Configuring A Transparent Proxy - Novell LINUX ENTERPRISE SERVER 10 SP2 - INSTALLATION AND ADMINISTRATION Installation Manual

41.5 Configuring a Transparent Proxy

The usual way of working with proxy servers is the following: the Web browser sends
requests to a certain port in the proxy server and the proxy provides these required ob-
jects, whether they are in its cache or not. When working in a network, several situations
may arise:
• For security reasons, it is recommended that all clients use a proxy to surf the Inter-
net.
• All clients must use a proxy, regardless of whether they are aware of it.
• The proxy in a network is moved, but the existing clients should retain their old
configuration.
In all these cases, a transparent proxy may be used. The principle is very easy: the proxy
intercepts and answers the requests of the Web browser, so the Web browser receives
the requested pages without knowing from where they are coming. As the name indicates,
the entire process is done transparently.
41.5.1 Configuration Options in
/etc/squid/squid.conf
The options to activate in the /etc/squid/squid.conf file to get the transparent
proxy up and running are:
• httpd_accel_host virtual
• httpd_accel_port 80
The port number where the actual HTTP server is located
• httpd_accel_with_proxy on
• httpd_accel_uses_host_header on
The Proxy Server Squid 797