Lesson 7

Having completed this module, you now know how to describe the strategies used to enhance Proxy Server availability for outbound and inbound client requests. You learned you can enhance the availability of the Proxy Server solution in a variety of ways: by including Proxy Server arrays, round-robin DNS entries, and Network Load Balancing in your design. Having completed the learning checks in this module, you now have the skills necessary for enhancing Proxy Server designs. Specifically, you should be able to:

1. Describe how proxy arrays can improve server availability for outbound traffic
2. Describe how to enhance the availability of Proxy Server for inbound client requests
3. Describe the reasons for selecting passive or active caching in Proxy Server
4. Describe how to improve Proxy Server performance by placing proxy servers in a hierarchy and using local caching
5. Describe the strategies used to distribute IP traffic across multiple proxy servers

To implement load balancing with Microsoft Proxy Server, you can use the Network Load Balancing (NLB) feature, which is built into the Windows operating system. Here's an overview of the steps you would need to take:

1. Install the Network Load Balancing feature on each proxy server you want to include in the load-balanced cluster.
2. Create a new NLB cluster using the Network Load Balancing Manager tool. This will create a virtual IP address that clients will use to connect to the cluster.
3. Configure the NLB cluster properties, such as the load-balancing algorithm and port rules.
4. Add the proxy servers to the NLB cluster and configure them as appropriate.
5. Configure the clients to use the virtual IP address of the NLB cluster as the proxy server.
6. Monitor the performance of the load-balanced cluster and make adjustments as necessary to ensure optimal performance.

It's worth noting that Microsoft Proxy Server is a legacy technology and its last version was released on 2004. It is not recommended to use it anymore and there are better proxy servers available on the market such as HAProxy and NGINX.

Here are some terms used in this module that may have been new to you:

1. Proxy Server array: A proxy array is a solution whereby one or multiple proxy servers operate as a single cache for client requests. Each Proxy Server server that belongs to the proxy array performs the following functions: Maintains membership information for the proxy array.
2. Proxy chaining:Proxy chaining involves forwarding traffic from one proxy server to another. This method leverages your existing proxy servers, with no additional changes to the network. It is a quick and easy way to forward your traffic to the Zscaler service from an existing on-premises proxy.

Click the Quiz link below to review the concepts and practices you learned in this module.
Enhancing Proxy Server - Quiz