Resolved and Unresolved Format

Note! You need to read this part only if you are using paths to define the applications. If you are using MD5 definitions only you can skip this part

Files and Folders objects may be defined using absolute path or the relative path to desired files locations. Furthermore, once relative path definition would be used it could be stored on a local computer in resolved format of in unresolved format.

Resolved Format

Resolved format means that after the profile (rule) is delivered to the computer the relative paths would be resolved to absolute paths and the firewall on a local computer would further use the definition using absolute path.

Unresolved Format

To keep the definitions in unresolved format means that after the profile (rule) would be delivered to the computer the relative paths would be resolved everytime the rule would be in place to reflect the actual environment. This has its positive and negative implications.

Pros:

- if you have defined network application using network shares and the application would be moved you do not have to modify the rule

- if you dynamically add application and have summary definition as "all applications in Program Files folder" you do not have to update rules everytime you would add new application

Cons:

- slight performance penalty in case that you would have 'hundreds' of applications defined in one symbolic definition. Definition like "all apps on C:\ drive" is not recommended

- if you would have trusted applications defined as "everything in C:\trusted" and somehow (even though unlikely) some malicious process would be copied to it then it would be considered as trusted and potentially cause harm

Keep Resolved or Keep Unresolved? (Applications only)

When defining applications you can specify should the application definition be stored in resolved format or should it be kept in unresolved format. Once you define that the application definition should be resolved during the profile implementation then the profile would become resolved and you cannot simply take it out of one computer and put to another without careful consideration. The since the applications may be installed in different folders!

Note! The file and folders definitions always stay in unresolved format. Only application definitions have the selector to choose whether they should be stored in resolved format or not.