Cisco catalyst 8000 as a proxy server

[saidcr7]

Hi, 

Currently I need to  configure the proxy server address in browser lan settings. So it is very difficult for me to configure the same in new pcs ( I need to do it one by one in new machines). So is there any way to configure my catalyst 8000 switch as a proxy server. So that I think I don't need to configure the proxy settings in each machines. Whether is there any way to do that. TIA

[liviu.gheorghe · Accepted solution]

Hello @saidcr7 ,

as far as I know, a Cisco router cannot function as a web proxy server. You can however configure something that is called Transparent Web Proxy on a cisco router using the WCCP protocol, Cisco proprietary, and a proxy server like Linux Squid.

What WCCP does is intercept the initial HTTP request from a client PC, it redirects it to the real proxy server, the proxy server fetches the requested web page, it caches it and replies to the PC changing the source address of the reply packet to that of the real web server. The PC is unaware that the reply came from a proxy server and not from the real web server.

It doesn't solve your original question, but I think by not having to set a proxy server in every PC and in fact using a proxy server is a good workaround.

Hope this helps.

[M02@rt37 · Accepted solution]

Hello @saidcr7 

Catalyst 8000 routers do not include built-in functionality to act as a proxy server. 

You should consider to deploy dedicated proxy server software or appliances within your network. These solutions can provide centralized control over web traffic, caching, content filtering, and so on.