How do I limit web access on a small LAN??

[maleemi]

I have a small business that has seven XP Pro PC's on a LAN. The
machines all are using IE and currently have unlimited web access.

I would like to restrict web access on all the PC's so they may only
connect to three specific domains. I don't want to block all TCP/IP
access, just web traffic.

Does the XP Pro OS allow me to do this, or failing that, are there any
reasonably priced, simple to use applications available that will give
me what I need.

Best Regards,

Maleemi

 

[AmericanTechie]

I have a small business that has seven XP Pro PC's on a LAN. The
machines all are using IE and currently have unlimited web access.

I would like to restrict web access on all the PC's so they may only
connect to three specific domains. I don't want to block all TCP/IP
access, just web traffic.

Does the XP Pro OS allow me to do this, or failing that, are there any
reasonably priced, simple to use applications available that will give
me what I need.

Best Regards,

Maleemi

Without looking into methods native to XP for doing this, I would say
one of the most bulletproof ways of doing this would be to put some sort
of filter on your network. Large businesses use proxy servers to filter
content. Read the article listed below for description of proxy servers
and appliances that you can purchase that have this functionality. I
don't know if this is the best route, but it is probably the route that
I would take if I were to look into doing this...

http://www.networkworld.com/news/tech/2004/0510techupdate.html

Some of the devices mentioned can be found at the following address...

http://www.bluecoat.com/index.html

Maybe you could find something cheap at Ebay or Froogle. Probably
someone else will reply with an easier method though.

 

[maleemi]

Without looking into methods native to XP for doing this, I would say
one of the most bulletproof ways of doing this would be to put some sort
of filter on your network. Large businesses use proxy servers to filter
content. Read the article listed below for description of proxy servers
and appliances that you can purchase that have this functionality. I
don't know if this is the best route, but it is probably the route that
I would take if I were to look into doing this...

http://www.networkworld.com/news/tech/2004/0510techupdate.html

Some of the devices mentioned can be found at the following address...

http://www.bluecoat.com/index.html

Maybe you could find something cheap at Ebay or Froogle. Probably
someone else will reply with an easier method though.

Thanks for the reply. I was hoping to achieve my goal without the use of
a full blown proxy server. Since I have a very small LAN I was looking
for something to install on each machine that would allow the blockng of
all web traffic except for the content of three specific domains.

Best Regards,

Maleemi