Proxy Server and Netscape 4.x Coexistence
Product: Strategi - BusinessLink/WEB
Modified Date:

Remote clients trying to use the Java client included in BusinessLink/WEB and Strategi systems may fail to start when using Netscape. When the applet attempts to establish a socket connection back to the host, Netscape's browser will first perform a DNS lookup to prevent certain "spoofing" attacks. If the DNS lookup fails, the browser will state a security exception in the Java console and the applet will terminate. Netscape has decided that a failed DNS lookup presents a security threat, and applets loaded via a proxy can no longer even connect back to their home webserver unless navigator can successfully do a DNS lookup.

Solution

There are 3 possible solutions to this problem:
  • Reconfigure firewall to proxy DNS
  • Use a different browser
  • Reconfigure Navigator to trust the proxy

    The simplest of the three options is to reconfigure Navigator to trust the proxy by manually editing the Netscape preferences file. On Windows 95/98 and NT platforms, the Netscape preferences file should be in the following location:

    \Program Files\Netscape\Users\<user name>\prefs.js

    Be sure to edit this file only while all instances of Netscape are shut down, as Netscape will overwrite prefs.js when it exits. To enable the 'trust proxy' preference, add the following line to the end of the file:

    user_pref("security.lower_java_network_security_by_trusting_proxies", true);

    Once the file has been saved, starting Netscape will now load this preference and allow the applet to function properly through proxy connections.

    ** End of Technical Support Bulletin **