Installation guide

Deployment Primer
2-33
Deploying in Transparent Bridge Mode
Overview of Transparent Bridge Mode
In the Transparent Bridge Mode, IWSVA acts as a bridge between two network devices
(switch, router, or firewall) and transparently scans HTTP/HTTPS and FTP traffic.
Transparent Bridge Mode is the simplest way to deploy IWSVA into an existing network
topology and does not require modifications to clients, routers, or switches. IWSVA acts
as a “bump in the wire” and scans for malware. Two network cards are required for
IWSVA to be configured in Transparent Bridge Mode.
The benefit of the Transparent Bridge Mode is that client’s HTTP/HTTPS requests can
be processed and scanned by IWSVA without any client configuration changes. This is
more convenient for your end users, and prevents clients from exempting themselves
from security policies by simply changing their Internet connection settings.
Another important benefit of this deployment mode is that IWSVA sees all traffic across
all ports. This enables utilization of the Application Control feature of IWSVA to
monitor and control not only HTTP/HTTPS and FTP, but over 420 other applications
and protocols.
F IGURE 2-16. Typical bridge mode deployment