Configuring the Smoothwall Filter to Allow Access to Specific YouTube videos

This article describes how to allow access to specific YouTube videos, while YouTube in general remains blocked. Allowing individual videos for YouTube can be time-consuming and tedious finding, then listing each video's URL in a category.

  • This will not work if the content modification 'Youtube restricted mode' is enabled.
  • This is most appropriate for customers who do not use GSuite for education.

Procedure

  1. Create a new Decrypt and Inspect HTTPS inspection policy with the YouTube category and these settings, see our help topic, Creating HTTPS inspection policies:
    • Who: "Everyone, or the relevant user or groups to apply this policy to."
    • What: "YouTube"
    • Where: "Everywhere, or the relevant location to apply this policy to."
    • When: "Always, or the relevant time slot to apply this policy to."
    • Action: "Decrypt and Inspect"
  2. For each video that you want to allow access to, retrieve the URL. For example, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPI0bCXiF3U.
  3. Create a new custom category with these settings, see our help topic, Creating custom categories:
    • Domain / URL filtering:
      • s.youtube.com
      • googlevideo.com
      • youtube.com/crossdomain.xml
      • ytimg.com/yt
      • i.ytimg.com
      • ytimg.com/crossdomain.xml
      • s.ytimg.com
      • c.youtube.com
      • youtube.com/s/player
      • youtube.com/yts
      • youtube.com/api
      • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPI0bCXiF3U (Insert all video URLs you want to allow here)
      • To allow embedded videos use the embedded video link, eg: https://www.youtube.com/embed/mPI0bCXiF3U
      • To allow YouTube Playlists, use the playlists video link, eg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJR5p_aHh0c&list=PL9t6_hQVM325ZdXQ4pqS6Mjsuau3NDCr-
      • For playlist you must also add in Domain/URL Filtering: youtube.com/s/player & in URL Patterns, the code for the playlist, for example, above would be: &list=PL9t6_hQVM325ZdXQ4pqS6Mjsuau3NDCr-
    • Advanced
      • URL patterns:
        • cache[0-9]\.c\.youtube\.com
  4. Once you have created the category, create an allow web filtering policy with these settings for the group required, see our help topic, Creating web filter policies:
    • Who: "Everyone, or the relevant user or groups to apply this policy to."
    • What: "The custom category that you created."
    • Where: "Everywhere, or the relevant location to apply this policy to."
    • When: "Always, or the relevant time slot to apply this policy to."
    • Action: "Allow"