When Windows Internet Properties -> Connections -> LAN Settings -> Automatic Configuration is set to "Automatically detect settings" how does Windows actually determine/discover what the settings are? Is it a network broadcast or some kind of targeted query to a server configured somewhere in the registry, or something else?
views:
3864answers:
4
A:
It's a network broadcast, usually using DHCP.
That there wikipedia page should tell you all you need to know.
Ryan
2008-10-10 12:25:33
I suppose the people who modded this down didn't know that this broken auto-configuration protocol first queries the DHCP server, and only then goes on to try the usual list of default wpad-like URLs.
Alexander
2008-10-11 22:43:36
I believe in MS DHCP config you can specify the proxy server.
Robert Wagner
2008-11-18 09:42:51
+5
A:
Its simple: Browsers (Firefox works the same) query GET http://wpad/wpad.dat.
If a web server named wpad is resolveable, it should serve wpad.dat, a script file analog to netscape PAC files. MIME type must also be "application/x-ns-proxy-autoconfig".
Tomalak
2008-10-10 12:31:35
-1 because the mechanism is more complicated. Mozilla's implementation fits the simple description, IE is more conformant to WPAD.
benc
2009-10-30 06:35:48
Sorry, but I have to disagree. WPAD is as simple as that. IE behaves exactly as described, and so does Firefox - not sure what you refer to. Can you elaborate?
Tomalak
2009-10-30 09:44:35
+1
A:
The IE configuration described enables a WPAD implementation. Here's the Microsoft explanation of the entire mechanism (probably too much detail for a single post).
benc
2009-10-30 06:39:22