Filtering Chromebooks With or Without A Proxy

Using the Proxy Server

You must configure the proxy details for the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall that will filter the Chromebooks' web traffic. These instructions are for when your Chromebooks are used on and offsite. 

Procedure

Disclaimer: The following instructions are correct at the time of writing. Google feature names and links might change over time.

  1. Sign in to Google with your administrator account.
  2. On the User & browser settings page, use these settings, see the Google help topic, Make settings in your Admin console:
    • Network:
      • Proxy mode: "Always use the proxy specified below"
        • Proxy server URL: Enter the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall host name and port number. The port number must be the same as the one used for the non transparent core authentication policy.
        • Proxy bypass list: Type the host name of the proxy in its URL format not by the IP address, for example, proxy.smoothtest.com.

To enforce your proxy settings when your Chromebooks are connected to the internal network only, see the Google help topic, Add a Wi-Fi or Ethernet network configuration. This is for a non-transparent proxy method.

Transparently Without the Proxy Settings

Disclaimer: This deployment method is not possible if off-site filtering of chromebooks is required.

Procedure

If the Connect Filter for Chromebooks can't determine a proxy server, or your network is configured for a transparent proxy method, we recommend that you add an additional DNS entry to your local DNS settings mapped to the internal IP address of the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall:

  • autodiscover.smoothwall.net

This is because Connect for Chromebooks uses this domain name when attempting to communicate directly with the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall in the absence of a proxy setup.