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How Reverse Proxy Servers Work with SiteMinder

You can configure the Apache or Sun Java System web server to function as a reverse proxy server. A reverse proxy server is a proxy server that acts on behalf of an enterprise to forward requests to an organization's internal network. It allows clients to access resources on backend servers, which are servers behind a firewall.

If your environment uses an Apache or Sun Java System reverse proxy server as a gateway to your back-end servers, a SiteMinder Web Agent can protect these resources. Therefore, you can protect resources that are not protected by a backend SiteMinder Web Agent. Also, your resources are secure for intranet and authorized Internet users.

The following illustration shows a network with a reverse proxy server:

Reverse proxy servers provide the following advantages:

• Users within a cookie domain may seamlessly access resources on backend servers. Users from other domains must authenticate through the reverse proxy server and typically, a firewall before gaining access to those same backend servers.
• Users can access different resources hosted on several backend servers using the same domain name.
• Reverse proxy agents support the same features as other SiteMinder Web Agents for Apache or Sun Java System Web servers.
• If you have resources located on servers for which a SiteMinder Agent is not yet available, you can implement an Apache or Sun Java System reverse proxy server in front of the servers. The Web Agent for the Apache or Sun Java System server then protects everything on the backend.

The following illustration describes how a reverse proxy server forwards requests from users to the appropriate resource on a back end server: