Version 1.5 product features

Topic 70149 | Release Notes | i-Series Appliance | Updated: 18-Nov-2015


Applies to:	Websense i-Series appliance v1.5

This section of the Release Notes describes the new features that are included in version 1.5 of the Websense i-Series appliance:

Use of Active Directory for authentication

Improved system infrastructure

Endpoint interoperability

See the Websense TRITON AP-WEB (cloud) Release Notes for detailed information about all cloud portal changes.

Use of Active Directory for authentication

You can connect an appliance to a local Active Directory server to enable transparent NTLM password authentication. This function offers enhanced authentication over the simple identification method available in previous versions.

Establish an Active Directory connection on the appliance Configuration > System page. The server hostname must adhere to Active Directory naming guidelines. See System information in the i-Series Appliance Help for details about connecting to Active Directory and creating an appropriate hostname.

A set of diagnostics for Active Directory operations is available on the appliance Status > Alerts and Diagnostics page when you are connected to an Active Directory server. Tests include authentication service and Active Directory connection status checks, authentication request simulation, time synchronization between the appliance and Active Directory, and several domain controller checks.

Improved system infrastructure

The following i-Series appliance infrastructure enhancements have been made:

Appliance alert system implementation is improved for stability and consistency.

Inter-process communication (IPC) functions are enhanced for deployment flexibility and easier maintenance.

Operating system and utility package upgrades, including OpenSSL, contribute to improved security.

Apache Traffic Server (ATS) is upgraded for improved network efficiency and performance, and a more reliable appliance upgrade process.

An enhanced cloud proxy service provides greater stability and efficiency, along with more comprehensive SSL support.

Enhancements to the communication mechanism between the cloud and the appliance improve the reliability of cloud service policy and configuration updates to the appliance.

Endpoint interoperability

In previous versions, all traffic from a Websense Endpoint was redirected immediately to the cloud service, bypassing appliance processing. With this version, when the endpoint requests a PAC file download, the cloud service returns a custom PAC file that first directs endpoint traffic to the appliance. This feature is disabled by default. Please contact Websense Technical Support for activation assistance.

If your endpoint uses a port other than 80 and 443 for traffic monitoring, you may need to modify your port settings with the cloud service. See the Websense TRITON AP-WEB (cloud) Release Notes for detailed information about this cloud portal change.