Situation:
This document explains how to allow Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall to pass referrer information to a specific Web page. This document applies to Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall version 2000, 2001 and 2002. See the Note below if you have version 2003 or 2004.

Solution:
If you want to allow referrer information to pass to a particular Web page, you must create a rule for it.

1. Open Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall.
2. Click Options.
3. Click Internet Security or Personal Firewall. (This step is not always needed.) The Options window appears.
4. Click Advanced Options.
5. Click the Web tab.
6. Click Add Site. A new site/domain box appears.
7. Enter the name of the site that you want to receive the referrer information and click OK. That site name appears in the left frame of the Advanced Options window.
8. Click the name of the new site.
9. Click the Privacy tab.
10. Check the "Use these rules for..." box.
11. Change the Referrer from "Block" to "Permit." Your screen should look something like this:
    
    
    
12. Click Apply, and then click OK.
13. Click OK to close the Options window.

Technical Information:
How referrer information works
Referrer information is information that a Web site sends to another Web site when you click a link on the first Web site to open the second Web site. When you click a Web page, your browser makes a note of the current page you are on and sends that information to the server of the new Web page. This way, the server for the new Web page knows the last Web page you viewed.

If you block referrer information, the server of the page you are requesting to see does not know what page you saw last. By default, Norton Internet Security and Norton Personal Firewall block referrer information. However, some Web pages require referrer information before allowing you to view the page.

For example, if you are on www.symantec.com and click www.microsoft.com, the browser sends information to the server www.microsoft.com. The information includes the fact that you are currently viewing the site www.symantec.com. If you block referrer information, the server www.microsoft.com does not "know" that you were previously at www.symantec.com. If the server www.microsoft.com required this information, your browser would not display the Web page at www.microsoft.com, and you might see an error message.



References:
If you have Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall 2003 or 2004, then read the document Passing referrer information to specific Web pages in Norton Internet Security and Norton Personal Firewall 2003 and 2004.

Document ID: 2000066466468266
Last Modified: 03/02/2004
Date Created: 07/05/2000
Operating System(s): Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows Me, Windows 98 SE, Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows 98SE
Product(s): Norton Internet Security 2002 4.0, Norton Internet Security Professional Edition 2002, Norton Personal Firewall 2002 4.0