Proxy Servers for Beginners Part 1

I. Introduction

This document will serve as a simple introduction to the concepts behind using a proxy server to connect a Local Area Network (LAN) to the Internet. I hope to answer the questions that people ask over and over again about the basics behind proxy servers such as what they do and why you would want to use one.

This is not an in depth technical reference guide to proxy servers, and is not a replacement for the various FAQs that deal with different proxy server products. Instead, this will serve as an introduction to those of you who want to find out more about proxy servers with a view to installing one on your network, and help you to understand the technical issues that you will come across when evaluating various solutions.There is a basic glossary of some of the terms used included but to get the best from the document you should understand the concepts of networking, what a server is, etc.

This document is not written with any particular vendor's proxy server in mind. However, I personally use and recommend Microsoft's Proxy Server 2.0 and ISA server and therefore I will be writing from the viewpoint of someone experienced with those particular pieces of software. At the end of the document are links to the homepages for several different proxy servers on several different platforms. If you know of any suitable product that should be in the links at the end, or if you want to want to point out an error, or make any comments on the contents of this article, please email them to bofh@mvps.org

II. What is a proxy server?

A Proxy is someone who does something on behalf of another. For example, if you cannot be present at an electoral vote, you can often nominate another person to register your vote for you. This is a "real world" example of using a proxy.

Simply put, then, a proxy server is a computer that sits between your network and the Internet, and deals with any requests for data from the Internet that users on your network may make. This means that if you are sitting at a networked computer that is connected to the Internet via a proxy server, then when you start your web browser and point it at www.yahoo.com then your browser sends the request to the proxy server, the proxy server retrieves the web page on your behalf, and then sends it to your computer.

This is a good thing for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it enables an organisation to have just one Internet connection, and secondly it makes it easier to manage how this connection is used.

[Proxy Servers for Beginners part 2]

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