Problems configuring the proxy functionality of Apache

1. How do I enable proxy functionality in Apache?

Set ProxyRequests On in /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

2. How can I control who gets access to proxy services?

You can control who can access your proxy via the normal control block using the following example:

<Directory proxy:*>
order deny,allow
deny from [machines you'd like not to allow by IP address or name]
allow from [machines you'd like to allow by IP address or name]
<Directory>
A <files> block will also work.

3. Why doesn't file type xxx download via FTP?

You probably don't have that particular file type defined as application/octet-stream in your proxy's mime.types configuration file. A useful line can be:

application/octet-stream bin dms lha lzh exe class tgz taz

4. What better tools might there be to provide proxy services for my LAN?

You should probably investigate using ipchains for firewall services and squid for proxy. They're both available with Red Hat Linux.