Re: configuring network connection via proxy
On Fri, 18 May 2007 01:04:04 +0200 martinko <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hello, > > I need to plug my company laptop in to different networks many of > which make use of some sort of proxy for accessing the internet. And > every time I face this challenge of changing connection settings of > different applications in many places. This is of course very > inconvenient. > > What I would like to be able to do is to change the connection > settings regarding a proxy in one place and have it affect all my > applications. The traditional way is through environmental variables, but lot of GUI applications wont respect them, and it wouldn't work smoothly without a reboot anyway. I would suggest you use some kind of local proxy, either a full caching http level proxy like squid, or a simple TCP redirection. You can then point your apps at a localhost port, and just reconfigure the proxy. Take a look at the www and net ports for proxies. A lot of applications support automatic proxy discovery, which might be an alternative. ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
Re: configuring network connection via proxy
On Fri, 18 May 2007 04:46:33 -0400, Steve Bertrand wrote > > I appreciate your patience and diligence here. However, if I understand > correctly (please tell me if I'm wrong anybody), that configuring these > settings, whether it be in 'Control Panel' Internet Options, or via the > same within IE, you are only configuring a proxy server for any > applications/Internet connections that happen through the IE interface. > > Essentially, IE is a looking glass in this scenario. You type > ftp.freebsd.org in your IE browser, and it will tunnel through the proxy > set in the 'Control Panel' settings, because you are in IE. If you were > to fire up 'cmd' at the command line and run 'ftp', or run a third party > FTP application such as IIRC 'CuteFTP', it would not tunnel through what > you think it does. > > If I understand correctly what you are trying to do, then AFAIK, you > need to understand beyond the 'Internet Options' of IE, and get into > tunneling and proxying beyond the application layer you are sitting at. > I know no other way to say it. > > I have the exact same settings in a default Firefox install on FBSD, > and Windows, as I do IE. Just because you go through control panel, > it isn't any different. IE is so much part of Windows, it may as > well be hard coded in (as a matter of fact, it was, with IE7, they > are just starting to separate it). > I know what you are trying to explain. But you really get more with setting up proxy in Internet options in Windows (or via IE). As I said before many modern Windows applications, whether from MS or 3rd party, have option to use IE connection settings (or do it automatically). Thus you wouldn't need to change proxy settings in each application but it'd be enough to do it in one place (Internet options / IE). > > And this is precisely what I would like to achieve on FreeBSD. To have the > > ability to turn on using of proxy in one place and not to have go through > > each application (eg web browser, FTP client, portsnap, cvsup, etc.) and > > change their settings manually (if possible at all). > > What do you do in Windows that you 'think' is going via proxy, that > is done *outside* your Internet Explorer (or any other 'File > Manager' type window), that you can't do in FreeBSD? quote: > > - "web browser" ... Firefox (and all others) > - "FTP client" ... there isn't one I can't think of, including FireFTP > plugin for Firefox > - "portsnap" ... what is a Windows equivalent? (..hrm FTP?) > - "cvsup" ... same as above (..FTP?) > Yes, and this is the "issue". You need to change your proxy settings in many places instead of just one. So if you have a few applications and must change proxy settings often ... :-(( > Are you trying to bypass a corporate firewall? Are you trying to hide > information? > > With accurate information as to what you are trying to proxy around and > what protocols (applications) you need to put through the proxy, then > any number of solutions can be provided. I'd hate to think you are > relying on a few proxy settings within Windows for something they are > completely not intended for, especially with a misguided understanding. No. I'm not trying to bypass anything. Let's consider HTTP(S) and FTP for the beginning. I guess I would just need to run a local proxy and configure all apps to use this local proxy and then only change proxy settings in one place. Having some sort of transparent proxy would be even better as I wouldn't have to reconfigure all apps and I would have to run the proxy only if needed. I know there are some big proxies out there but I'm asking for something simple and functional and easy to set up. And this info should be part of the handbook, IMHO. TIA, Martin ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
Re: configuring network connection via proxy
