From: Robert Citek <robert.citek@...>
Date: 2007-12-20T05:56:07+09:00
Subject: connecting via a proxy

Hello all,

Two questions:

1) in the example below, is our corporate firewall the reason I for the error?
2) if so, how can I configure ruby to use the firewall specified in http_proxy?

Details:

I'm trying to connect to an outside http resource but I suspect our
corporate firewall is blocking the normal route:

$ ruby -rbio -e 'reg = Bio::Registry.new'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/net/http.rb:560:in `initialize': No route to host -
connect(2) (Errno::EHOSTUNREACH)
        from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/net/http.rb:560:in `open'
        from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/net/http.rb:560:in `connect'
        from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/timeout.rb:48:in `timeout'
        from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/timeout.rb:76:in `timeout'
        from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/net/http.rb:560:in `connect'
        from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/net/http.rb:553:in `do_start'
        from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/net/http.rb:542:in `start'
        from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/net/http.rb:440:in `start'
        from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/bio/io/registry.rb:190:in `read_remote'
        from /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/bio/io/registry.rb:126:in `initialize'
        from -e:1:in `new'
        from -e:1
$ ruby -v
ruby 1.8.6 (2007-06-07 patchlevel 36) [i486-linux]

$ lsb_release  -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description:    Ubuntu 7.10
Release:        7.10
Codename:       gutsy

The environment variable http_proxy is configured:

$ env | grep -c http_proxy
1

and works for elinks:

$ ( elinks -dump google.com | wc -l )
45

In fact, if I unset http_proxy, elinks doesn't work:

$ ( unset http_proxy ;  elinks -dump google.com | wc -l )
ELinks: No route to host
0

Any pointers in the right direction greatly appreciated.  Suggestions
for a more simple test also appreciated.

Regards,
- Robert