Off-campus Access to Electronic Resources
Manual Proxy Server Configuration

Databases that still require manual configuration of browser proxy server settings

The Library does not currently subscribe to any databases that require manual configuration of proxy settings. If we subscribe to any such databases in the future, they will be listed here and marked as such on the lists of databases.

Please choose your browser:

• Firefox 1.5 and higher
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.x and higher
• Safari
• Older, Unsupported browsers

• Special note for AOL / CompuServe / Free Juno users or others that use the browser supplied by their ISP
• Special note for patrons accessing databases from your place of employment (Got firewalls?)

If you do not see your browser listed and you cannot determine how to configure the proxy settings, or, if you have any problems or questions, please contact David Jones (djones@scu.edu, 408-551-7167).

Firefox 1.5 and higher

Firefox is available for Mac OS X, Windows, & Linux. While versions 1.0 - 1.0.7 may work with the Library's proxy server, the Library recommends that all Firefox users upgrade to 1.5 or higher.

1. select Tools (Windows), Edit (Linux), or Firefox (Mac OS X) menu
2. select Options (Windows) or Preferences (Linux & Mac OS X)
3. click on General tab
4. click on the Connection Settings button
5. check the Automatic proxy configuration URL: radio button
6. enter in the address bar: http://sculib.scu.edu:8080/proxy.pac
7. click Reload and OK

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.x and higher

Internet Explorer 6 requires that you enter your proxy settings in one of two possible locations depending upon how you connect to the internet. Follow the instructions below that correspond to how you connect to the Internet.

• If you use Internet Explorer's built-in "Connection Wizard" to dial into your ISP, then use the Dial-Up Modem Connection instructions below.

• If you do not use Internet Explorer's built-in "Connection Wizard", but instead use another software to dial into your ISP (such as provided by AOL or CompuServe), you will need to use the LAN Settings in order to configure your browser.

• If you connect directly to the Internet via a Local Area Network (LAN) you will need to use the LAN Settings in order to configure your browser.

• If you connect directly to the Internet via a DSL or Cable Modem connection, you will need to use either the Dial-Up Modem Connection or the LAN Settings depending upon how your high speed connection is configured.

Dial-up Modem Connection

1. Select: Tools
2. Select: Internet Options...
3. Select: Connections
4. In the Dial-up settings box find the icon with the name of your dial-up service. Click on the icon once to highlight it.
5. Select: Settings...
6. Check the box next to: "Use automatic configuration script" - [Make sure that neither of the other two boxes are checked!]
7. enter this Address http://sculib.scu.edu:8080/proxy.pac
8. click on OK
9. click on OK on the Internet Options menu

Local Area Network (LAN) Connection / DSL / Cable Modem

1. Select: Tools
2. Select: Internet Options...
3. Select: Connections
4. Select: LAN Settings
5. Check the box next to: "Use automatic configuration script" - [Make sure that neither of the other two boxes are checked!]
6. enter this Address: http://sculib.scu.edu:8080/proxy.pac
7. click on OK
8. click on OK on the Internet Options menu

Safari

The Automatic Proxy Configuration option only appears in Mac OS X 10.3.x and higher. Users of Mac OS X 10.2 and below should use Firefox.

1. Click on the Safari menu
2. Click on Preferences
3. Click on the Advanced tab
4. Click on the Proxies: Change Settings button
5. The Network Control Panel should appear if you have permission to edit the Network settings
6. Highlight on the connect method that you use (Built-In Ethernet, Airport, Internal Modem, etc.) and click on the Configure button. You may need to unlock the Network settings before proceeding
7. Click on the Proxies tab
8. In the Select a proxy server to configure, scroll down and check Automatic Proxy Configuration
9. In the URL box, enter this address: http://sculib.scu.edu:8080/proxy.pac
10. Click Apply Now

Notes for AOL Users

The browsers included with AOL's installation discs (as well as those supplied by some other ISPs) are customized versions and do not work well with external proxy settings or with our web databases in general. We recommend that all AOL users install the latest, full version of Firefox in order to have free and unfettered access to our resources. Once you have installed the new browser, use the steps above to configure the proxy settings.

Troubles accessing from your place of employment?

It is very common for employers to place security measures such as firewalls, port blocking, internal proxy servers and IP masquerading on their local area networks (LAN) and especially on their wide area networks (WAN).

All of these measures may prevent you from utilizing OSCAR's proxy server feature. If your employer utilizes these or other security measures and you cannot use our proxy server, you will need to talk with your employer's network administrators to find out if a workaround is available for you. We generally cannot help troubleshoot these problems due to the fact that we are on the outside of your network security measures.

This is also true if you are using a computer or network connection provided by your employer. It is very common for these security measures to also be in place on remote PCs and dial-up access points that could be used for business related activities.

For the OSCAR proxy to work, your security measures must not block outgoing communications to port 8080, non-local http proxies, or session-length cookies.

Older, Unsupported Browsers

This information is for information purposes only. It is not recommended to use any of these browsers to utilize electronic resources provided by the Library. If you have Windows 98+ or Mac OS X, it is recommended that you use the latest version of your browser of choice (Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari.) If you have Windows 95- or Mac OS 9-, it is recommended that you use Netscape Navigator 4.08.

Netscape Navigator/Communicator:

• 4.x
• 6.x

Microsoft Internet Explorer:

• 3.x - 5.x

Netscape Navigator/Communicator 4

1. select Edit
2. select Preferences
3. click on the '+' to the left of the Advanced option
4. click on Proxies
5. click on the Automatic proxy configuration button
6. enter in the Configuration Location (URL): http://sculib.scu.edu:8080/proxy.pac
7. click Reload and OK

Netscape 6.2+

Netscape 6.0 and 6.1 have a bug that disables the browser if you try to enable the proxy server settings. If you have downloaded Netscape 6.0 or 6.1, please upgrade to Netscape 6.2 or higher.

1. select Edit
2. select Preferences
3. click on the '+' to the left of the Advanced option
4. click on Proxies
5. click on the Automatic proxy configuration button
6. enter in the Configuration Location (URL): http://sculib.scu.edu:8080/proxy.pac
7. click Reload and OK

MS Internet Explorer Versions 3 - 5

Some earlier versions of IE are known not to work with our proxy server. Before utilizing Internet Explorer to access our databases, please upgrade your browser to the most current download of Internet Explorer 6.x or use Mozilla Firefox. It is not recommended that end users continue to use any version of Internet Explorer lower than 6 for compatibility and security reasons. Both Internet Explorer 6 and Mozilla Firefox are available for Windows 98+.