How to Install and Configure IIS as a Reverse Proxy with Thinfinity Workspace/VirtualUI
Product: Thinfinity Workspace/VirtualUI
Version: 7 and later
Introduction
This guide will walk you through the step-by-step process of installing and configuring Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) as a powerful Reverse Proxy Server in conjunction with Thinfinity Workspace/VirtualUI. By following these instructions, you will be able to leverage the capabilities of IIS to improve security, optimize your web application delivery, and enhance the user experience.
Installation
1- In the Windows Server to be configured as a Reverse Proxy, open the Server Manager and click 'Add Roles and Features'.
2- The 'Add Roles and Features Wizard' will open, first you will see the 'Before You Begin' screen, click 'Next'.
Then you will be on the 'Select Installation Type' screen, choose 'Role-based or feature-based installation' and click 'Next' again.
3- Select the server you want to install on, from the list and click 'Next'.
4- Now you will select the server roles to be installed. Select 'Web Server(IIS)' and drop down the different options, make sure 'ASP.NET', 'Websocket protocol', 'ISAPI Extensions' and 'ISAPI Filters' are included. Also make sure 'IIS Management Console' is installed. After that, click 'Next'.
5- Since we will not install any new features from here, in the 'Features' screen just click 'Next' and continue.
6- Now you will confirm your selection by clicking 'Install'.
7- When the installation ends, you will click 'Close'.
8- Now it is time to install the 'Application Request Routing' and 'URL Rewrite' features. You can find them visiting these links and then scrolling to the bottom of the page.
For Application Request Routing, click the link above, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the installation link for your system type (x86 installer / x64 installer).
For URL Rewrite, click the link above, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the installation link for your language and system type (x86 installer / x64 installer).
9- Once both are installed, we can reboot the server and start configuring the IIS Reverse Proxy.
10- After the server boots up, open the 'IIS Manager', click on your server and open the 'Application Request Routing' feature.
11- Click on 'Server Proxy Settings'.
12- Check the 'Enable Proxy' box, leave everything else by default.
13- Now drop down the 'Sites' menu, click on 'Default Web Site' and open up the 'URL Rewrite' feature.
14- Inside, click on 'View Server Variables'.
15- Now, add both of these variables:
HTTP_X-Thinfinity-ReverseProxy-Host
HTTP_X-Thinfinity-ReverseProxy-Path
To do so, click 'Add' and in the 'Add Server Variable' box, type "HTTP_X-Thinfinity-ReverseProxy-Host", then click 'OK'.
Then click 'Add' again and in the 'Add Server Variable' box, type "HTTP_X-Thinfinity-ReverseProxy-Path", then click 'OK'.
After that click on 'Back to Rules'.
16- Now click on 'Add rule(s)...', select 'Blank Rule' and click 'OK'.
17- In the 'Name' field, input a name you choose to identify the rule, it doesn’t need to be anything specific.
In the 'Match URL' box, use these settings:
For 'Requested URL' select 'Matches the Pattern'.
For 'Pattern' type "(.*)".
18- Drop down the 'Server Variables' box, and add the variables declared before with these settings:
a- For HTTP_X-Thinfinity-ReverseProxy-Host variable:
Click 'Add' then in the 'Set Server Variable' box, 'Server variable name' field, type "HTTP_X-Thinfinity-ReverseProxy-Host", then in the 'Value' field, type "https://[PROXY SERVER LOCAL IP]:80" then click 'OK'. (Value for the Host variable has to be the server’s local IP in the network. eg: 192.168.XXX.XXX)
b- For HTTP_X-Thinfinity-ReverseProxy-Path variable:
Click 'Add' then in the 'Set Server Variable' box, 'Server variable name' field, type "HTTP_X-Thinfinity-ReverseProxy-Path", then in the 'Value' field, type "/" then click 'OK'.
19- Finally, drop down the 'Action' box, and set the destination URL, as follows:
In the 'Rewrite URL' field, type "https://[ThinfinityServerURL]:[Binded Port]/{R:1}", ([ThinfinityServerURL] is your Thinfinity Workspace/VirtualUI server).
Then check the 'Stop processing of subsequent rules' box.
Finally click 'Apply'.
20- The Reverse Proxy should now be configured and working properly.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this guide has provided you with a comprehensive walkthrough for installing and configuring IIS as a Reverse Proxy alongside Thinfinity Workspace/VirtualUI. By implementing these steps, you can take advantage of the security, performance, and flexibility that IIS provides to optimize Web application delivery. This setup ensures that your applications are securely accessed, efficiently load balanced, and easily maintained.
If you have any further inquiries or need additional support, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Our team is always available to help address any questions or concerns you may have.
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