Author Topic: How to use transparent proxy + traffic shaping together?  (Read 2831 times)

a.mcdear

  • Zen Apprentice
  • *
  • Posts: 20
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
How to use transparent proxy + traffic shaping together?
« on: September 22, 2011, 10:03:21 pm »
Hello! So I have upgraded my gateway machine to a Pentium 4 2.5Ghz + 2GB RAM. Also, I'm using Zentyal 2.2 i386 that was just recently released. This machine is basically serving as the gateway for my office's public wireless network. As such, I am trying to restrict traffic of certain non-essential types, and also attempting to use a proxy to completely forbid certain sites (and to block ads, nice feature!).

Here is how it works so far:
Using Trafficshaping + L7 Filters, I am able to catch and restrict certain types of content so that they don't work. For example, I can restrict internet video streaming traffic such that youtube.com loads fine just fine, however attempting to play a video will simply result in indefinite loading and never play. This is pretty much the result I am looking for: The site itself works fine, but the content I wish to block simply doesn't make it to the client machines. The restult: Trafficshaping works brilliantly for my intended purpose.

Now then, I also wanted the proxy to block ads from sites, and also forbid specific sites. I have also decided (simply because the option was there) to try blocking certain extensions as well (such as avi, mpeg, flv, ETC) and MIME types (although I really don't know what these do...)
Here's where things get complicated. It seems that once I enable the proxy, it over-rides the trafficshaping. So now, sites that I have forbidden are blocked, and ads are also correctly blocked, however any content that was previously caught by Trafficshaping is now let thru..  and also it seems that restricting certain MIME types and file extensions does nothing. For example, if I block all of the video MIME types, as well as flash video and all video extensions, youtube, netflix, and many other sites still continue to display video completely unfiltered or throttled.

Is there a way to all trafficshaping to work and ALSO use transparent proxy to block ads and certain urls?
« Last Edit: September 22, 2011, 10:06:03 pm by a.mcdear »