Resident Protection

Resident protection provides real time protection for computers.  It is one of the most important parts of an antivirus program.  avast! Server Edition includes all the same functions as avast! professional edtion along with a powerful resident module which is able to detect a virus before it can infect your server.

File system protection ensures that no viruses are executed when your server is started up.  It also ensures that no viruses will be uploaded to your server during the start up phase. Resident protection default settings are configured for servers and include a total scan of all files held on the system.  It is possible to adjust the settings to suit your requirements for example you can choose to scan only copied files or files with certain extensions.

An important new feature is the "semi-silent" operation mode. The purpose of this mode is to correctly display virus warnings on a server system. It works like this: if a request to load an infected file comes from a network, an automatic action is taken and nothing is displayed. On the other hand, when the request comes from a local or terminal session, the usual interactive mode is used - as with desktop antivirus.

The resident module has been optimised for speed and has been tested using the heaviest loads.  It fully utilises the possibilities of today's powerful servers, such as multiple CPUs (simultaneous scans can be run).

Developed especially for use on Terminal Servers, avast! Server Edition contains additional resident modules for e-mail protection (Outlook/Exchange, Internet Mail) and browser protection (Script Blocker).

Antivirus engine

The latest version of avast! antivirus engine features world-class detection abilities along with remarkable scanning performance.  It detects 100% of known computer viruses along with the majority of In-the-Wild viruses and Trojan horses.

Avast! antivirus engine is certified by ICSA and has taken part in many Virus Bulletin magazine tests where it has received the prestigious VB100 award on numerous occasions.

Avast! 4 server edition provides the main protection for a file server.  Using plug ins it can also protect numerous sub servers such as e-mails or proxy servers.

Plugins availabe for avast! Server Edition

The following plugins are currently available for avast! Server Edition:

 MS Exchange Server 2000/2003 <

 MS Proxy/ISA Server

 SMTP Server

 MS SharePoint Server (Portal Server 2001/2003 and Windows SharePoint Services 2003)

Integration with the Operating System

avast! Server Edition has been fully tested with all editions of Windows Servers (from NT 4.0 up to Windows Server 2008, including Windows Storage Server 2003 and Windows Datacenter Server 2008). It has been fully optimised for use with multiple CPUs.  It has been strenuously tested on machines to prove its exceptionally robust and scalable technology. 

Special care has been taken to ensure 100% compatibility with advanced server components such as the VSS (volume shadow copy) and FRS (file replication services), guaranteeing that your server will run flawlessly under all circumstances.

64-bit support

avast! Server Edition works perfectly even on IA-64 and AMD-64 based machines. It is one of the few AV solutions currently available on the market that covers this fast-emerging platform which has become more and more important in recent years.  You can find out more information on the page for avast! antivirus and windows x64 edition.

Direct Cluster and Terminal Services support

avast! Server Edition operates on clusters and can even be operated on very large clusters as well as terminal servers. It contains direct support for cluster setup, including a special wizard making it easier to install on a cluster.

To set up avast! on a terminal server, you can use another wizard that guides you through the reconfiguration of avast!'s system so that it runs in terminal mode.  A reconfigured avast! system looks and operates in the same way for terminal users as it does for regular workstation users.  Terminal support is not limited to Microsoft terminal services.  It also runs perfectly on Citrix MetaFrame systems.

Even though the Server Edition contains both avast! user environments - simple and enhanced - the enhanced user interface is automatically used for servers (except for terminal servers).  The enhanced user interface provides access to all avast! settings making it possible to fully configure the program for extensive scanning.

The main function is the so called "antivirus task" based scanning.  You first define the tasks used to scan for viruses including common parameters.  You then run these tasks (probably periodically).  Every task generates results which you can work with afterwards. Resident protection is also a special type of task.  

The Scheduler is another feature closely connected with tasks.  It makes it possible to schedule the start of a particular task just once or periodically.

Notification Manager

To make work easier, Server Edition contains a special notification manager where you can define notification objects and associate them with antivirus tasks (both resident and on-demand). Notification objects are used when a virus is found.

