Cardiff University
School of Computer Science & Informatics
Ysgol Cyfrifiadureg a Gwybodeg
Prifysgol Caerdydd
Introductory Note 902
Using the School’s Web Proxy Service
Robert Evans
27thSeptember, 2010 Copyright c 2010 Robert Evans.
Email: [email protected] Abstract
Some of the University’s web resources cannot be accessed by browsers out-side the University because access to them is restricted by Internet address.
Users in the School of Computer Science & Informatics can access past exam papers, and other restricted pages, from their home computers by configuring their web browser to use the School’s Web Proxy Service.
The Proxy Service is protected by its own user name and password. This Note tells you how to find these and how to configure common browsers.
Contents
1 The Web Proxy Service 1
1.1 Security . . . 1 1.2 Resources . . . 2 1.3 Obtaining the Proxy Service User Name and Password . . . 2
2 Configuring Firefox on Linux 3
3 Configuring Internet Explorer on Windows 4
4 Configuring a Macintosh 6
1
The Web Proxy Service
1.1
Security
In effect, in the case of HTTP access, the Proxy Service extends the Campus Network to your home computer. The integrity and security of the Campus Network are main-tained because you are required to give a special user name and password in order to use the Web Proxy Service. Once you have obtained the Proxy Service user name and password, you must not divulge them to anyone else - to do so would be consid-ered a breach of computing regulations. Never set your web browser to remember the password.
The Proxy Service user name and password will change frequently, normally at mid-night every day.
1.2
Resources
You should delete Computer Science proxy settings from your web browser once you have finished accessing the restricted pages. The Server is not intended to be a general proxy for home users, it’s meant to facilitate access to restricted sites at Cardiff only. Do not use the Proxy Service as a cache to access other web pages. A log is kept of pages accessed through the Proxy Server.
1.3
Obtaining the Proxy Service User Name and Password
The user name and password for the Proxy Service are available from the School’s Facilities and Documentation web site. Before attempting to configure your browser to use the Proxy Service, go to URLhttps://www.cs.cf.ac.uk/systems/getproxy/.
You will need to log in to ac-cess the page - use your nor-mal username and password.
If you are recognised as a current student or staff mem-ber, the Proxy Service user-name and password will be
displayed. Make a note of
them and press Hide these de-tails to log out of the page.
2
Configuring Firefox on Linux
Click on Edit in Firefox’s top menu bar, and then on Prefer-ences in the pop-up menu that appears.
Click the Settings button to show the proxy setting panel. (Note how the proxies are set, so you can set them back after you have finished using the School’s Proxy Service.)
Select Manual proxy
configuration and enter
lapis.cs.cf.ac.uk in the HTTP
Proxy field. Put 3128 as the
port number.
Finally, select Use this proxy for all protocols and click OK to set the proxy.
You can now click Close to close the Firefox Preferences panel.
When you attempt to access a web page, your web browser will connect through the Proxy Server and will ask you for the user name and password. Enter the values you earlier obtained from the getproxy web page.
Do NOT use the password manager to remember the password.
3
Configuring Internet Explorer on Windows
These instructions are written for Internet Explorer 8 on Windows 7. Other versions will be similar.
Click on Tools in the top menu bar and choose Inter-net Options from the pull-down menu.
Click on the Connections tab to see the networking option panel.
Towards the bottom of the
panel, click on the LAN
In the proxy server section, select Use a proxy server for your LAN....
Type lapis.cs.cf.ac.uk in the Address field and 3128 in
the Port field.
Also check the box to By-pass proxy server for local addresses.
Click the OK button on each panel to exit the Internet Options tool.
When you attempt to access a web page, your web browser will connect through the Proxy Server and will ask you for the user name and password. Enter the values you earlier obtained frpm the getproxy web page.
Do NOT use the password manager to remember the password.
4
Configuring a Macintosh
On a Macintosh, you can
configure applications to use the Proxy Service from the Network Preferences panel.
Open the System
Prefer-ences, and click on the
In the Network Preferences panel, choose the network in-terface you want to config-ure (Ethernet for wired con-nections and AirPort for wire-less) by selecting the appropri-ate icon in the left pane. Click the Advanced button.
Choose the Proxies tab and select Web Proxy (HTTP) in the left hand pane.
In the Web Proxy Server field putlapis.cs.cf.ac.uk and 3128 as the port number.
Check the Proxy server
requires password box and
enter the username and
password you obtained from the getproxy web page in the Username and Password fields.
(You can do the same thing for Secure Web Proxy (HTPPS)).
Click the OK button and
