Configuring the Proxy Settings for Network Licensing

A networking proxy is a mediator computer or a server that stands between a user’s device and the Internet, forwarding requests and responses. It helps maintain anonymity, control access, or improve performance by acting as an intermediary for Internet traffic.

The Floating Network License of CivilGEO software relies on a dedicated server called the Network License Server which manages the activation, deactivation, and allotment of software licenses within an organization. If the Network License Server operates within a network that is routed through a proxy server, then to facilitate the smooth communication between the Network License Server and the CivilGEO License Server, the proxy settings need to be configured.

The following sections of this article describe how to configure the proxy settings for the Network License Server:

Configuring Network License Server for Proxy Support

The user needs to specify proxy parameters to configure the Network License Server when communicating with CivilGEO’s License Server through a proxy server. In Windows, the flexnetls.settings file is used to define a set of proxy parameters. These proxy parameters are passed to the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) to identify the HTTP proxy. The user can specify these parameters for the EXTRA_SYSPROPERTIES setting.

Supported Proxy Parameters

The EXTRA_SYSPROPERTIES setting supports the following proxy parameters:

proxyHost – IP address or hostname of the proxy server used by the HTTP protocol.
proxyPort – Port of the proxy server used by the HTTP protocol. The default proxy port is 80.
proxyUser – Optional username to authenticate with the proxy server used by the HTTP protocol handler. This parameter is required only if the proxy requires authentication.
proxyPassword – Optional password to authenticate with the proxy server used by the HTTP protocol handler. This parameter is required only if the proxy requires authentication.

Obfuscating the Proxy Password

Obfuscating passwords is like giving your password a disguise, making them hard to understand for unauthorized access. A recommended best practice is to obfuscate the proxy server password and use the encrypted value for the http.proxyPassword parameter. The maximum allowable length for an obfuscated password is 32 characters.

The following commands provide an example and show how to obfuscate a plain-text password (in this

case, user1apwd35) and the resulting obfuscated string:

$ java -jar flexnetls.jar –password=user1apwd35

user1apwd35 => OBF:1ri71v1r1v2n1ri71shq1ri71shs1ri71v1r1v2n1ri7

Use the entire obfuscated string, including its OBF: prefix, for the http.proxyPassword value, as shown in the following example:

-Dhttp.proxyPassword=OBF:1ri71v1r1v2n1ri71shq1ri71shs1ri71v1r1v2n1ri7

Parameter Format

The following points must be remembered when adding the proxy parameters to the EXTRA_SYSPROPERTIES setting:

Each parameter specified for the EXTRA_SYSPROPERTIES setting must use the following Java system syntax:
Dproperty=value
The parameters are separated from each other with a space, and the entire set of parameters are enclosed in double quotations. The following shows an example EXTRA_SYSPROPERTIES setting with proxy parameters specified:
EXTRA_SYSPROPERTIES=”-Dhttp.proxyHost=10.90.3.133 -Dhttp.proxyPort=3128 -Dhttp.proxyUser=user1a -Dhttp.proxyPassword=user1apwd35″
Even if a single parameter is specified, it must be enclosed in double quotations:
EXTRA_SYSPROPERTIES=”-Dhttp.proxyHost=10.90.3.133″

Follow the steps below to configure the proxy settings for the Network License Server:

Log in as an administrator (i.e., not a standard user) on the computer on which the Network License Server is installed.
Open the Start menu. Then, type “File Explorer” and click on the displayed File Explorer application.
In File Explorer, browse the C drive of your computer for the LSConfigurationUtility folder using the following path:
C:\Program Files (x86)\CivilGEO\LSConfigurationUtility
In the LSConfigurationUtility folder, open the flexnetls settings file for editing using a text editor such as Notepad.
In the flexnetls settings file, find the EXTRA_SYSPROPERTIES setting with comment tag (#).
Delete the prefixed # comment tag from the EXTRA_SYSPROPERTIES setting and specify all the required proxy parameters. The following EXTRA_SYSPROPERTIES setting shows an example of how different proxy parameters can be defined:
EXTRA_SYSPROPERTIES=”-Dhttp.proxyHost=10.90.3.133 -Dhttp.proxyPort=3128 ‑Dhttp.proxyUser=user1a-Dhttp.proxyPassword=user1apwd35”
Save the changes and close the flexnetls settings file. Note that you may need to adjust the computer and network firewall settings to allow communication on the specified proxy settings.
Launch the CivilGEO License Server Configuration application. The CivilGEO License Server Configuration application will start up.
Select the Display Installed Network Licenses radio button option and then click on the [Next>] button.
Click the [Update] button in the Floating License Server Status section.
The following confirmation dialog box will be displayed. Click the [Yes] button.
The software will then use the specified proxy settings for the Network License Server from that point forward.