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iControl

iControl is a critical component for the iRecorder. All event traffic must pass through iControl.

Features of iControl include the following:

Persistent Connection

HTTP and HTTPS are typically used as short-lived connections for a single request-reply communication. This means that when a reply is received, the connection is terminated. Persistent connection does not perform well with a constant flow of events, which can deplete system resources in terms of connections and may trigger a false alarm of denial-of-service on intermediary routers or firewalls.

You can configure iControl to use persistent or long-lived connections to send all events through one connection to the remote iControl. This method of sending is more efficient in terms of significant throughput and more economical in terms of system resources. Configure this option using the EventUsePersistentConnections parameter.

Use of HTTPS

You can enforce HTTPS use in iControl by setting the EventUseHttps parameter. HTTPS encrypts data before sending it over HTTP, ensuring data privacy.

Guaranteed Delivery

Events sent from the iGateway host are guaranteed to reach the specified destination. Events are temporarily stored in local storage in case the destination is temporarily unavailable. These events are removed from local storage only when the events reach their intended destination.

Bridge to eTrust Audit (iRouter)

When iRouter is installed, an event plug-in called epAudit is attached to iControl. This plug-in receives events from iControl, converts XML format into SAPI calls, and sends the converted events to the local eTrust Audit router using the SAPI protocol.

When iControl sends events, it can use two methods: push or pull.

Event Pushing or Routing

In push method, the sender iControl initiates the communication and sends events to the destination host, called the RouteEventHost. The iRecorder installation script prompts and sets this configuration parameter in the iControl.conf file.

Event Pulling or Storing

In pull method, the sender iControl waits for the destination to call before it sends events. During this interval, it stores the events for the destination in StoreEventHost. The destination iControl retrieves the events from the sender or RetrieveEventHost. You can configure an iRecorder to set the StoreEventHost if you use the pull method. The pull method is most suitable for network environments with outgoing traffic only.