Understanding Policy Behavior in SmartDNS and SmartPac: Default vs. Customized Policies

Issue Overview

Users may notice that there is a flip between the Default Policy and specific customized policies, such as Staff, when utilizing SmartPac for web filtering. This behavior can raise questions or concerns among administrators and users alike.

Behavior Explanation

This switching behavior is expected within the SmartPac system. When educational sites,  uncategorized sites, or Popular (Alexa) sites are accessed, they will revert back to the Default Policy.

Impact Assessment

While the behavior of reverting to the Default Policy may seem concerning, it’s important to note that it does not impact the filtering of websites that administrators have explicitly allowed. Users will still have access to the sites they are permitted to visit, ensuring that the intended filtering goals are met.

Understanding Default Policy Logging for CDN Traffic

Why Do Students Receive Default Policy?

CDN traffic often appears in reports as being logged under the Default Policy rather than the Student Policy. This is due to the nature of CDNs and how they interact with web filtering systems.

• CDN Traffic Characteristics:

  • CDNs serve cached content from geographically distributed servers, reducing latency and improving loading times for users.

  • These requests often originate in the background and are not directly initiated by users.

  • Examples include domains like updates.cdn-apple.com, which are part of automated processes and not manually typed into a browser.

• Logging Behavior for CDNs:

  • CDN traffic is logged with an Access type (allowed traffic), not as blocked traffic.

  • If traffic is blocked, it is not classified as CDN-related.

  • CDNs generally fall under Always Allowed categories such as Popular (Alexa), EDU, and General.

How to Identify CDN Traffic

CDN traffic can be identified by examining the reported domains. Domains that seem unusual or “funky” are often CDNs. For example:

• updates.cdn-apple.com

• cdn.microsoft.com

• akamai.net

If a domain looks like something a student would not manually type, it is likely CDN traffic.