Configure forward proxy redirection
A forward proxy is a single point of contact for a client or group of clients. In this configuration, the NetScaler appliance redirects non-cacheable requests to an origin server and redirects cacheable requests to either a forward proxy cache or a transparent cache.
When the appliance is configured as a forward proxy, users must modify their browsers so that the browser sends requests to the forward proxy instead of the destination servers.
A forward proxy cache redirection virtual server on the appliance compares the request with a policy for caching. If the request is not cacheable, the appliance queries a DNS load balancing virtual server for resolution of the destination, and then sends the request to the origin server. If the request is cacheable, the appliance forwards the request to a load balancing virtual server for the cache.
The appliance relies on a host domain name or IP address in the request’s HOST header to determine the requested destination. If there is no HOST header in the request, the appliance inserts a HOST header based on the destination IP address in the request.
Typically, the NetScaler appliance acts as a forward proxy in an enterprise LAN. In such a configuration, the appliance resides at the edge of an enterprise LAN and intercepts client requests before they are fanned out to the WAN. Configuring the appliance in the forward proxy mode reduces traffic on the WAN.
To configure forward proxy cache redirection, first enable load balancing and cache redirection on the appliance. Then, configure a DNS load balancing virtual server and associated services. Also configure a load balancing virtual server and bind to it appropriate services for the cache. Configure a forward proxy cache redirection virtual server and bind the DNS and load balancing virtual servers to it. You must also configure caching policies and bind them to the cache redirection virtual server. To complete the setup, configure the client browsers to use the forward proxy.
For details on how to enable cache redirection and load balancing on the appliance, see Enable cache redirection and load balancing.
For details on how to create a load balancing virtual server, see Create a load balancing virtual server.
For details on how to configure services that represent the cache server, see Configure an HTTP service.
For details on how to bind the service to a virtual server, see Bind/unbind a service to/from a load balancing virtual server.
For details on how to create a forward proxy cache redirection server, see Configure a cache redirection virtual server, and create a virtual server of type TRANSPARENT or FORWARD.
For details on binding cache redirection policies to the cache redirection virtual server, see Configure a cache redirection policy.