14.4  URL Groups

URL Groups enable the administrator to define HTTP rules easily (see chapter 12.2  URL Rules). For example, to disable access to a group of web pages, you can simply define a URL group and assign permissions to the URL group, rather than defining permissions to each individual URL rule. A URL group rule is processed significantly faster than a greater number of separate rules for individual URLs. It is also possible to cascade URL groups.

URL groups can be defined in Configuration → Definitions → URL Groups.

URL Groups

Figure 14.9. URL Groups


The default WinRoute installation already includes predefined URL groups:

These URL groups are used in predefined URL rules (see chapter 12.2  URL Rules). WinRoute administrators can use predefined groups in their custom rules or/and edit them if needed.

Matching fields next to each item of the group can be either checked to activate or unchecked to disable the item. This way you can deactivate items with no need to remove them and to define them again.

Click on the Add button to display a dialog where a new group can be created or a new item can be added to existing groups.

URL group definition

Figure 14.10. URL group definition


Name

Name of the group in which the new item will be added. Options of the Name entry are as follows:

  • select a group to which the URL will be added,

  • add a name to create a new group where the item will be included.

Type

Type of the item — URL or URL group (groups can be cascaded).

URL / URL Group

URL or URL group that will be added to the group (depending on the item type).

URL can be specified as follows:

  • full address of a server, a document or a web page without protocol specification (http://)

  • use substrings with the special * and ? characters. An asterisk stands for any number of characters, a question-mark represents one character.

Examples:

  • www.kerio.com/index.html — a particular page

  • www.* — all URL addresses starting with www. www.*

  • www.kerio.com — all URLs at the www.kerio.com server (this string is equal to the www.kerio.com/* string)

  • *sex* — all URL addresses containing the sex string

  • *sex??.cz* — all URL addresses containing such strings as sexxx.cz, sex99.cz, etc.

Description

The item's description (comments and notes for the administrator).