Policy Server Guides › Policy Design Guide › Rules › Advanced Rule Options › Add Time Restrictions for Rules

Add Time Restrictions for Rules

The Advanced group box of the SiteMinder Rule dialog contains a Time Restrictions tab. This region contains two buttons and a message that indicates whether or not time restrictions have been applied to the current rule.

A time restriction indicates when a rule fires. For example, if you create an Allow Access rule with a time restriction that limits access to a resource to 9am - 5 pm, Monday - Friday, the rule will only fire and allow users to access the resource during the specified time. The resource will not be available outside the times indicated.

Note: For information about how SiteMinder handles time across multiple time zones, see How the Web Agent and Policy Server Calculate Time.

To add a time restriction to a rule

1. In the Advanced group box of the SiteMinder Rule dialog, click the Time Restrictions tab.

   The Time Restrictions tab moves to the front.

2. In the Time Restrictions tab, click Set.

   The Time dialog opens.

3. Click on the Select button to the right of the Effective Starting Date field.

   The area to the right of the Effective Starting Date field displays the Set Starting Date region. The contents of this region change based on the radio button you select.

   Select Now if you want the Time Restriction to take effect as soon as you close the Time Restriction dialog. Click on Select Date and use the up and down arrow buttons to select a day, month, and year if you want to assign a specific starting date for the Time Restriction.

4. Click on the Select button to the right of the Expiration Date field.

   The area to the right of the Expiration Date field displays the Set Expiration Date region. The contents of this region change based on the radio button you select.

   Select Never if you want the Time Restriction to remain in effect for an undetermined period. Click on Select Date and use the up and down arrow button to select a day, month, and year if you want to assign a specific expiration date for the Time Restriction.

5. Click on blocks in the time table to change the blocks from Blue (Fire Rule), to Yellow (Do Not Fire).

   Each block in the table represents an hour. When a block is yellow, the rule will not fire during that hour, and the rule will not apply to the resources governed by it.

   You can select an entire row (day) by clicking on one of the Day buttons (Monday, Tuesday, etc.). You can select an entire column (hour across every day of the week) by clicking on one of the Hour buttons.

   To change all Yellow blocks (Do Note Fire) to Blue (Fire Rule), click on Always Fire. To change all Blue blocks to Yellow, click on Never Fire. To reset Time Restrictions to their last saved values, click Reset.

6. Click OK to save your settings and return to the SiteMinder Rule dialog.

   Under the Set and Remove buttons in the Time Restriction group box, a note indicates that Time Restrictions have been applied to the rule.

Note: If you add time restrictions to a rule, the resources protected by that rule will be subject to the rule only during the specified time periods. For example, if you create a rule that Allows Access during specific period of time, anyone who tries to access the protected resources outside of that time period, regardless of their credentials, will not be able to access the protected resource.