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This page explains how to configure Microsoft Internet Explorer to utilize a proxy server on the network.
Proxy Servers and Microsoft Internet Explorer
To take advantage of a proxy server's capabilities, Web browsers like Internet Explorer (IE) must be configured to explicitly use it. In many proxied environments, the client computers do not have direct Internet access, and browsers generally are not configured to use proxies "out of the box." Clients will be unable to access public Web sites in this scenario until proxy settings have been correctly made.
Figure 2: IE5 Tools menu
For example, to configure IE5 to use a proxy server, first click on Tools to access the drop-down menu. Click on the Internet Options... menu item to raise the Internet Options dialog. This dialog is a property sheet featuring multiple tabs. Clicking on the Connections tab makes available a dialog that includes a button in the bottom-right corner named LAN Settings... . Finally, click this button to raise the Local Area Network (LAN) Settings dialog; here is where proxy information must be entered.
Figure 3: IE5 Internet Options, Connections tab
IE5 supports both manual and automatic configuration options. As shown the Figure, the "Use a proxy server" check box must be checked to enable the manual entering of a proxy. Either the network host name or the IP address of the proxy server must be typed in the "Address" field. In addition, any internal domains (such as intranet sites) that do not need to go through a proxy can be entered here in order to bypass the server.
Figure 4: IE5 Internet Options, Connections tab