Introduction

A Proxy Server is a server used for forwarding requests of clients to a remote server. The proxy server works like a gateway between the client and the internet: the client will send the request to the proxy server; the proxy server sends it to the actual remote server and gets the response; then the proxy server sends the response to the client.

Wiki Entry for Proxy Server

The following article shows how a Repertoire Server can be deployed to work behind a firewall.

Apache Web Proxy Server

Details of Apache Web Server as a Proxy Server

The Apache Web Server can be configure as a Reverse Proxy Server to allow internet clients to access services from a Repertoire Server.

A reverse proxy appears to the client just like an ordinary web server. No special configuration on the client is necessary. The client makes ordinary requests for content in the name-space of the reverse proxy. The reverse proxy then decides where to send those requests, and returns the content as if it was itself the origin.

A typical usage of a reverse proxy is to provide Internet users access to a server that is behind a firewall.

Configuration of Apache Web Proxy Server

The following are the general steps to configure the Apache Web Proxy Server

• Ensure that the mod_proxy_http, mod_proxy are enabled
• A Sample httpd.conf showing how a reverse proxy can be setup.

//../Apache Software Foundation/Apache2.2/conf/httpd.conf

...

ServerName proxy.elixirtech.com:80

...

ProxyRequests Off

<Proxy *>

Order deny,allow
Allow from all

</Proxy>

ProxyPass / http://192.168.1.20:8080/
ProxyPassReverse / http://192.168.1.20:8080/

...

Administration Console via Proxy

• To access the Administration Console of the Repertoire Server
• http://proxy.elixirtech.com:80/login.html

REST API via Proxy

• Once your proxy server is successfully setup, you will be able to use the Repertoire Server's REST API via the Proxy
• http://proxy.elixirtech.com:80/report/ElixirSamples/Report/Grouping/Customer Distribution with Grouping.rml?mime-type=application/pdf

Remote Designer via Proxy

1. To launch the Remote Designer via Proxy, some modification is required for ./config/remote.jnlp.template.
2. Replace codebase attribute from "${Protocol}://${Server}:${Port}/jnlp" to "http://your proxy server name:your proxy server port/jnlp"
3. Insert the following xml tags after the ${Arguments}

<argument>-server</argument>
<argument>your proxy server name</argument>
<argument>-port</argument>
<argument>your proxy server name</argument> 

• Once completed, the Remote Designer would be able to launch via a Proxy.
• http://proxy.elixirtech.com:80/remote/remote.jnlp

Summary

• In general, Repertoire Server will work with proxy servers. Please check with your proxy server's documentation for configuration details.

-- IrwinTan - 28 Jan 2008