> I included doc@ as I believed that this requirement is quite common and I > wondered that the topic wasn't covered in the handbook. Fair enough assessment at this point. We'll see if we can find a resolution, then lend it to doc@ if we can. > What I do in Windows is the following -- I go to Control panel / Internet > options / Connections / LAN settings and there you can fill in proxy server > address and port. You can click on Advanced button and specify different > proxies for HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, Socks. This is very similar to Mozilla > preferences. However, IE settings are sort of global and can then be used by > majority of modern Windows applications. Some of them have a choice to > either configure them manually or use internet options from IE. I appreciate your patience and diligence here. However, if I understand correctly (please tell me if I'm wrong anybody), that configuring these settings, whether it be in 'Control Panel' Internet Options, or via the same within IE, you are only configuring a proxy server for any applications/Internet connections that happen through the IE interface. Essentially, IE is a looking glass in this scenario. You type ftp.freebsd.org in your IE browser, and it will tunnel through the proxy set in the 'Control Panel' settings, because you are in IE. If you were to fire up 'cmd' at the command line and run 'ftp', or run a third party FTP application such as IIRC 'CuteFTP', it would not tunnel through what you think it does. If I understand correctly what you are trying to do, then AFAIK, you need to understand beyond the 'Internet Options' of IE, and get into tunneling and proxying beyond the application layer you are sitting at. I know no other way to say it. I have the exact same settings in a default Firefox install on FBSD, and Windows, as I do IE. Just because you go through control panel, it isn't any different. IE is so much part of Windows, it may as well be hard coded in (as a matter of fact, it was, with IE7, they are just starting to separate it). > And this is precisely what I would like to achieve on FreeBSD. To have the > ability to turn on using of proxy in one place and not to have go through > each application (eg web browser, FTP client, portsnap, cvsup, etc.) and > change their settings manually (if possible at all). What do you do in Windows that you 'think' is going via proxy, that is done *outside* your Internet Explorer (or any other 'File Manager' type window), that you can't do in FreeBSD? quote: - "web browser" ... Firefox (and all others) - "FTP client" ... there isn't one I can't think of, including FireFTP plugin for Firefox - "portsnap" ... what is a Windows equivalent? (..hrm FTP?) - "cvsup" ... same as above (..FTP?) FreeBSD running X with Firefox will perform the exact same tasks you see on Windows. You *think* you are getting more features because you go through the control panel, but that means essentially diddly-squat. Any number of people here could likely explain how to use a proxy on FreeBSD, but you are still not getting to the point. Are you trying to bypass a corporate firewall? Are you trying to hide information? With accurate information as to what you are trying to proxy around and what protocols (applications) you need to put through the proxy, then any number of solutions can be provided. I'd hate to think you are relying on a few proxy settings within Windows for something they are completely not intended for, especially with a misguided understanding. For instance, I usually run an SSH tunnel from my Windows workstation to a server out on the Internet, set my web browsers proxy settings up to point to the localhost, which pushes the web traffic through an encrypted connection to somewhere on the 'net and out from there. That is only HTTP traffic at this point though. In this case, I can run anything I want across such a connection, including, if I were so inclined, P2P. > Now, I don't know if this can be achieved somehow with the basic FreeBSD > tools It certainly can. > or perhaps with some 3rd party application. These would be called 'ports' or 'packages', but from my understanding of what you want, are irrelevant. > Could you advice please ? My advice is without authority, but I can give what I know ;) > And sorry for not being clear right in the beginning. I wouldn't say not clear, just that I didn't tune completely in you could say. Steve ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
Re: configuring network connection via proxy
> I need to plug my company laptop in to different networks many of which > make use of some sort of proxy for accessing the internet. And every > time I face this challenge of changing connection settings of different > applications in many places. This is of course very inconvenient. I think doc@ was not relevant, so I removed it... Some 'sort of proxy' is not very descriptive. Can you describe exactly the procedure you need to go through to access the 'Internet' while connecting to one of these networks? Is it as simple as using 'FoxyProxy' plugin with Firefox for instance? Perhaps you mean that you need to tunnel out of a network into another and run your Internet applications through that. More description would be good, especially if you can give exact examples of what you insert into "Internet Options" in IE. > What I would like to be able to do is to change the connection settings > regarding a proxy in one place and have it affect all my applications. > Something like one can do in MS Windows via Internet Options > (configuring proxy access). I checked our otherwise great Handbook but > failed to find something covering this scenario. And I'm surprised as I > expect this to be a rather common need. Have I missed something ? > Could someone point me to any article covering my need please ? The 'Great Handbook', as great as it is, doesn't cover exactly this. Provide the settings you use in IE, what Internet browser you use whilst running under FreeBSD, and what other Internet applications you want to proxy as per your statement "all my applications". Steve ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
