Sophos Anti-Virus for Windows 2000+: how to centrally enable or disable Sophos web content scanning

Issue
This article describes how to centrally enable or disable Sophos web content scanning. For details of how to do this locally, see How to locally enable or disable Sophos web content scanning.

Sophos web content scanning is enabled by default in Sophos Anti-Virus 7.6.

For details of how to do it through 'Group Policy', see Sophos Anti-Virus for Windows 2000+: how to manage web content scanning policies.

Sophos product and version number
Sophos Anti-Virus for Windows 2000+, version 7.6 

What to do

• If you use Enterprise Console to manage client computers, perform the following procedure Client computers managed with Enterprise Console.
• If you do not use Enterprise Console to manage clients, go to the section below, Unmanaged client computers

Client computers managed with Enterprise Console

1. In Notepad or a similar text editor, open a new file and paste in the following text:

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
   <config xmlns="http://www.sophos.com/EE/EESavConfiguration">

    <!-- Custom install configuration for SAV2K/XP/2003 -->
    <inst:install xmlns:inst="http://www.sophos.com/SAVXP/SavInstallConfiguration"
   xmlns="http://www.sophos.com/SAVXP/SavInstallConfiguration">
     <webScanning>
      <webScanningOperations>
       <mode>off</mode>
      </webScanningOperations>
     </webScanning>
    </inst:install>

   </config>

   NOTE: You can choose from the following options for the <mode> elements above:

   • <mode>asOnAccess</mode> web scanning is set the same as on-access scanning. This is the default.
   • <mode>on</mode> web content scanning is on/enabled.

2. Save the file as savconf.xml into the savxp directory of the CID.  This will usually be one of the following:

   • For Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista computers
      \\SERVER\InterChk\ESXP\savxp
     
   • If you are using Sophos Client Firewall:
     \\SERVER\InterChk\SAVSCFXP\savxp 

3. Use ConfigCID.exe to implement the changes you have made:

See Enterprise Console: using ConfigCID to implement XML configuration file changes for more guidance.

Once the changes have been applied, any network computers updated or protected from the central installation will have Sophos web content scanning functionality enabled or disabled, according to your chosen configuration.

Unmanaged client computers

1. Export the Sophos Anti-Virus configuration file

Use ExportConfig.exe to export your current Sophos Anti-Virus configuration as the file savconf.xml. See Enterprise Console: using ExportConfig.exe to create XML configuration files for more guidance.

2. Edit the configuration file

1. Open savconf.xml in Notepad.
2. In the menu bar, select 'Format' and disable 'Word Wrap'.
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the file.
4. Just above the tag '</config>', copy and paste in the following text (options are case sensitive). Do not insert line breaks.

   <inst:install xmlns:inst="http://www.sophos.com/SAVXP/SavInstallConfiguration" xmlns="http://www.sophos.com/SAVXP/SavInstallConfiguration">
   <webScanning xmlns="http://www.sophos.com/SAVXP/WebScanningConfiguration">
    <webScanningOperations>
     <mode>asOnAccess</mode>
    </webScanningOperations>
   </webScanning>
   </inst:install>
   
   NOTE: You can choose from the following options for the <mode> elements above:

   • <mode>asOnAccess</mode> web scanning is set the same as on-access scanning. This is the default.
   • <mode>on</mode> web content scanning is on/enabled.
   • <mode>off</mode> web scanning is on off/disabled.

3. Save the savconf.xml file.

4. Place the savconf.xml file in the following location: \\servername\InterChk\ESXP\Savxp or \\servername\InterChk\SAVSCFXP\Savxp

5. Use ConfigCID.exe to implement the changes you have made.

See Enterprise Console: using ConfigCID to implement XML configuration file changes for more guidance.

Once the changes have been applied, any network computers updated or protected from the central installation will have Sophos web content scanning functionality enabled or disabled, according to your chosen configuration.