Using quota time to limit Internet access

When a user clicks Use Quota Time, she can view sites in any quota category until the quota session ends. The default quota session time (configured via the Settings > General > Filtering page) is 10 minutes.

Once the quota session ends, a request for a quota site results in another quota block message. Users who have not depleted their daily quota allocation can start a new quota session.

Once quota time is configured, Filtering Service uses a priority list to determine how to respond when a user requests a site in a quota category. It looks for quota time configured for:
  1. The user
  2. The computer or network client
  3. Groups to which the user belongs

    If a user is a member of multiple groups, quota time is allotted according to the Use most restrictive group policy setting on the Settings > General > Filtering page (see Configuring filtering settings).

  4. Default quota time

Internet applets, such as Java or Flash applets, may not respond as expected to quota time restrictions. Even if it is accessed from a quota-restricted site, an applet that runs within the browser can continue running beyond the configured quota session time.

This is because such applets are downloaded completely to a client machine and run just like applications, without communicating back to the original host server. If the user clicks the browser’s Refresh button, however, Filtering Service sees the communication, then blocks the request according to applicable quota restrictions.