TITLE
    Mac OS Runtime for Java 2.1: Configuring For Proxy Servers
Article ID:
Created:
Modified: 		60051
2/24/99
2/24/99
TOPIC

    Mac OS Runtime for Java (MRJ) 2.1 ignores Internet Explorer's HTTP proxy settings when loading applets in a browser window. For users behind a firewall that requires a proxy server, this will result in an inability to load any Java applets from websites outside the firewall. Users will see an "Applet closing" error message in the Internet Explorer status line, and opening the Java Log window will reveal ClassNotFound exceptions.

    This condition is only found in MRJ 2.1, which is currently available only as a separate download from Apple's website. It is not found in MRJ 2.0, the version included in Mac OS 8.1 and 8.5.

DISCUSSION

    Apple plans to make available a revised version of MRJ that will correct this condition. Until the revised version is available, you may have to enter proxy information directly into an MRJ configuration file using the following steps.

    Before you begin you will need to know the address and port number of your intranet's HTTP proxy server. If Internet Explorer is already configured, you can find this information in the Proxies panel of the Preferences dialog. Otherwise you can ask your network administrator for this information.

    1. Launch SimpleText and choose the "Open..." command from the File menu.

    2. In the file dialog, navigate to the active System folder, then the Extensions folder, then the "MRJ Libraries" folder, then the "lib" folder.

    3. Choose the "appletviewer.properties" file. It will open in a SimpleText window.

    4. Scroll to the end of the file if necessary, and click at the end of the last line to put the insertion point at the very end of the file.

    5. Press the Return key a few times, then enter the following three lines:

    proxySet=true
    proxyHost=NAMEOFYOURPROXYSERVER
    proxyPort=80

    Press the Return key at the end of each line (including the final line). The spelling and capitalization must be exactly as shown above. Do not put any blank spaces anywhere in these lines. On the second line you must replace "NAMEOFYOURPROXYSERVER" with the name of your HTTP proxy server, for example, "proxy.mycompany.com". If the proxy server uses a port other than the default 80, replace the "80" on the third line with the actual port number.

    6. If your network also has an FTP proxy server, enter the following
    three additional lines:

    ftpProxySet=true
    ftpProxyHost=NAMEOFYOURFTPPROXY
    ftpProxyPort=21

    Enter this exactly as shown, just as in step 5, except: On the second line you must replace "NAMEOFYOURFTPPROXY" with the name of your FTP proxy server, for example, "ftpproxy.mycompany.com". If the proxy server uses a port other than the default 21, replace the "21" on the third line with the actual port.

    7. Save changes to the "appletviewer.properties" file, and quit SimpleText.

    8. Quit Internet Explorer if it was running, then launch it again. You should now be able to access Java applets outside the firewall.

    Note : Once the "appletviewer.properties" file has been configured for your firewall, you may copy the file onto other computers, replacing the original file in the "lib" folder. This is a lot easier and more reliable than hand-editing the file on each computer.

Document Information
Product Area: Mac OS System Software
Category: General OS
Sub Category: General Topics

Copyright © 2000 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved.