Configure a forward proxy for OAuth authentication
You can configure a forward proxy in Tableau Server and Tableau Desktop to enable OAuth authentication. Forward proxies can help you manage traffic out to the internet for tasks such as load balancing.
Use Windows to connect to Tableau Desktop through a forward proxy
Complete the following steps to configure the proxy server in Windows LAN Settings.
1. Open the Local Area Network (LAN) Settings dialog box.
Tip: A quick way to get to this dialog box is to search for Internet Options in the Windows Start menu.
2. In the Internet Properties dialog box, select the Connections tab.
3. Select LAN settings.
4. Under Proxy server, select Use a proxy server for your LAN.
5. Enter the proxy server address.
6. Enter the server port.
7. Select Bypass proxy server for local addresses.
Note: If you’ve already followed the steps in Configuring Proxies for Tableau Server and OAuth requests through your proxy aren’t working, then follow option 2.
Windows configuration option 1: Use system environment variables
You can edit the system-wide environment variables and set http_proxy and https_proxy to your proxy to enable OAuth authentication.
1. In your Windows computer search box, enter Advanced system settings.
2. Tap Enter to open the System Properties box.
3. On the Advanced tab, select Environment Variables.
4. Scroll through the System variables field.
- If the field has
http_proxyorhttps_proxy, verify that the values don’t conflict with the proxy server address that you configured in the previous step. - If they’re not set, set them to the values that match the proxy server address configured in the previous step.
5. Restart Tableau Desktop.
6. Attempt to connect to an OAuth connector and validate that it works as expected.
Note: If you see an OAuth-Client can’t be empty or SSLHandshake Exception or Connection Refused exception, continue to option 2.
Windows configuration option 2: Configure Java net.properties proxy settings
1. In your file directory, locate the version of Java you’re using to run Tableau Desktop.
C:/Program Files/Tableau/Tableau <Version>/bin/jre
2. In the Java locations directory, select the conf folder. If this directory doesn’t exist, create one.
3. In the conf folder, locate the net.properties file and open it in an editor. If this file doesn’t exist, create one by the same name.
Note: If you don’t have write permissions on this file, use the system file settings to enable them.
4. Modify or create the following values:
http.proxyPort=<your proxy port>http.proxyHost=<your proxy host address>https.proxyPort=<your proxy port>https.proxyHost=<your proxy host address>
Warning: Make sure you only include the host. If your proxy address is http://myproxy:8888, then set it to: http.proxyHost=myproxy
5. Restart Tableau Desktop, and try to connect through OAuth.
Use Mac to connect to Tableau Desktop through a forward proxy
To use Mac to connect Tableau Desktop through a forward proxy, you must configure Java net.properties proxy settings.
1. In your file directory, locate the version of Java you’re using to run Tableau Desktop.
/Applications/Tableau <Version>/Plugins/jre
2. In the Java locations directory, select the conf folder. If this directory doesn’t exist, create one.
3. In the conf folder, locate the net.properties file and open it in an editor. If this file doesn’t exist, create one by the same name.
Note: If you don’t have write permissions on this file, use the system file settings to enable them.
4. Modify or create the following values:
http.proxyPort=<your proxy port>http.proxyHost=<your proxy host address>https.proxyPort=<your proxy port>https.proxyHost=<your proxy host address>
Warning: Make sure you only include the host. If your proxy address is http://myproxy:8888, then set it to: http.proxyHost=myproxy
5. Restart Tableau Desktop, and try to connect through OAuth.
Use Windows to connect through a proxy that requires OAuth authorisation
If your proxy requires you to sign in with a username and password, then complete the following steps so OAuth requests connect through the proxy.
1. In your file directory, locate the version of Java that you’re using to run Tableau Desktop.
C:/Program Files/Tableau/Tableau <Version>/bin/jre
2. In the Java locations directory, select the conf folder. If this directory doesn’t exist, create one.
3. In the conf folder, locate the net.properties file and open it in an editor. If this file doesn’t exist, create one by the same name.
Note: If you don’t have write permissions on this file, use the system file settings to enable them.
