How to create policies

The default installation only implements one policy labeled ”Server Policy”. This name can be changed in the Policy settings > Policy name field. The policy itself is configurable from the ESET Configuration Editor – click Edit and define parameters for the selected ESET security product (or client). All parameters are organized into a comprehensive structure and all items in the Editor are assigned an icon. Clients will only adopt active parameters (marked by a blue icon). All inactive (greyed out) parameters will remain unchanged on target computers. The same principle applies to inherited and merged policies – a child policy will adopt only active parameters from a parent policy.

ERA Servers allow for multiple policies (Add New Child Policy). The following options are available for new policies: policy name, linking to a Parent policy and configuration (configuration can be empty, copied from an existing policy, or copied from an .xml configuration file). Policies can only be created on the server you are currently connected to via ERAC. To create a policy on a lower server you need to connect directly to that server.

Each policy has two basic attributes – Override any child policy and Down replicable policy. These attributes define how active configuration parameters are adopted by child policies.

Override any child policy – Forces all active parameters to inherited policies. If the child policy differs, the merged policy will contain all active parameters from the parent policy (even though the Override… is active for the child policy). All inactive parameters from the parent policy will adjust to the child policy. If the attribute Override any child policy is not enabled, settings in the child policy have priority over those in the parent policy for the resulting merged policy. Such merged policies will be applied to other policies, if they are linked to it as their parent policy.

Down replicable policy – Activates replication to child policies – i.e., it can serve as a default policy for lower servers and can also be assigned to clients connected to lower servers.

Policies can also be imported/exported from/to an .xml file or imported from Groups. For more information see chapter titled Importing/Exporting policies.