Filtering Service works with Network Agent or an integration product to provide Internet filtering. When a user requests a site, Filtering Service receives the request and determines which policy applies.
In a software-based deployment, Filtering Service is typically installed on the same machine as Policy Server. Large or distributed environments may include multiple Filtering Service instances.
During a custom installation, to install Filtering Service, Policy Server must already be installed either on this machine or another machine in the network. If Policy Server is not installed already, you can select it to be installed at the same time as Filtering Service. Typically, Policy Server is installed on the same machine as Filtering Service.
Depending on the size of the network or volume of Internet traffic, multiple Filtering Service instances may be needed. It is a best practice to have a maximum of ten Filtering Services per Policy Server.