DHCP or Static? This is how I have my network which is Static; You need to install NS on a computer with 2 NICs (Network Cards) NIC 1 will be your network IP (192.168.10.0.1) “GREEN” which becomes the gateway. NIC 2 “RED” will be the IP that will connect you out to the net.
That’s almost clear my query now, if i don’t want to access internet on NS PC, will it still be able to filter employees with 1 NIC installed? Oh and my NS PC will be using Static ip, and in that case i don’t think there will be any issue if my employees will connect as DHCP ip address…correct me if i am wrong? I will be setting up port mirroring tomorrow, and install NS PC there. So far i am trying out ways to install NS alongside Windows which is giving me hard times, so downloaded and installed Centos 7 so that i may be able to install nethserver through yum
by the way i have installed nethserver, so far not connected to the network, but i don:t find web content filter option in web interface…why is that? note that i have installed it to my pc without connecting it to the network, because i wanted to create web filtering first…i also don;t see any pre-defined categories…running nethserver os7.
P.S There is also no web filter or web proxy available in Software centre. My installation proceedure was i first installed centos 7, them used the yum install method for nethserver os 7 alpha 3 as described in the document page of nethserver. Actually web content filtering is my only need and that is not working pitty
Sorry but the last NS 7 that supports web filtering/proxy is … 6.8.
NS is in development.
So, if you need now web filtering/proxy you should use NS 6.8.
Hello sir, if i am not wrong, Nethserver Alpha2 supports web content filtering? I am need of os7 specially because i am running it alongside windows, and by installing cent os7 and yum method for nethserver. Centos/Nethserver 6.x doesn’t boot alongside windows…and having windows is necessary for me as dual boot for a time being.
Btw after installing nethserver 7 alpha2, my networkmanager stopped working and showing error “The network is incompitable” or something close to that, and both my wireless and wired connection disappeared. How can i roll back networkmanager update? Sorry please bear with me, i am new in linux world, so not very familiar about terminal commands
Never tried, but I think that you can dual boot centos 6 and windows?
What problem did you find?
About network manager, I really don’t know. I’ve updated my NS7 and it still works.
Honestly, NS7 doesn’t use network manager, I think it can’t break anything.
I have downloaded full Dvd1 version of centos 6 and 7 as well, install it same way, version 7 manages to boot, but when i install version 6, it breaks boot and even windows boot also gets curropted, and after 2nd restart, it goes to grube rescue, so i have to restart it via windows dvd, and fix its boot. And networkmanager was working fine, but i guess yum upgrade broke it…so do you know command to roll back it?
Actually you can’t do webfilter because uou have 1 NIC, Nethserver can`t act as firewall/gateway.
When you will have 2 NICs, you will able to configure 1 as RED ( WAN ) and the other as GREEN ( private safe LAN ), you will be able to install all the firewall/gateway tool to do the job.
This Nethserver gateway is to insert between your provider modem router and your switch.
You will have to configure the DNS server and the DHCP server to reproduct the same job as your actual gateway.
Is your provider modem router is your actual gateway?
Maybe a UEFI problem, specific to your hardware.
Please forgive me for silly suggestions, when I need windows I install it in a virtual machine inside linux.
actually i don’t know what is provider box, i don’t have gateway either, but when you mirror your internet traffic to your pc, it acts like internet gateway, because all the traffic goes through that pc first, with wfilter, i didn’t had to use two NIC, does this version shows us the bandwidth report as well? I mean real-time, so that i could see which of my network user is consuming more bandwidth and volume? I want to block all social media and streaming sites so that employees don’t consume time with such things during work. Wfilter is not perfect as it can’t block some streaming sites like youtube, but can block the facebook well, so i hope blocking using wildcard is supported by nethserver…
pitty 
