What
is a Proxy Server? 
A Proxy is a substitute, a fill in.
A Proxy Server acts as a substitute for
your PC on the Internet.
In a company network or wide area network (WAN), a Proxy Server sits
between
the company network and the Internet or World Wide
Web. It is usually a network
server running a Proxy Server program, like Microsoft
Proxy Server or Internet
Security and Acceleration Server.
Any Internet requests made by your PC or web browser
go to the Proxy Server first.
If your Proxy Server is set up to, it will ask you for a user name
and password.
Next, the Proxy Server retrieves the web page you requested from the
Internet.
It then stores a copy of that web page in it's cache, and forwards
the web page to your PC.
If you are requesting a web page from your company Intranet,
your request doesn't
go through the Proxy Server.
What if your co-worker then requests that same web page from the Internet?
That page, which is stored in the Proxy Server's cache, is returned
to your co-worker's
PC much faster than if he had made a direct request to the Internet.
In this way, the Proxy
Server speeds up web browsing.
The Proxy Server can also act as a protector for
a company's network.
All Internet traffic (from the company network,
and to the company
network) goes through the Proxy Server(s).
By blocking out certain protocols and IP addresses, with the Proxy
Server software,
you can prevent undesirable material and activity from reaching your
network,
as well as keep users away from web sites they shouldn't be at.
Configuring your browser
for Auto Configuration
MSIE4.x
1. Open Microsoft Internet Explorer.
2. Click the View Menu | Internet Options | Connection
tab.
3. Under Proxy Server click "Access the Internet using
a proxy server".
4. At the bottom of the tab, click the Configure button
under
Automatic Configuration.
5. In the URL field enter an address to a configuration server.
For example:
ftp://cache1.mycompany.com/pub/proxy.ins
6. OK all the way out. Close Internet Explorer, and reopen
it.
MSIE5.x
1. Open Microsoft Internet Explorer.
2. Click the Tools Menu | Internet Options | Connection
tab.
3. At the bottom of the tab, click the LAN Settings
button under
LAN Settings.
4. In the dialog box that opens, click "Use Automatic
Configuration Script",
and in the Address field enter an address
to a configuration server.
For example:
ftp://cache1.mycompany.com/pub/proxy.ins
5. Under Proxy Server click "Use proxy server".
6. OK all the way out. Close Internet Explorer, and reopen
it.
Netscape Navigator
4.5 and up
1. Open Netscape Navigator/Communicator.
2. Click the Edit Menu | Preferences.
Click the plus sign (+) next to Advanced
(or the little arrow),
then click Proxies.
3. Click "Automatic proxy configuration", and
in the
Configuration location (URL) field enter
an address to a
configuration server. For example:
ftp://cache1.mycompany.com/pub/proxy.ins
5. OK all the way out. Close Navigator, and reopen it.
Changing your
Proxy Server
There may be times when your Proxy Server
is down, or slow, or may
not be the closest one to your location. You can change the Proxy
Server your browser is using:
MSIE4.x
1. Open Microsoft Internet Explorer.
2. Click the View Menu | Internet Options | Connection
tab.
3. Under Proxy Server, enter a Proxy Server address
and a port number.
4. If your browser is set up for automatic configuration,
you will
have to disable that, or your Proxy Server
will not be changed.
Click the Configure button and delete
the Proxy Server
name in the field.
5. OK all the way out. Close Internet Explorer, and reopen
it.
MSIE5.x
1. Open Microsoft Internet Explorer.
2. Click the Tools Menu | Internet Options | Connection
tab.
3. At the bottom of the tab, click the LAN Settings
button under
LAN Settings.
4. If your browser is set up for automatic configuration,
you will
have to disable that or your Proxy
Server will not be changed.
Under Automatic Configuration, uncheck
"Use automatic configuration script".
Under Proxy Server, click "Use proxy
server".
Enter a Proxy Server address and a port
number.
You can also click the Advanced
button and enter the information
under HTTP: and FTP: .
5. OK all the way out. Close Internet Explorer, and reopen
it.
Netscape Navigator
4.5 and up
1. Open Netscape Navigator/Communicator.
2. Click the Edit Menu | Preferences.
Click the plus sign (+) next to Advanced
(or the little arrow),
then click Proxies.
3. Click "Manual Configuration", and then the
View button
(In Netscape 6.x there is no view
button. Just enter the information)
4. Under HTTP:, Security: and FTP: enter a Proxy Server name
(the same one for each) and a port number.
5. OK all the way out. Close Navigator, and reopen it.
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