Item2623: PROXY settings should be moved out of EXPERT mode once authentication is implemented

As almost completed in Tasks.Item1752 by MTempest, the {PROXY}{HOST} and {PROXY}{PORT} settings:

• are shared for all requests, normally even if LWP is not installed, this means:
  • configure - to get new extensions
  • INCLUDE - to include some remote pages
  • Any plugin that uses a proper Foswiki::Request call
• can be overwritten using preferences settings PROXYHOST and PROXYPORT (for a per-web or per-user base, or...)
• SHOULD support authentication using user:pass@proxyhost.domain.tld for {PROXY}{HOST}, or introduce new settings
• SHOULD be moved out of EXPERT mode when authentication is supported

I first thought this was implemented, but I overlooked the code, so this will not make it to 1.0.9, but is still worth mentionning. Might require a feature request though, even though I think it's a bug, as a lack of functionality.

-- OlivierRaginel - 12 Jan 2010

Let us see this as a bug.

-- KennethLavrsen - 12 Jan 2010

Ok, as it turns out, it is indeed a bug. Now I understand my confusion. If you have LWP installed, then I was right, the code already supports authentication, and you can simply set your {PROXY}{HOST} to http://username:password@proxy.company.com and it will work.

The code I looked further was for the fallback agent. And here we indeed have a bug. Michael's changes forces the HOST to have a scheme, but the fallback agent code forces it to be a hostname or an IP address, therefore it even doesn't work as it is now (or you have to have a warning in configure).

After chatting a bit with CDot, I'm not so sure it's worth fixing. The proper thing to do is:

• Fix FoswikiRelease:core/lib/Foswiki/Configure/Checkers/PROXY/HOST.pm to test for LWP, and check scheme only when LWP is installed
  • This seemed very awkward, so I took the other path: Use scheme everytime. This will force upgrading users with proxy settings to update them, but:
    • configure will tell them if scheme is missing
    • if they were using the old SitePreferences settings, they will get some error message on any page trying to access the internet
• Fix FoswikiRelease:core/lib/Foswiki/Net.pm to support authentication
  • This is done. Needs more testing, but basics is there
• Fix the documentation, as Michael's fixes removed all the fallback mechanism settings, and covers only the LWP scenario
  • Fixing the first point using the scheme everywhere removed this need. Might need to point out that one doesn't need LWP, but LWP is way better, as the fallback mechanism isn't as heavily tested as LWP, so we shouldn't mention it by default

-- OlivierRaginel - 14 Jan 2010 -- OlivierRaginel - 15 Jan 2010

Finally committed this, forgot it was still in one of my git branches.

-- OlivierRaginel - 26 Mar 2010