It sounds like Threat Management Gateway (TMG), the new re-branded version of ISA Server, has been a popular topic at this years TechEd event in the US.
According to the latest blog from TMG’s Product Unit Manager, David B. Cross, Beta 3 will be released in the next couple of weeks. As for the full release, David says that they are still on track for Q4 this calendar year.
Beta 3 will introduce URL filtering that is ‘fully integrated’ with TMG’s web policy rules, and also utilizes Microsoft Reputation Services.
Microsoft are also introducing Intrusion Prevention and Detection (IPS/IDS) capabilities in TMG. These systems will utilize a technology they’re calling Network Inspection System (NIS) that detects attacks using signatures of known vulnerabilities, downloaded from the Microsoft Malware Protection Center. For more information on NIS see http://blogs.technet.com/isablog/archive/2009/04/12/exercising-nis-with-test-signature.aspx
If you’re currently using ISA 2004 or 2006, upgrading to TMG will consist of exporting rules and settings from ISA, then importing them into a clean installation of TMG. TMG will also only run on Windows Server 2008.
Improving the on-box reporting has not been a focus for the TMG development team, so analyzing TMG’s web proxy and firewall logs is still the best way to go for in depth reporting.
If you’re interested in reporting on your TMG log files stay tuned! We’re currently implementing support for the SQL Express, W3C and Native text logs. WebSpy Vantage is likely to be the first application to include the feature, with Analyzer and Live soon to follow.
All going well, you can expect to see TMG support in your favourite WebSpy app within the next month or so. If you want to be notified once we’ve added support, just leave a comment below.
Cheers!
Scott.
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