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Install Cloud Filter Extension on Windows using Intune (Chrome or Chrome and Edge)

Updated
This article applies to our Cloud products, including the Admin Panel, Cloud Filter, Cloud Reporting, and Monitor. It does not apply to the On-Premise Appliance.

To use Cloud Filter on managed Windows devices enrolled in Microsoft Intune, you must deploy a system service, a script, and a browser extension.

Before you begin

  • Force-install the Chrome and/or Edge browsers on all relevant devices.
  • Ensure your devices don’t use a non-transparent proxy.
  • Prevent your antivirus software from quarantining the Smoothwall client by adding these exception paths to the antivirus software on student devices:
    • C:\Program Files\Smoothwall
    • C:\ProgramData\Smoothwall
  • Some antivirus software might require the full path of each program:
    • C:\Program Files\Smoothwall\Unified Client\bin\sw-uc-desktop-client.exe
    • C:\Program Files\Smoothwall\Unified Client\bin\sw-uc-browser-bridge.exe

Step 1: Download the Cloud Filter Unified Client

  1. Go to software.smoothwall.com
  2. In the Cloud Filter Unified Client section, select Windows x64.

This downloads smoothwall-unified-client-x-windows.zip to your computer, which contains a few files. For this deployment, you need the Intune PowerShell script and INTUNEWIN file.

Step 2: Install Cloud Filter Client

  1. In Intune, go to Apps > Windows.
  2. Add Windows app (Win 32).
  3. Select the app package file and select the Smoothwall Intune installer (sw-uc-desktop-client-<version>.intunewin).
  4. On the App information tab, the Name and Description fields should autofill along with the App Version. Ensure “Smoothwall” is entered in the Publisher field, then select Next.
  5. Review the Program settings, including Allow available uninstall and Device restart behaviour, then select Next.
  6. On the Requirements tab, set the Operating system architecture to 64-bit and the Minimum operating system to Windows 11 21H2, then select Next.
  7. On the Detection rules tab, set Rules format to Manually configure detection rules, then select + Add.
  8. Change the Rule type to MSI and select OK.
  9. Back on the Add app tab, select Next until you reach the Assignments tab.
  10. Select the Device Group where the software needs installation, or select +Add all devices.
  11. On the Review + Create tab, select Create.

Step 3: Provision Intune

Edit the ps1 script file

  1. Edit the file named smoothwall-provisioning-intune.ps1 
  2. Add your UNCL as the serial variable. 
  3. Add the Tenant ID if multi-tenanted, or leave the tenant variable empty if you are not.
  4. Save the file as a new version.

For example, if your UNCL is X and your Tenant ID is Y, the file will read:

######################################
$serial = "X"
$tenant = "Y"
######################################

Upload the script

  1. In Intune, go to Devices > Scripts and remediations.
  2. Add a new script for Windows 10 or later.
  3. In Script settings, select the edited script file.
  4. Set ‘Run this script using the logged-on credentials’ to No.
  5. Set ‘Enforce script signature check’ to No.
  6. Set ‘Run script in 64-bit PowerShell’ to Yes.
  7. Target the script to devices that require the Cloud Filter Extension.

Alternative method to provision Intune

If you can’t run PowerShell scripts, create a registry key at this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Smoothwall\UnifiedClient

Within it, create the following values:

  • SerialId = String (REG_SZ) containing your UNCL.
  • TenantId = String (REG_SZ) containing your Tenant ID, if you have a multi-tenant environment. If you don’t, leave this blank.
  • EnableAzureAd = Number (REG_DWORD) and set this to 1 to use Azure AD usernames.

Step 4: Configure your browsers

  1. Use Intune to create a policy to configure the setting for Configure the list of force-installed apps and extensions (Chrome) or Control which extensions are installed silently (Edge):
  2. Browsers require additional configuration to force-install the Cloud Filter Extension and lock it down to ensure safe usage. 

Next steps

Check that your deployment works as expected:

You can also prevent users from using their own extensions. If you are already familiar with Intune, you can use Microsoft’s Use group policies to manage Microsoft Edge extensions article.