The administrator can access the Barracuda WSA Preferences from the context menu or from the System Preferences interface to change settings for the Barracuda WSA from the client. The tool exposes the same settings that are configured from the administrative web interface of the Barracuda Web Security Gateway ADVANCED > Remote Filtering page.

Barracuda WSA Preferences can optionally be password protected on the ADVANCED > Remote Filtering page of the Barracuda Web Security Gateway. Important: Leaving the password field blank allows the user to modify most of the Barracuda WSA settings.

Barracuda WSA preferences with the Barracuda Web Security Gateway include the following settings (see Figure 1):

• Gateway Address and Port - The external IP address and port to reach the Barracuda Web Security Gateway. See the External Hostname/IP and Destination Port fields on the ADVANCED > Remote Filtering page in the Barracuda Web Security Gateway web interface. The Barracuda WSA directs user web traffic to this IP address. Note: It is recommended that you enter the hostname of your Barracuda Web Security Gateway in case the IP address of the appliance changes. See also How to Configure the Barracuda WSA With the Barracuda Web Security Gateway.

• Port - the network port at which to contact the Barracuda Web Security Gateway.

• Certificate hash - With version 2.0 or higher of the Barracuda WSA for Mac OS . This value enables the Barracuda WSA to validate the identity of the Barracuda Web Security Gateway and encrypt all administrative traffic. For more information, see Authentication with the Barracuda Web Security Gateway and the Barracuda WSA.

• Bypass - IP addresses/ranges you want the Barracuda WSA to bypass when filtering.

• Proxy Exceptions - The hostname(s) or IP address(es) of these existing proxies on the client's LAN will bypass filtering of traffic. If you have a PAC or WPAD driven proxy setup, ensure that the proxy hosts are listed here.  

• Allow requests when service is unavailable (Fail Open) - Behavior you want to configure for the client when the service host is unavailable. See Fail Open and Fail Closed Modes with the Barracuda WSA.
   

Also see Using the Barracuda WSA With the Barracuda Web Security Gateway.

Figure 1. Barracuda WSA Preferences window showing the current service host with the Barracuda Web Security Gateway.

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Synchronizing Settings With the Service Host

The settings shown are those based on the last sync event between the Barracuda WSA and the service host (the Barracuda Web Security Gateway). A sync event is triggered by any of the following:

• Restarting or waking the Mac from sleep

• Logging in to another user account on the Mac

• Changing network connections or WiFi access points

• Clicking Synchronize Settings button in the Barracuda WSA Preferences as shown in Figure 1. Note that you must be logged into the Mac as administrator to perform this action or to check for updates using this tool.

The sync event also updates the client with the following:

• Browse policies configured on the Barracuda Web Security Gateway.

• Certificate hash (see above).

Barracuda WSA Preferences

When you select WSA Preferences from the context menu, you see the window shown in Figure 1. Click the Security Gateway tab to view the current Host, Port and Bypass settings. Click the Applications tab to see and change filtering settings that are configured on the Barracuda Web Security Gateway ADVANCED > Remote Filtering page, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Barracuda WSA Applications tab.

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To create exceptions to filtering policies, click the Exceptions button.

Figure 4. Setting exceptions to filtering policies.

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To configure settings for allowing updates, click on the Options tab, and note the following:

Log:

The Log setting, by default, is set to Nothing. The available options are self-descriptive:

• Nothing 

• Network Errors Only

• Network Errors, Policy Decisions

• Additional Diagnostics

• Everything

Allow user to Check for Updates: 

• If Allow User to Check for Update is set to Yes on the Web Security Agent tab of the Barracuda Web Security Gateway ADVANCED > Remote Filtering page, then the administrator will see this option in the preferences and can manually check for updates on the Barracuda WSA client as shown in Figure 5.

Auto-update:

If Auto-update is set to Yes on the Web Security Agent tab of the ADVANCED > Remote Filtering page, the Barracuda WSA checks daily for updates and automatically installs them in the background without user interaction. If the Barracuda WSA is installed on the client in Silent Mode, no dialog is  displayed during an update; however, the log file shows that the Barracuda WSA checked for updates and whether an attempt was made to install an update. Recommended setting is setting Auto-update to Yes  to ensure that the Barracuda WSA client is updated as soon as updates are available.

Check for Updates Automatically:

• This setting only applies with the Barracuda WSA and is configured on the local Mac. Check this option in the Barracuda WSA preferences (on the Options tab as shown in Figure 5) if you want the Barracuda WSA check for updates automatically each day on a 24 hour interval. This option does not automatically install updates.

Policy Lookup Only:

When checked, the Barracuda WSA deployed on the Mac looks up policies configured on the Barracuda Web Security Gateway for that user/client, applies the policies, then routes allowed web traffic from the Mac via the usual path to the Internet. Traffic is not routed through the Barracuda Web Security Gateway. For more information on this feature, see Policy Lookup Only Mode With the Barracuda Web Security Agent.

Figure 5. Options tab.

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