The new version supports a number of notification objects, such as sending e-mail messages using SMTP or MAPI (Outlook) Also supported are; SMS, notification using the Windows popup mechanism (network message), printing the message on a network printer, SNMP traps, or even sending IM messages using MSN/Windows Messenger.

Automatic Updates

Automatic updates are another key element for virus protection, both the virus database and the program itself can be updated automatically. Updates are incremental, and only new data is downloaded, thus reducing transfer time. The typical size of a virus database update is approximately 20-80kb.  A program update usually uses 200-500kb.

Updates are performed automatically at fixed time intervals if your internet connection is constant.  avast! monitors your connections if you only connect to the internet occasionally and tries to perform updates when you are online.

PUSH Updates

PUSH updates are a special feature of the Server Edition.  It represents a complete change in the way updates are carried out.  Usually every installed program periodically checks for updates and when a new update is available it downloads it.  PUSH updates are however intialised by our servers which results in your computer quickly responding and performing the necessary update.  The system is based on the SMTP protocol.  The updates themselves are controlled by avast! resident e-mail providers (MS Outlook and Internet Mail)

The whole system is protected by asymmetric encryption and is resistant to fraudulent use.

Quarantine area

The Quarantine area is a zone on your drive which has special properties to make it a safe place for storing certain files.  You can work with files in the quarantine area with security restrictions.

The main feature of the Quarantine Area is complete isolation from the rest of the operating system.

Boot-time scan

A special avast! feature is the boot-time scan.  It is used when there is a suspected active virus on the computer.  The boot-time scan is performed during start up of the operating system, before the virus can get loaded/activated - thus preventing the virus from spreading or taking actions to avoid being detected.

Command-line Scanner

Experienced users may like another feature of the Server Edition feature: the command-line scanner. Scanning can be controlled by many arguments and switches; it can be used as a pipe filter.  A special STDIN/STDOUT mode is also available.

The module is intended to be used in BATCH programs. Its output is the same as the output from the Enhanced User Interface tasks (including the report files).

Built in anti-spyware

Spyware is software installed on a computer that is designed to collect information about the computer user, often without their knowledge or consent. This can result in so called identity theft, or theft of valuable information (e.g. bank or credit card details) or proprietary business data. Spyware is often developed by organised crime rings rather than lone individuals and may be installed by a virus.

Certified by West Coast Lab's Checkmark process, avast! has full built in anti-spyware capabilities, to make your protection even more complete.

Built in anti-rootkit

Rootkits are programs that are installed on your computer.  They keep themselves and their activities hidden remaining invisible to the user. They represent a significant security risk on both home computers and company networks and are notoriously difficult to find and remove. Rootkits themselves are normally installed by a virus or other type of malware infection and it is therefore highly recommended that computer users have up to date antivirus/anti-spyware software installed and running on their computer. One such system is avast! antivirus.

Based on leading GMER technology, avast! can now scan your live system for rootkit infections; no boots disks are required. If a rootkit is discovered, it is initially disabled and then if it can be safely removed without affecting the performance of the computer, it is removed. avast! antivirus includes a virus database which can be automatically updated to provide continuous protection against rootkits.

Strong self-protection

Some viruses may attempt to switch off a computer's antivirus software. To ensure your protection continues working, even when faced with the latest threats that may try to disable your security protection, avast! has the best available built in self-protection, to make sure, no matter what you are faced with, avast! carries on protecting your valuable data and programs. This is based on the multi-award winning avast! antivirus technology and provides an extra layer of security to ensure your data and programs are always protected.

Web Shield

Web Shield is a unique feature of avast! that enables it to monitor and filter all HTTP traffic coming from Web sites on the Internet. Since an increasing number of viruses (and other malware, such as adware, spyware and dialers) are being distributed via the World Wide Web, the need for effective countermeasures has also increased. Web Shield acts as a transparent HTTP proxy and is compatible with all major web browsers, including Microsoft Internet Explorer, FireFox, Mozilla and Opera.

Unlike most competitive solutions, Web Shield's impact on browsing speed is almost negligible. This is because of a unique feature called the "Intelligent Stream Scan" which lets the Web Shield module scan objects without the need for caching. Stream scanning is only carried out using operating memory (without the need to flush contents to disk), providing maximum possible throughput.