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Juniper Security Director Cloud User Guide
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Proxy Auto Configuration (PAC) Files Overview

date_range 04-Mar-25

A proxy auto configuration file instructs a web browser to forward traffic to a proxy server instead of the destination server. Depending on the proxy auto configuration file configuration, the traffic destination can be a proxy server or a real content server.

A proxy auto configuration file contains several mappings between the source, destination and the next hop, such as:

  • Source IP subnets and their proxy servers.

  • Destination domains and URLs and their proxy servers.

  • Source IP subnets that are not to be proxied.

  • Destination domains and URLs that are not to be proxied.

The file might also contain other parameters that specify when and under what circumstances a web browser forwards traffic to the proxy server. For example, a proxy auto configuration file can contain instructions about specific days and hours when traffic is sent to the proxy server, along with the domains and URLs for which the traffic is not sent to the proxy server.

All web browsers support proxy auto configuration files. You can configure the URL of a proxy configuration file in web browsers using which the web browsers fetch the file and execute the instructions specified in the file. Proxy auto configuration files can be hosted on a computer, an internal server, or on an external server. Juniper Security Director Cloud hosts a default, recommended PAC file that uses geolocation technology to forward traffic to Juniper Secure Edge.

When you create a new organization in Juniper Security Director Cloud, a recommended proxy auto configuration file is automatically generated. You can download the configuration file or clone and edit the file. You cannot edit the original, recommended proxy auto configuration file, but you can delete the recommended file and generate new recommended files.

Use the PAC Files page to download proxy auto configuration files, generate new proxy auto configuration files, clone the configuration files, and edit the cloned files. To access the page, click Secure Edge > Service Administration > PAC Files.

Proxy Auto Configuration File URL Distribution

You can distribute or configure the proxy auto configuration file URL through either of the two following methods:

  • Use Group Policy Objects of Microsoft Windows to distribute the proxy auto configuration file URL to all domain-joined Microsoft Windows devices. Your organization must use Active Directory to link Group Policy Objects.

  • Manually add the proxy auto configuration file URL in a web browser on Microsoft Windows or MacOS computers.

Tasks You Can Perform

  • Generate new default proxy auto configuration files with the latest Juniper-recommended configurations—

    1. Click Generate New PAC.

      An alert message asking you to confirm the new proxy auto configuration file generation is displayed.

    2. Click Yes.

      The new proxy auto configuration file is generated and listed on the PAC Files page.

    The new proxy auto configuration files you generate contain the latest configurations recommended by Juniper. These recommendations might be different from the configurations recommended in the past.

Field Descriptions - PAC Files Page

Table 1: Fields on the PAC Files Page

Field

Description

Name

The name of the proxy auto configuration file.

Predefined/Custom

Indicates whether the proxy auto configuration file is automatically generated or edited.

URL

The URL of the proxy auto configuration file.

Description

The description of the proxy auto configuration file.

Created Time

The time when the proxy auto configuration file is created.

Field Descriptions - PAC File Details Page

Table 2: Fields on the PAC File Details Page

Field

Description

Basic

Exclude by domain

The traffic to these domains bypasses Juniper Secure Edge.

If the client domain matches any of these domains, the proxy auto configuration file is not used.

Exclude by destination prefix

The traffic to these destination prefixes bypasses Juniper Secure Edge.

If the client IP address any of these IP prefixes, the proxy auto configuration file is not used.

Exclude by source prefix

The traffic to these source IP prefixes bypasses Juniper Secure Edge.

If the client IP address matches any of these IP prefixes, the proxy auto configuration file is not used.

On-premises servers

The servers designated as on-premises servers.

You can configure the FQDNs of maximum three servers as on-premises servers. If the FQDNs for any of these on-premises servers return a valid DNS response, the client is considered to be on premises and the proxy auto configuration file configuration is not utilized.

Advanced

Name

The name of the proxy auto configuration file.

Description

The description of the proxy auto configuration file.

URL

The location of the proxy auto configuration file.

XML Code

The XML-based code in the proxy auto configuration file.

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