configure automatic proxy with identification

[Juergen Beckmerhagen]

Using Feisty (Linux 2.6.20-12-generic #2 SMP Sun Mar 18 03:07:14 UTC 2007 i686 GNU/Linux) on my company laptop.

I am working in one of our offices behind a proxy needing authentication (username, password).

With System -> Preferences -> Network Proxy I configured "Automatic proxy configuration", but I can not enter a username and password, nor does any of the applications prompt me for these authentication details - except for Firefox.

... with this I can not use Gaim, Skype, Synaptic, etc. while I am at the office. Nor does Evolution download pictures contained in emails coming from outside our intranet.

Other than that: Network support in Feisty is just great! I benefit from the roaming features a lot as I am working in different locations all the time.

[Juergen Beckmerhagen (juergen-beckmerhagen)]

Found a workaround - one which I don't like:

1) find out which proxy url we define in our *.pac file (just open the URI of the configuration file in your browser)
2) Go to "System -> Preferences -> Network Proxy"
3) Select "Manual proxy configuration"
4) enter proxy URL and Port
5) click on "Details" button
6) enter user name and password
7) close the dialog
8) see if it works - yes it does
9) go back to "System -> Preferences -> Network Proxy"
10) Select "Automatic proxy configuration" (with URI of *.pac file)
11) close dialog
12) see if it works - yes it still does!

Wonder if this is a bug or a feature - will find it out.

However, I do not like storing the user name and password without encryption in a file. Can't Gnome be configured to store this in the Keychain or provide another more secure mechanism?

Thanks

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thanks for your bug report. This bug has been reported to the developers of the software. You can track it and make comments here: http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=421437

[Anton Keks (anton-azib)]

You can also use NetworkManager script dispatching feature to setup your proxy truly automatically depending on your location: http://blog.azib.net/2008/11/enable-http-proxy-in-gnome.html

But it would be nice to have a simpler (GUI) way to enable such things :-)

[Ciarán Mooney (ciaran-mooney)]

Hi,

I've had the same problem. But the following solved my problem.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=717526

I decided to change the values from gconf-editor instead of the networking app. I did this by removing all strings, and unticking all boxes in /system/http_proxy and putting in the link to the .pac file in /system/proxy , and changed the mode setting to auto.

Hope this helps.

This really needs to be fixed!

[Ade Malsasa Akbar (malsasa)]

We need this add username and password feature included in GNOME Control Center, and we absolutely need it hides our password when type it. Why? Because we have 2 type of connection: with proxy and without.

We want to easily pass apt-get through proxy authentication, without editing /etc/apt/apt.conf like in this: http://malsasa.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/bagaimana-mengatur-apt-get-di-belakang-proxy-server/. When we set username and password in apt-conf, in proxy connection, we can get apt-get works. But when we go to nonproxy connection, we use GNOME Control Center to set proxy = none. Indeed, we can go online without proxy. But if we do this, we miss all apt.conf password setting. And we should do apt.conf setting for too many times. So, easily enter username and password (must be hidden when type) included in GNOME Control Center, is very important feature. Synaptic Preferences for proxy authentication is a perfect example. We need such feature to be included in GNOME Control Center.

If GNOME Control Center hasn't hiding password feature, of generally we must edit apt.conf (or such) text file to enable proxy, it is dangerous I think in Ubuntu user's security. Someone can steal our proxy password. It is very easy to open apt.conf file. Whereas, e.g. the password is our campus absolute access key. I think such this password management must be exist in GNOME Control Center soon.

Thank you so much, GNOME Control Center developer and maintainer :)