A proxy server is a software application that controls, limits and monitors Internet access. Installing a squid server gives additional benefits.
Advantages of a Web Proxy Server
One advantage of a web proxy server is that it will access web pages on on behalf of the user. Any commonly accessed web pages that are in cache will be given to the users browser instead of re-requesting the page from the Internet, thus saving Internet bandwidth.
Another advantage of a web proxy server is the control and reporting functionality it provides. Many companies control Internet access in order to limit the personal use of the web by employees during company time. Managers need to be able to see if their employees are visiting work related websites or not and block Internet access to undesirable sites.
Free Web Proxy Server
Linux uses Squid to control Internet access and is included in most distributions. Since squid is “Open Source”, it is a free web proxy server. Once the Linux server has been installed it is very easy to install and set up Internet access control. With Squid, the manager can limit access by time, by password and by subnet. A manager might simply want to monitor users access or block Internet access to certain unsavory sites.
How to Setup a Free Web Proxy Server Using Squid
Install squid from the installation CD or download from the latest version from the Internet. Once squid has been installed edit the “/etc/squid/squid.conf” file and make the following changes to enable a very basic proxy server.
Remove the “#” in front of the following lines that start with the following:
Port http_port 3128
Cache_8mb
Cache_swap_low 90
Casche_swap_high 95
Cache_dir ufs
Cache_access_log
Cache_log
Next go down to the “access control” and change “deny all” to “allow all”.
Starting the Squid Web Proxy Server
Start the squid server with the command “service squid start”. In order for squid to always start at boot, type the command “chkconfig squid on” at the command prompt.
The squid server will now serve web pages to users that have the correct proxy server settings in their Internet browsers. To allow users to connect to the proxy server, set the browser's proxy server setting to point to http://companyproxyserver with the port set to 3128. Managers can now monitor Internet access by installing a reporting tool such as Sarg. Unless password access control has been setup the reports generated will only give access reports based on the users IP address.
Once the basic web proxy server has been set up it can be adjusted to control Internet access as desired, including acces control by user name and password.
Source:
P. Hupston, IT Manager Legalwise, 23 October 2009
Fleur Hupston - Fleur Hupston is a professional freelance writer based in Botswana, Southern Africa. From this unique perspective, she writes travel ...
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