Proxy Setup
Department of Mathematics - Technion

Background

We have recently purchased a campus-wide license to search the Mathematical Reviews over the Internet, a.k.a, MathSciNet. You may thus do a search, similar to the search you can do in the MatchSciDisk in the Math Library, from your computer. If you have access to Netscape or Lynx on a Technion computer, you may use this search. As a bit of background, most academic computers in Israel cannot connect directly to the internet abroad, but have to go through a funnel called wwwproxy.ac.il. This eliminates their particular identity. The AMS license is given to the Technion and not to the general Israeli user. Thus the special directions below which preserve your identity as Technion users.

Directions for Netscape 2 (and up) Users.

Before using MathSciNet, you should setup a proxy, as follows:

Hit on Options in the top menu line. You'll get a menu. Hit on the Network Preferences... line. You'll get a window which has three overlays, Choose the Proxies overlay. You'll see a Proxy Configuration window.

Click on the Automatic Proxy Configuration button (sink it - it is the diamond on the left of the label), and in the next line in the blank space fill in the Location (URL): 

 	http://www.math.technion.ac.il/proxy.pac
Finally, hit the OK button at the bottom left of the window.

If you have troubles because of communication problems with www.math.technion.ac.il, you can use Manual Proxy Configuration (in the same window) instead. Click the diamond button on the left, and hit the View... button on the right. A new window will pop up. In the blank space at HTTP Proxy: fill in 

 	wwwproxy.technion.ac.il
Note, that if wwwproxy.technion.ac.il is not working, this will make Netscape unable to connect abroad, and you'll have to change this entry to 
 	wwwproxy.ac.il
The Port: in both cases is 8080, and you also need 
	ac.il
in the blank space for No Proxy for: in both cases.

FYI, the Automatic Proxy Configuration just switches automatically from wwwproxy.technion.ac.il to wwwproxy.ac.il in cases the former is not needed.

Another point: once you selected the Automatic Proxy Configuration, you can keep it even if there is no connection to www.math.technion.ac.il, as long as you instruct Netscape, in case it has difficulties in loading the automatic configuration, to use the configuration it has memorized from previous loading.

Note:If you use an older version of Netscape, we recommend you upgrade!

Directions for Lynx Users

Before using MathSciNet, you should setup a proxy, as follows:

Define wwwproxy.technion.ac.il as your proxy using the command: 

 	setenv http_proxy http://wwwproxy.technion.ac.il:8080/
Run Lynx as usual: 
 
 	lynx
If connection to wwwproxy.technion.ac.il fails, you'll have to switch to wwwproxy.ac.il manually: 
 	setenv http_proxy http://wwwproxy.ac.il:8080/

--------------------
webmaster@math.technion.ac.il
$Date: 2002-07-04 10:45:48+03 $