Proxy Access to Stanford-Restricted Sources

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General questions | General Problems | Problems with Specific Sites | Browser/ISP Problems

• Should I use the proxy server if I'm dialing in through the Stanford modem pool or have Stanford DSL or ISDN service?

  No, you should not use the proxy server if you are connecting through any Stanford University Network (SUNet) address, including connections through the Stanford modem pool and Stanford's DSL or ISDN service. If your connection is through a commercial Internet Service Provider (EarthLink, ATT, Pacific Bell, etc.), you should use the proxy server. You can check whether you have a SUNet connection.

  Note: If you are using Stanford's VPN client software, you will get a Stanford address when you connect to systems on the Stanford network. The VPN client, however, does not give you a Stanford address when you connect to systems outside Stanford. You should use the proxy server, therefore, even if you are using the VPN client.

• Can I get to restricted resources if I'm using a computer that won't let me change browser settings, for example, in a library at another school?

  Most Stanford-restricted sites require that you set up your browser for proxying. A few sites, however, still work through an older technology that does not require changes to the browser settings. For more information see the separate page about alternate off-campus access for some restricted resources.

• Once I set up my browser to use the proxy server, do I ever have to change the settings?

  You should not have to change the settings if you always use your computer from an address outside the Stanford University Network. If you have a portable that you sometimes use on-campus and sometimes use off-campus through an outside ISP, you should switch proxying off when you're on campus, since leaving it on will add unnecessary overhead and slow down your connection.

• If my browser is set up to use the proxy server, do all connections go through the server? If so, can my use of the Internet be tracked?

  No, only connections to Stanford-restricted sites go through the proxy server, that is, sites to which the University purchases access. You connect directly to all other Internet sites with no involvement by the proxy server.

• What if I have a Unix system?

  The Libraries cannot provide help for using the proxy server through a Unix Web browser, but any browser should work as long as you can set it up to use “automatic proxy configuration”.

General Problems

• After I set up my computer to use the proxy server, my browser hangs or I get an error message when I try to connect to a Stanford-restricted site.

  Some common problems are:

  • Entering an incorrect URL when you set up the proxy information in your browser. Double-check the instructions page and make sure you copied the URL exactly. It's best to cut and paste it into your browser configuration screen. Make sure you do not add any space before or after the URL.

  • Misconfiguring proxy settings for Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer is difficult to configure. Look at the "View Image" links and make sure your settings match the settings shown in the screen images. In particular, make sure that you don't enter extra information.

• Why can't I get to all pages on a site after I connect to the initial page?

  If a site swiches you to a different server — for example, from www1.site.com to www2.site.com — the second server may not yet be in our list of proxied sites. If you run into this problem, please fill out this problem report form, making sure to include the URL that shows in your browser when you encounter the problem.

• Sites Using Secure (HTTPS) Servers

  Any site that uses an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) server, indicated by URLs beginning with "https://", does not work through the standard proxy server. SSL sites should be available through our alternate proxy server. If you find one that is not available, please use the problem report form to report it, so that we can set up access.

Browser & ISP Problems

• Internet Explorer

  Some users report that Internet Explorer does not work through their ISP connection, but that Firefox does. You can check whether your browser sends you through the proxy server. If you have problems with Internet Explorer, first make sure that your configuration matches what's shown in the sample screen displays. If IE still does not work properly, try the freely available Firefox.

• AOL 6.x/7.x

  The standard AOL 6.x/7x browser is reportedly a proprietary version of Internet Explorer and may not support proxying. If you have problems, you should try to use Netscape or Mozilla. You should be able to open Netscape after connecting to AOL with the supplied browser.