Proxy Server

How to configure Internet Explorer to use a proxy server

You can configure Microsoft Internet Explorer to use a proxy server to connect to the Internet. A proxy server acts as a security barrier between your internal network and the Internet, keeping others on the Internet from being able to obtain access to information that is located on your internal network. This article describes how to configure Internet Explorer to use a proxy server over a Local Area Network (LAN) connection and lists the proxies that Internet Explorer supports.


Ref: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/135982
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How to configure client proxy server settings by using a registry file


To configure the proxy server settings on a client computer, create the following .reg file to populate the registry with the proxy server information:


[Code]

In this file, ProxyServername is the name of your proxy server.

You can also use the Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) to configure proxy server settings on client computers. For additional information about IEAK, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/ie/bb219520.aspx

Ref: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/819961

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How to use Proxy Server with Routing and Remote Access
You can use the Routing and Remote Access Server (RRAS) add-on for Microsoft Windows NT to create virtual private network (VPN) connections across the Internet. VPN connections use the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) protocol for encrypted communication across the Internet.


Microsoft Proxy Server is a network program that does not require routing. Operationally, this means that every packet that is transmitted to or from the proxy server is either sourced or destined with the proxy server's IP address.

For security reasons, the Proxy Server printed documentation recommends turning off IP forwarding on the computer on which Proxy Server is installed. However, when you install the Routing and Remote Access Update on a server that is running Microsoft Proxy Server, IP forwarding is now turned on. With IP forwarding on, a computer that is running Windows NT Server can forward packets correctly from the Internet connection to the internal network. If IP forwarding is enabled on a proxy server, all security features can be bypassed unless local host filters are configured. However, the PPTP client (the Microsoft Proxy Server) can make calls to the Internet because it is making a direct connection to the Internet and is the source of the PPTP connection. Any proxy clients that are behind the proxy server can also use the PPTP session that has been established. This is because after the PPTP connection is up, the Proxy server treats the PPTP connection like another network interface. ------------------------------------------------


Ref: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/169548
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Internet Explorer Uses Proxy Server for Local IP Address Even if the "Bypass Proxy Server for Local Addresses" Option Is Turned On


When you connect to a Web server using the Internet Protocol (IP) address or Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) on the local network, Microsoft Internet Explorer or Windows Internet Explorer connects through an assigned proxy server even if the Bypass proxy server for local addresses option is turned on.


However, if you connect to a Web server using the host name (for example, http://webserver) instead of the IP address (for example, http://10.0.0.1) or FQDN (for example, http://webserver.domainname.com), the proxy server is bypassed and Internet Explorer connects directly to the server.
 
Ref: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/262981
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How to disable automatic proxy caching in Internet Explorer
 
When you configure Internet Explorer to use an automatic proxy configuration script, it caches the proxy that is returned by the FindProxyForURL call. The caching mechanism (Automatic Proxy Result Cache) is performed on a host basis (that is, not on an URL basis). This prevents you from using different proxies to gain access to the same Web server.
 
Ref: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/271361
 
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Proxy Server Hardware and Software Requirements
Ref: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/164088
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HOW TO: Set Up SQL Server with Proxy Server

Ref: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/216415

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Using Server Proxy with SSL in Proxy Server 2.0
Ref: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/184030
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How to: Bypass a Proxy Server for Local Web Requests



When you are using the ASP.NET Development Server to test your ASP.NET Web pages, you might receive a 502 error or an error indicating that the page cannot be displayed. If so, your browser might be unable to resolve a URL containing localhost and a port number, such as the following:

http://localhost:8080/MyWebSite/Default.aspx

You might be able to resolve this error by bypassing the proxy server for local Web requests, as described in the following procedure.

To bypass a proxy server for local Web requests
1.In Visual Web Developer, on the Tools menu, click Options.
2.In the Options dialog box, select the Show all settings check box.
3.Double-click Environment, click Web Browser, and then click the Internet Explorer Options button.
4.On the Connections tab of the Internet Properties property sheet, click LAN Settings.
5.On the Local Area Network (LAN) Settings property sheet, clear the Automatically detect settings check box.
6.Under Proxy server, select the Use a proxy server for your LAN (These settings will not apply to dial-up or VPN connections) check box.
7.Specify the address and port number that match your network, and then select the Bypass proxy server for local addresses check box.
8.Click OK, click OK, and then click OK again.
9.On the File menu, click Exit, and then re-open Visual Web Developer to apply the changes.

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Proxy Configuration
A proxy server handles client requests for resources. A proxy can return a requested resource from its cache or forward the request to the server where the resource resides. Proxies can improve network performance by reducing the number of requests sent to remote servers. Proxies can also be used to restrict access to resources.

Adaptive Proxies
In the .NET Framework, proxies come in two varieties: adaptive and static. Adaptive proxies adjust their settings when the network configuration changes. For example, if a laptop user starts a dialup network connection, an adaptive proxy would recognize this change, discover and run its new configuration script, and adjust its settings appropriately.

Adaptive proxies are configured by a configuration script (see Automatic Proxy Detection). The script generates a set of application protocols and a proxy for each protocol.

Several options control how the configuration script is run. You can specify the following:

How often the configuration script is downloaded and run.
How long to wait for the script to download.
Which credentials your system should use to access the proxy.
Which credentials your system should use to download the configuration script.

Changes in the network environment may require that the system use a new set of proxies. If a network connection goes down or a new network connection is initialized, the system must discover the appropriate source of the configuration script in the new environment and run the new script.

Ref: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dkwyc043.aspx.

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