I have a windows serv er 2008R2 machine. I would like to know what options do I have for monitor network traffic (websites users go to on the network, ports that are being used, etc). After getting a program that monitors I would then like to be able to block those sites etc. thanks in advance

Hello, this could be done using TMG Forefront by enabling logging. You can use it and configure firewall rules to block unwanted traffic. For monitoring, you can use sniffers like Wireshark. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees , and confers no rights. Microsoft Student Partner 2010 / 2011 Microsoft Certified Professional Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator: Security Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer: Security Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuration Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuration Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure, Configuration Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows 7, Configuring Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Enterprise Administrator Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Server Administrator

I say this, it looked good, but the pricing was not easy to figure out. Microsoft does not state what the price of the product is. When I search for this product online it shows it at $1,000+ Please advise

If you are interested in filtering outbound traffic to the internet, you have alot of options. The option you choose is going to depend on how many users you have and what the requirements are. For enterprise environments, this is usually accomplished with a firewall & proxy solution. You would block ALL outbound access to the internet except from the proxy. Then on the proxy, you create the necessary rules and filters to manage your traffic. Set up reports, and you're done (well not that easy, but you get the picture). For smaller environments, some consumer grade routers have this firewall/URL filtering capability. MIcrosoft's solution is pretty good, but again, it depends on what you need. How is your network designed? How many users?Visit anITKB.com, an IT Knowledge Base.

We have 3 users that connect to the domain, and 1-2 users that do not connect to the domain but connect to the network. I want to see what websites are being visited, what ports are being opened and know which computer is doing it. Not a large network. Have not found any routers that can do this. I do not need to have anything e-mailed to me. I have thought about using Window Live Family Safety, but the issue I have is this would have to be installed on each machine. Thanks

It may be difficult to develop a case for spending alot on a solution for just a handfull of users. But if you move out of the consumer grade and into the small business, SOHO grade, you can get a small appliance for about $750 that will provide firewall, VPN, filtering, etc... Otherwise, you could load software on each computer. However, that solution will become more costly (even if its free..there are managment costs) as you add more systems to the network. Alternatively, you could use a Windows Server with 2 NICs to route traffic, and install some firewall/proxy application on that server. However, I tend to find these types of solutions, slow and vulnerable to down time (OS issues, patching, etc...). Visit anITKB.com, an IT Knowledge Base.

Thanks for the input

You try to block websites using group policies: http://www.grouppolicy.biz/2010/07/how-to-use-group-policy-to-allow-or-block-urls/ This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees , and confers no rights. Microsoft Student Partner 2010 / 2011 Microsoft Certified Professional Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator: Security Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer: Security Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuration Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuration Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure, Configuration Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows 7, Configuring Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Enterprise Administrator Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Server Administrator