[WEB4LIB] Proxy Server to limit Internet access

[glen.davies at cce.ac.nz]

Hi

We are using Squid and Netscape proxy to do this at the moment 
but  will probably move everything over to Squid soon. 

http://squid.nlanr.net/

The access controls on squid are very configuarable, especially if 
you have fixed ip addresses, eg. through one squid proxy we have 
some machines that can access full internet resources except for 
web based email, some machines that can access web based 
email but no other internet sites, both options require a library 
barcode and pin to get access. The rest of the opacs go through a 
Netscape Proxy and have access to databases, all New Zealand 
internet sites plus a few international sites. We will probably move 
these over to squid when time permits (mainly because the 
Netscape proxy is no longer free to non-profit and educational 
institutions).

We are running squid on red had Linux 6.0 on a low spec compaq 
desktop machine. 

Regards
Glen

On 13 Sep 99, at 12:14, jvisser wrote:

>      We have a problem that I'm sure many other libraries are experiencing 
>      or will be experiencing. At New York Public Library, we're setting up 
>      PCs in our branch libraries for accessing the catalog, licensed 
>      databases, and certain other local library websites.  We only want 
>      patrons to access a certain group of predetermined websites, and have 
>      set up other PCs for full Internet access. Needless to say, we're 
>      having problems keeping some of our patrons from accessing other 
>      websites on the limited use PCs (we call them LEO Express).  We've 
>      tried using WinSelect, but with limited success.  We also considered 
>      setting up a bogus proxy server on each PC, but updating this list 
>      would be too huge an undertaking, as we're talking about several 
>      hundred PCs located in more than 80 different branches. Now we're 
>      thinking about routing all the PCs through a centrally located Proxy 
>      Server which would only allow access to a select list of websites.  
>      Has anybody tried this?  If so, what kind of problems have you 
>      encountered?  Can anyone suggest a particular proxy server package? 
>      Any thoughts you might have are appreciated.
>      
>      Thanks in advance,
>      
>      Mike Visser
>      
>      ____________________________________________
>      J. Michael Visser         <jvisser at nypl.org>
>      Branch Libraries Information Systems Analyst
>      The New York Public Library
>      Voice: 212.576.0073      Fax:   212.679.6841


********************************************
Glen Davies
IT Librarian
Christchurch College of Education
Dovedale Ave
Christchurch
Ph. 64-3-343 7737
glen at rimu.cce.ac.nz
http://lib.cce.ac.nz
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