Mac Collector proxy support

Overview

The devices in a corporate network typically connect to the Internet through a proxy server instead of using a direct connection. A proxy server, often simply referred to as a proxy, forwards the requests of client applications that run on corporate devices to the servers that run on the Internet, as if the proxy itself is initiating the requests. Then the proxy sends the responses from the servers back to the clients. By acting as an intermediary, a proxy server can provide varied functionality such as content filtering (for improved security) or content caching (for better performance).

Collectors inside a corporate network that is equipped with a proxy server are usually required to send their traffic through the proxy to reach the Nexthink instance. In this article, learn about the different types of proxies and configurations supported by Collector.

Supported types of proxies

Collector supports the following types of proxies:

HTTP
SOCKS5

Collector should work out of the box with transparent proxies that automatically intercept network traffic going from the corporate network to the Internet. The client systems are not aware that their traffic is traversing a proxy.

Supported proxy configurations

Collector for macOS supports the configuration of proxy settings at the application level. It does not get the proxy settings from the system but from its own custom configuration. Make sure to provide the proxy settings during the Collector installation.

Collector custom configuration

To specify the proxy settings of the Collector at the application level during installation, select either one or both of the following methods:

Automatic proxy
Get a PAC file from the specified URL to automatically determine the proxy settings. A proxy-auto-config (PAC) file is a JavaScript file with a single function that determines which proxy should be used for each client connection.
Manual proxy
Manually provide the address and port of the proxy.

Collector logic to choose proxy settings

Collector for macOS selects one method to get its proxy settings on a trial and error basis. Collector tests the validity of each method in sequence: the first method that yields a set of proxy settings which allows Collector to connect to the Nexthink instance is kept. Methods are tried in the following order until one of them is successful:

If selected, try automatic configuration.
- Retrieve the PAC file, execute and determine the proxy.
If selected, try manual configuration.
Direct connection without proxy.

RELATED TASK

Installing the Collector on macOS