InTheCube
Expert Member
Hi.
At my company, we are currently using TradeShield / iShield as our gateway to the internet. It is also our DHCP server, content filter, and internt usage monitor. However, I find that the software really sucks. I doesn't doesn't meet our needs, and I would like to replace it.
What I require in a replacement software package are the following features:
- an HTTP proxy, for caching of HTTP traffic, to reduce bandwidth costs, and improve speeds for commonly accessed sites.
- a DHCP server which allows fixing of IP addresses to specific MAC addresses
- assigning of friendly names to MAC addresses (e.g. : SalesPrinter, CCTV-PC, PastelServer) which will be used throughout the software.
- a monitoring tool, to monitor bandwidth usage by MAC address, or by "account" - which can have multiple MAC addresses linked to it.
- the ability to set usage limits per MAC address, or account.
- a website/content filter, to filter out porn sites, warez/crack sites, etc.
- firewall
The main idea of the software is to be able control internet usage on our local network, as well as act as our Gateway/Firewall to the internet. Tradeshield/iShield really sucks at this.
For e.g. once TradeShield "sees" a new device on the network, it will pick up its name, and that name will remain forever linked to the MAC address of the Device. So for e.g. if I install a new PC, but don't change the default computer name assigned to it by Windows, and then connect this machine to the network, TradeShield will pick up the default name, .e.g. Acer-User322304, and remember it forever. Now in the usage reports, I have several machines called Acer-2390..., or other weird names that make no sense, and I can't change this. So it's very difficult to figure out who the culprits are, without maintaining my own list of MAC address to User mappings.
Please help!
At my company, we are currently using TradeShield / iShield as our gateway to the internet. It is also our DHCP server, content filter, and internt usage monitor. However, I find that the software really sucks. I doesn't doesn't meet our needs, and I would like to replace it.
What I require in a replacement software package are the following features:
- an HTTP proxy, for caching of HTTP traffic, to reduce bandwidth costs, and improve speeds for commonly accessed sites.
- a DHCP server which allows fixing of IP addresses to specific MAC addresses
- assigning of friendly names to MAC addresses (e.g. : SalesPrinter, CCTV-PC, PastelServer) which will be used throughout the software.
- a monitoring tool, to monitor bandwidth usage by MAC address, or by "account" - which can have multiple MAC addresses linked to it.
- the ability to set usage limits per MAC address, or account.
- a website/content filter, to filter out porn sites, warez/crack sites, etc.
- firewall
The main idea of the software is to be able control internet usage on our local network, as well as act as our Gateway/Firewall to the internet. Tradeshield/iShield really sucks at this.
For e.g. once TradeShield "sees" a new device on the network, it will pick up its name, and that name will remain forever linked to the MAC address of the Device. So for e.g. if I install a new PC, but don't change the default computer name assigned to it by Windows, and then connect this machine to the network, TradeShield will pick up the default name, .e.g. Acer-User322304, and remember it forever. Now in the usage reports, I have several machines called Acer-2390..., or other weird names that make no sense, and I can't change this. So it's very difficult to figure out who the culprits are, without maintaining my own list of MAC address to User mappings.
Please help!