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Sygate Quick Start Guide

This guide is intended to provide users with basic installation, removal and repair instructions for the UCSF Sygate Security Agent software. A brief introduction to the user GUI interface is also included. For in-depth, detailed instructions for the Sygate Security Agent, please check the EIS pages on the OAAIS web site.

Compatibility:

This version of Sygate Security Agent is designed for and compatible with the following operating systems:

• Windows 2000 Workstation
• Windows XP

THIS VERSION OF SYGATE IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH WINDOWS VISTA

Installation:

1. If you have not yet done so, download the Sygate documentation and installer.
2. Save the installer to your desktop or a folder of your choice on your hard drive.
3. Close/exit all open programs then double click on the Sygate installer to launch the installation process.
4. Accept all defaults and allow the computer to reboot at the end of the installation.

Removal:

1. Click the Start Menu on your task bar.
2. Click Settings|Control Panel|Add/Remove Programs.
3. Click Sygate Security Agent 4.1.
4. Click Remove. Windows guides you through the process and the computer will reboot at the end of the uninstall process.

Repair:

Besides the normal installation and un-installation, you can also repair a Security Agent installation. With this feature, you can restore any files that are missing or damaged. You should only do this if instructed to do so by your UCSF/OAAIS Help Desk personnel.

1. Click the Start Menu on your task bar.
2. Click Settings|Control Panel|Add or Remove Programs.
3. Click Sygate Security Agent 4.1.
4. Click Change. Windows prompts you to Remove or Repair.
5. Choose Repair and click Next. Windows repairs your installation.

Sygate Security Agent Features

System Tray Icon

Once installed, the Agent displays a small icon in your system tray (located on the right end of your task bar), consisting of two arrows. The arrows represent system traffic: the upward-pointing arrow is outgoing traffic; the downward-pointing arrow is incoming traffic. In addition, The Status Light, in the lower-right hand corner of the icon, gives a real-time update of the Management Server-Agent communication status. If green, the light indicates that the Agent is online and communicating with the Management Server. If absent, the Agent is not connected to the Management Server. These arrows give you a real-time update of your computer’s traffic flow.  If the computer is not on the internet or can’t communicate with the management server for any reason, the Sygate Security Agent will continue protecting the computer based on the most recent policies it received from the management server.

The colors of the arrows are always changing depending on the action Sygate is taking on the traffic flowing in and out of your computer. For most users, it should be sufficient to remember the following points about the colors of the icon:

When either or both arrows in the agent icon are…

• RED ...traffic is being blocked by the Agent.
• Blue ...traffic is flowing uninterrupted by the Agent.
• GRAY ...no traffic is flowing in that direction.
• Both RED with Flashing Center …the Agent is blocking a worm attack.

Using the System Tray Icon

You can easily control basic aspects of the Agent without even opening the main console. By right-clicking on the System Tray Icon, you can view Help or log files, or even disable the Agent.

Menu Option and what it will do for you:

• Sygate Security Agent Opens the Agent main console.
• Locations Choose a location. (UCSF only uses 1 location at this time)
• Applications... (NOT USED AT UCSF) Because we cannot control what applications are used on computers at UCSF, we cannot use this feature since it is only available at the Global Level. 
• Logs...Opens the Agent Logs. Select the log you want to view from the sub-menu. The choices are Security Log, Traffic Log, Packet Log (not used) and System Log.
• Run Host Integrity (Not Used at UCSF)
• Disable Sygate Security Agent: Will disable the Agent for 10 minutes then automatically re-enable. This should only be used for troubleshooting. If you can’t reach a resource and believe Sygate is blocking you, use this feature to temporarily turn off Sygate and see if you can then reach the resource you’re attempting to access.
• Reset Alert Turns off the System Tray Icon alert
• Help Topics... Opens the online help system.
• About... Opens the About window, providing information on your installation of the Agent.

The Sygate Security Agent GUI Interface

Starting the GUI Interface:

• The main console of the Agent is available from your Start menu: click
• Start|Programs|Sygate Security Agent||Sygate Security Agent. The main console appears.
• You can also bring up the main console using the pop-up menu available by right clicking on the System Tray Icon.

The Agent interface is simple and intuitive. The main console provides real-time network traffic updates, online status, Management Server updates, and links to logs, help files, and the Applications List.

Menus and Toolbar:

The top of the screen displays a standard menu with much the same options as are available from the Systray icon right click menu.

The buttons located below the menu items can be used to quickly access logs, initiate a security test of your system or view the Help file.

Traffic History Graphs

One of most noticeable features of the Agent is the set of Traffic History graphs that are located below the toolbar on the main console. The Traffic History graphs produce a real-time picture of the last two minutes of your traffic history.  The graphs reload new information every second, providing instant data, as measured in bytes, about your incoming and outgoing network traffic.

The Traffic History graphs are broken into three sections. On the left side of the graphs section are the Incoming and Outgoing Traffic History graphs. These provide a visual assessment of the current traffic that is entering and leaving your computer through a network interface. This includes traffic that is allowed and traffic that is blocked. The green lines and bars indicate traffic that is allowed to pass through, and the red coloring indicates traffic that is being blocked by the Agent.

Additionally, the Attack History graph on the right side of the console provides information on attempted attacks against your machine.

Running Applications Field

The Running Applications Field provides a list of all applications and system services that are currently running on your system. The display of application names can be changed through the View menu, or by right-clicking in the Running Applications field and selecting the desired view from the menu that appears.

By selecting Application Detail from the View Menu, you can see what applications are sending, receiving or having packets blocked. This is a good tool to check to see if a particular application is sending or receiving large amounts of data to the network or, not communicating at all.

You can also select Connection Detail from the View Menu and see the details of every process running on the workstation by what port they’re communicating on, what IP address they’re communicating with and even the state the connection is in, listening or connected. Again, this is an excellent troubleshooting tool.

More Information

If you would like more in-depth information about the operation of the Sygate Security Agent, please refer to the Sygate Security Agent User Guide available from the EIS page of the OAAIS web site.

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