"ERROR: Too many categories for URL" and local web filter database download fails

Products

• Advanced Secure Gateway Software - ASG
• ProxySG Software - SGOS

Issue/Introduction

When adding a URL to a category in the local web filter database for Symantec ProxySG or Advanced Secure Gateway (ASG), you see the error "ERROR: Too many categories for URL".

When trying to commit the changes, the local web filter database download fails.

Cause

This error occurs due to a limitation in the local database where a single URL can be a member of only four local categories.

Here are the restrictions that apply to a local web filter database, according to the SGOS Administration Guide:

• No more than 200 separate categories are allowed.
• Category names must be 32 characters or less.
• A given URL pattern can appear in no more than four category definitions.
• The local database produces only the most specific URL match and returns a single category.
  The same policy syntax will produce a different match. If more that one category is provided, policy processing may match more than one category and hence will return more than one category.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, review your local web filter database and remove any URL that belongs to more than 4 categories.