Multiple Proxy Servers
Netscape Proxy Server supports multiple proxy servers on one server. This complex configuration lets multiple proxy servers act as front ends to one Web server. A load-balancing DNS server is necessary to distribute requests among the proxy servers, and ICP keeps caches up-to-date. Users can access the most current information available, and the Web master needs to update only one Web site rather than multiple duplicate sites.
You can set up multiple proxy servers on one NT server as long as each server has an IP address or uses a separate port (if the servers have the same IP address). The default port for a proxy server is 8080 in hexadecimal notation.
Multiple proxy servers make sense if you split regular and reverse proxy services among instances of the proxy server on one NT server. In addition, multiple services make sense if you plan to split the services onto several servers. Multiple proxy servers make management easier, because each type of service is isolated. Separate proxy servers improve security if you restrict external access to one or more servers via a firewall or router.
Netscape Proxy Server supports an automatic configuration service for Netscape clients. The software can automatically generate a file that is actually an HTML page. (You can also use a text or HTML editor to create the Web page.) Then, the service lets the JavaScript Web page configure Navigator clients to use a designated proxy server for a particular URL.
You will find this feature useful in large organizations in which a Web browser can access multiple proxy servers and in which the proxy servers are partitioned by the sites they service. The automatic configuration service can be more efficient than having the proxy server handle redirection, but letting the proxy server handle all the caching and redirection details is often easier.
Ideal Use
Proxy servers and proxy arrays use caching to improve performance and reduce network traffic. Netscape Proxy Server works well for standalone proxy servers, but the software is most beneficial when you use it as part of a large proxy array. Although proxy arrays require planning, they require almost no maintenance after the initial configuration.