Can LiveUpdate be configured to use static IP addresses?

Products

• Endpoint Protection

Issue/Introduction

Can LiveUpdate use a specific, static set of IP addresses to obtain new definitions and content, rather than referencing a DNS name? How can this be accomplished?

 

 

LiveUpdate fails to download contents when a specific product or the LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x (LUA 2.x) tool is configured to download only from a specific/static public IP Address.

Cause

Symantec makes LiveUpdate content available on the Internet through a partnership with a third-party Content Distribution Network.  This CDN is a network of tens of thousands of servers scattered worldwide for more efficient distribution of content.  Please note that the IP Addresses used by this CDN do change.

 

 

Resolution

Symantec recommends specifying Symantec LiveUpdate servers via DNS name (fully qualified domain name), not via one or more static IP addresses. Use of static IP addresses to access Symantec LiveUpdate content is not supported or recommended.

One possible alternate method of addressing this objective is to whitelisting the server(s) downloading LiveUpdate content at the network perimeter.  Another solution is to use LUA 2.x to download content from Internet sources, then provide these materials to clients on the network from a Distribution Center that has a fixed internal IP. 

For more information on the use of the CDN network and means to create firewall rules for LiveUpdate in this manner, please consult the Symantec knowledgebase article Can we configure manual IP addresses to download LiveUpdate content through internet?