Watchguard Firebox X20E User Manual page 119

HTTP requests
When a user clicks on a hyperlink or types a URL into the web browser, it sends an HTTP request to a
remote server to get the content. In most browsers, the status bar shows, "Contacting site..." or a similar
message. If the remote server does not respond, the HTTP client continues to send the request until it
receives an answer or until the request times out. During this time, the HTTP proxy continues to moni-
tor the connection and uses valuable network resources.
Idle connection timeout
This setting controls how long the HTTP proxy waits for the client to make a request after it has
established a connection to the server. If the client does not make a request in the specified time,
the proxy closes the connection. This makes sure that the network resources can be used by the
proxy again. The default value is 10 minutes.
Maximum URL length
This setting sets the maximum length of the path component of a URL. This does not include the
"http:\\" or host name. The URL length limit prevents buffer overflow attacks against web server
resources. It could be necessary to increase this value for CGI web sites that make long URL
lengths.
User Guide
Configuring the HTTP Proxy
107