Re: Proxy Server & Bandwidth

[Peter Murray <PMurray@xxxxxxxxxx>]

--On Wednesday, August 30, 2000 5:16 PM -0500 "Jones, Lisa" 
<LJones@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Don't know if anyone can really answer this or not but here goes...

I think the only thing anyone can offer is speculation -- you should 
probably really ask your campus networking folks to see exactly where your 
INNOPAC machine is in relationship to the rest of the network equipment.

> Our Innovative server sits on the DMZ of our campus firewall.  We use the
> Web Access Management Module/Proxy Server Method of authentication.
>
> I am trying to find out if the patrons from off-campus that are
> authenticated are using "our" (the campus') bandwidth.
> If so, for how long?
> If not, why not?

I would say, "yes, they are".  One of the fundamental keys to how WAM and 
other proxy servers work is that the IP address of the request to the 
remote vendor is an IP address of your campus network.  This is typically 
the way it looks (it assumes that your INNOPAC machine is on your campus 
network side of ISP connection -- please pardon the crude ASCII art):

            Campus |    ISP      | The Internet
   __________  Net | Connection  |
  /          \     |             |     +---[#1]-< Remote
 |            |    |=============|    / +-------> User
 |            |<------(Request)------+ /
 |            |>-[#4]-(Response)------+
 |  INNOPAC   |    | =========== |
 |            |<------(Response)------+
 |            |>-[#2]-(Request)------+ \
 |            |    |=============|    \ +-[#3]-< Remote
  \__________/     |             |     +-------> database

The remote user makes a connection to your INNOPAC [#1] and is verified 
against the patron database.  The INNOPAC has an IP address on the campus 
network, so when the remote database sees the connection [#2] it knows it 
is coming from a valid location and allows the request to be processed. 
The remote database returns the reply back to the INNOPAC machine [#3] 
where WAM processes it and sends it back to the user [#4].  So, every 
request from a remote user passes through your connection to the Internet 
twice and each response passes through your connection to the Internet 
twice.

Is that what you are asking?  If so, confirm the network diagram above with 
your campus network folks.


Peter
--
Peter Murray, Computer Services Librarian              W: 860-570-5233
University of Connecticut Law School             Hartford, Connecticut

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