Network Servers and Services Lesson 008: Proxy Servers

Proxy Servers

Devices that create a network connection between an end-user’s client machine and a remote resource like a web server.

What forms can a proxy server take?

As a physical hardware-based appliance or as a piece of software installed on another server within internal infrastructure.

What do proxy servers provide?

Increased network speed and efficiency, increased security, and additional opportunities to conduct auditing.

How do proxies increase network speed and efficiency?

Through web caching.

Web Caching

Whenever a user requests a website through a proxy, it retains a local copy in its cache.

How does web caching increase network speed and efficiency?

If another device connected to a proxy server requests a website, it can be retrieved from the proxy server, instead of retrieving again through a WAN.

Where does the utilization of a proxy server not work well?

When dealing with modern Web 2.0 websites, due to the use of user-generated types of content.

How does a proxy server increase security?

It can be configured with a list of acceptable and non-acceptable sites.

How does a proxy server provide additional opportunities to conduct autiting?

Proxy servers can record every single request made by users.

What is an additional piece of information that a proxy server can provide concerning auditing?

How much time a user spent on a given website and the ability to keep track of individual website bandwidth use.