What's new in BETA ASG V7.400?
The following new features are being introduced:

New HTTPS Filtering
* Scan and Filter HTTPS Content
* Block programs that use HTTPS to circumvent/tunnel around the proxy filters

WAN Link Balancing
* Make full use of multiple Internet connections
* Automatically balance traffic
* Optionally, create detailed rules for what traffic should use which gateway
* Automatically fail-over across prioritized connections when needed
* Balance and use more than just two connections

Site-to-Site SSL VPN
* Extends our popular roadwarrior offering to Site-Site applications
* Setup in seconds with easy config download/import
* Full IP-Access allows for true alternative to IPSEC-based VPN's

Customizable URL Filtering Groups
* It is now possible to create and delete URL filtering groups
* Category selection box has been improved

PDF & CSV Report Support
* The Daily, Weekly, and Monthly executive reports can be generated as PDF
* Most reports can now be exported/saved in these popular formats
* It is possible to now receive various reports in these formats via Email

New AV Engine
* New Avira engine replaces Authentium
* Clam AV still used as 2nd engine offering

Availability Network Groups
* Creates ordered group of network resources, accessed in sequence when the first resource is unavailable.
* Useful for many areas of configuration to introduce redundancy
* Create redundancy in VPN Gateway Targets
* Specify fallback server(s) for Directory Authentication

User Object Toggle
* It is now possible to disable User-Objects vs. deleting them
* Disabled objects will display an inactive icon and be grayed out in selection areas and lists

Cisco(tm) IPSEC Client Support
* You can now create tunnels to AxG Devices using this client
* Mobile devices (such as IPhone) and their VPN options are also now extended via this feature

Other
* The "Test-User" Authentication tool will now report the group(s) the user is part of
* Historial Executive Reports are now available
* Reports can now be anonymized to address privacy/corporate/legal requirements
* DynDNS now supports multiple interfaces
* DynDNS is now compatible with Upstream NAT/Masq.
* WebAdmin will now display DynDNS Status
* Visit the UserPortal via iPhone for specialized download for this device
* Improved the experience of Up2Date Notification and Progress for the Administrator

Besides the new functionality and features, V7.4 includes dozens of minor updates and tweaks that improve usability, polish WebAdmin, fix bugs, and increase performance and throughput of various systems. We'll post more of this throughout the BETA and final release.

Known-Issues
* Online help & associated documentation has not been updated for new or changed features (yet).

How to become a Beta Tester
Effective and reliable Internet Security is mission critical to all our customers. A comprehensive testing procedure is required to achieve the right level of perfection for Astaro products in a production environment. The following sections will provide all the information you need to download, install and test the AxG V7.4 Beta.

Testing Period
November 20th - December 18th

Download
This initial BETA version can only be tested through a new installation, i.e. by downloading and installing the complete ISO image. You cannot upgrade an existing production installation with a BETA up2date package. However, it is possible to restore a backup from an earlier version (up to 7.201). We will make every effort to ensure those that choose to participate in the BETA are able to Up2Date to the final version once it is released.

New installation:
* Download Software ISO-Image for your own X86 hardware
(size: 499357696 bytes md5: 07b30c0d943a125de8c717e59c705ffc)

* Download ISO-Image for AxG appliances
(size: 522788864 bytes md5: 5b9e253904cb5635eb1bce50a8b1d86d)

As these links are directly to the ISO images, you can always find the base offerings for this beta at ftp://ftp.astaro.de/pub/ASG/v7/beta

Limitations and Hints
- AxG V7.4 BETA will not be supported in ANY way via Astaro's support teams, using it in production environments which might cause downtime, issues, or troubles for you is therefore discouraged.
- An AxG V7.4 manual and complete Online Help will be available with the GA release.

Test Cases
After you have successfully installed the beta version of AxG V7.4, you are able to conduct individual tests at your own discretion using your own methods. We would also appreciate if you would have a closer look into the following areas and provide us with as much of your personal feedback as possible:

* WAN Link Balancing with 2 Connections
* HTTPS Scanning (HTTP Proxy)
* Site-Site SSL VPN Setup and Operation

Feedback
As with earlier versions please post any feedback and discuss any of the ASG V7.4 BETA features on our User Bulletin Board in the "BETA Version" forum.

Your Efforts Rewarded!
Your feedback is key to our efforts, as it allows us to deliver a final product to you of the highest quality. As a result, participants in our Beta Program for AxG V7.4 will have the chance to win one of three Amazon Gift Cards totaling over 600 dollars. Please qualify by actively posting and participating in discussions on ouor BETA version forum on our User Bulletin Board for details. In addition, we will offer our active testers a specially enhanced home-user license which allows protection of 25 IP addresses (vs the normal 10).

Regards,

-Your Astaro Product Management Team