Proxy question ...

[OzCDN]

We are a domain with about 90 laptops (WinXP). While on our LAN the laptops need to use a proxy.pac file for fairly complex proxy redirection. Off of the LAN this file is unreachable so the clients cannot surf at home or any other LAN.

What do most people do in this situation? I currently run a script that checks you're machine's IP and makes the registry changes to add or remove the proxy. This works well but only runs on boot so some people have problems when they use suspend.

I have to imagine there are easier ways to do this ... it seems the world is on laptops now. I do know about the Automatic Proxy Detection but it is so slow I consider it unusable.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

P.S. We are currently non-AD but I am interested in AD only solutions as well since we are switching over soon.

 

[bcastner]

You can use Netsh.exe to "dump" and then later "restore" your configuration settings. This is completely batchable.

Domains add the additional complication that only a Domain administrator can do a join. If Netsh.exe proves unsatisfactory, the following is one utility that I have used because of its ability to pass Domain Administrator credentials (and encrypt their contents so as not to be visisible to the end user):

Mobile NetSwitch

http://www.mobilenetswitch.com/

If credentialling is not an issue, then Netsh used in a batch file setting should work, or the old-but-excellent workhorse in this genre:

NetSwitcher

http://www.netswitcher.com/