WatchGuard Technologies FireboxTM System 4.6 manual Configuring an Http proxy service

Setting up proxy services

5Click OK.

6Click File => Save => To Firebox to save your changes to the Firebox. Specify the location and name of the new configuration file.

Configuring an HTTP proxy service

HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the protocol used by the World Wide Web to move information around the Internet. HTTP defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers take in response to commands. For example, when you enter a URL into your browser, you are sending an HTTP command to the Web server, directing it to find and send you the requested Web page.

The HTTP proxy does content-based filtering on outgoing connections only, with a set of options that you can easily configure according to your own requirements. The HTTP proxy does not process incoming connections. In addition, the HTTP proxy can serve as a content filter for Web browsers. For more information, see “Configuring the WebBlocker service” on page 60.

You can use two types of HTTP services:

•Proxied-HTTPservice allows outbound HTTP on TCP port 80 to be proxied through the Firebox. The proxy has the capability of performing HTTP-specific content filtering of each connection. Such content filtering can include denying or removing “unsafe” content types (such as Java or ActiveX) and performing general verifications on the HTTP exchange.

•Filtered-HTTPservice allows outbound HTTP on all TCP ports, but incoming access only on port 80. Filtered HTTP is filtered by the standard packet filter, which can restrict access by IP address or alias only. No proxy is used with this service, meaning that Filtered-HTTP cannot make use of any of the advanced HTTP-specific content-filtering options provided by the proxy. You must use proxied-HTTP if you want accounting logs – for example, byte counts.

With either type of HTTP service, you should have a single icon that allows for general outgoing HTTP access (for most internal users) and incoming HTTP access to a limited set of Web servers.

The WatchGuard service called “HTTP” is not to be confused with an HTTP caching proxy. An HTTP caching proxy refers to a separate machine that performs caching of Web data.

From Policy Manager:

1Double-click the HTTP Proxy service icon to open the HTTP Proxy Properties dialog box.

2Click the Properties tab. Click Settings.

User Guide 55