Recommended Components for Servers and Workstations

The component removal process mentioned in this article applies to unmanaged Antivirus. If you are using managed Antivirus, you can uninstall components via your console.

 

A business environment has different needs than those of consumers. Therefore, certain Antivirus components are not recommended for use in such a network even though they may be included in your Avast Business subscription.

Workstations

The Network Inspector component, available for workstations, might not be suitable for business environments. Therefore, it is recommended to exclude it from the installation. Otherwise, you may encounter instability in the network, slower computer operation, or errors.

To exclude Network Inspector from new installations, use the Customize installation option during the installation process (see Installing Unmanaged Antivirus on Windows).

In case of existing installations, you can use the Add/Modify Components option of the local client's Troubleshooting section or the Windows Control Panel's Change option in Programs and Features to remove Network Inspector. For detailed instructions, see Adding/Removing Antivirus Components After Installation.

Servers

Small Office Protection does not support server OS.

There are some components that we do not recommend installing on a server. Web Shield and Mail Shield are not suitable for servers in business environments, and we highly recommend excluding these components from your Antivirus installation on any server OS in your network. If these components are installed, you may encounter instability in the network, slower computer operation, or errors.

To exclude the components from new installations, use the Customize installation option during the installation process (see Installing Unmanaged Antivirus on Windows).

For existing installations, you can use the Add/Modify Components option from the client's Troubleshooting section (see section above).

The other recommendations for the various types of servers vary, but in general you should allow only a few components to be active to avoid interfering with server processes. For optimal performance, the following types of servers should only have the suggested components enabled:

• File Server: File Shield
• Application Server: File Shield
• DNS Server: File Shield (and Ransomware Shield if using Small Business Solutions)
• Email Server: Exchange component, File Shield (and Ransomware Shield if using Small Business Solutions)
• Web Server: File Shield (and Ransomware Shield if using Small Business Solutions)
• Terminal Server: File Shield (and Ransomware Shield if using Small Business Solutions)
• SharePoint Server: SharePoint component, File Shield (and Ransomware Shield if using Small Business Solutions)

 

For Exchange Server in particular, we recommend following these guidelines for installation of components and creation of exclusions:

• Installation — During the installation of your Exchange Server device:
  • Do not install Web or Mail Shield
  • Install the Exchange component
  • Install File Shield

• Exclusions — Microsoft has compiled a list of recommended exclusions for Exchange Servers. However, when you create exclusions, do not use variables (such as %localappdata%); instead, use Wildcards (such as c:\users\*\appdata\local\*). We recommend you review and implement the settings found in these Microsoft's articles:
  • Running Windows Antivirus Software on Exchange Servers
  • Virus Scanning Recommendations for Enterprise Computers