The proxy server is a specific type of application server that routes HTTP requests to content servers that perform the work. The proxy server is the initial point of entry, after the firewall, for requests into the enterprise.
The proxy server acts as a surrogate for content servers within the enterprise. As a surrogate, you can configure the proxy server with rules to route to and load balance the clusters of content servers. The proxy server is also capable of securing the transport, using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and the content using various authentication and authorization schemes. Another important feature is its capability to protect the identity of the content servers from the Web clients by using response transformations (URL rewriting). The proxy server can also improve performance by caching content locally and by protecting the content servers from surges in traffic.
A proxy server configuration provides settings that control how a proxy server can provide services for the enterprise applications and their components. This section describes how to create and configure proxy servers in an existing application server environment.
In WebSphere Application Server V6.0.2, you had to augment the deployment manager profile to manage the proxy server. For WebSphere Application Server V6.1 and later versions, the proxy server is managed from the administrative console without initial augmentation.