4. Modify or create the following values:
http.proxyUser=<your proxy username>http.proxyPassword=<your proxy password>
5. Restart Tableau Desktop, and try to connect through OAuth.
Use Mac to connect through a proxy that requires OAuth authorisation
If your proxy requires you to sign in with a username and password, then complete the following steps so OAuth requests connect through the proxy.
1. In your file directory, locate the version of Java that you’re using to run Tableau Desktop.
/Applications/Tableau <Version>/Plugins/jre
2. In the Java locations directory, select the conf folder. If this directory doesn’t exist, create one.
3. In the conf folder, locate the net.properties file and open it in an editor. If this file doesn’t exist, create one by the same name.
Note: If you don’t have write permissions on this file, use the system file settings to enable them.
4. Modify or create the following values:
http.proxyUser=<your proxy username>http.proxyPassword=<your proxy password>
5. Restart Tableau Desktop, and try to connect through OAuth.
Use Windows to connect to Tableau Server through a forward proxy
You can launch Tableau Server from behind a forward proxy to allow internet access. You can configure the proxy server in Windows LAN Settings to connect to Tableau Server through a forward proxy.
Configure the proxy
Complete the following steps to configure the proxy server.
1. Open the Local Area Network (LAN) Settings dialog box.
Tip: A quick way to get to this dialog box is to search for Internet Options in the Windows Start menu.
2. In the Internet Properties dialog box, select the Connections tab.
3. Select LAN settings.
4. Under Proxy server, select Use a proxy server for your LAN.
5. Enter the proxy server address.
6. Enter the proxy server port.
7. Select Bypass proxy server for local addresses.
Add exceptions
You can add exceptions to guarantee that all communications within a local Tableau Server cluster don’t route to the proxy server. Complete the following steps to add exceptions.
1. In the LAN settings dialog box, select Advanced.
Note: This button is available only if you've selected the option to use a proxy server for your LAN.
2. In the Proxy Settings dialog box, in the Exceptions field, enter the following values.
- localhost
- Server host names
- IP addresses of other Tableau Server computers in the same cluster.
Note: Use semicolons to separate items.
3. Close the Proxy settings dialog box.
4. Close the Local Area Network (LAN) Settings dialog box.
5. In the Internet Properties dialog box, select OK to apply the settings.
Note: If you’ve completed the steps in Configuring Proxies for Tableau Server and OAuth requests through your proxy aren’t working then follow option 2.
Windows configuration option 1: Use system environment variables
You can edit system-wide environment variables and set http_proxy and https_proxy to your proxy.
1. In the Windows computer search box, enter Advanced system settings
2. Tap Enter to open the System Properties box.
3. On the Advanced tab, select Environment Variables.
4. Scroll through the System variables field.
- If the field has
http_proxyorhttps_proxy, verify that the values don’t conflict with the proxy server address that you configured in the previous step. - If they’re not set, set them to the values that match the proxy server address configured in the previous step.
5. Restart Tableau Server.
6. Attempt to connect to an OAuth connector and validate that it works as expected.
Note: If you see an OAuth-Client can’t be empty, SSLHandshake or Connection Refused exception continue on to option 2.
Windows configuration option 2: Configure Java net.properties proxy settings
1. In your file directory, locate the version of Java you’re using to run Tableau Server.
C:\Program Files\Tableau\Tableau Server\packages\repository*\jre
2. In the Java locations directory, select the conf folder. If this directory doesn’t exist, create one.
3. In the conf folder, locate the net.properties file and open it in an editor. If this file doesn’t exist, create one by the same name.
Note: If you don’t have write permissions on this file, use the system file settings to enable them.
4. Modify or create the following values:
http.proxyPort=<your proxy port>http.proxyHost=<your proxy host address>https.proxyPort=<your proxy port>https.proxyHost=<your proxy host address>
Warning: Make sure you only include the host. If your proxy address is http://myproxy:8888, then set it to: http.proxyHost=myproxy
5. The proxy host default value is http.nonProxyHosts =localhost|127.*|[::1]. If the default value matches the list of exceptions, bypass the proxy server, then continue to step 6. If they don't match, make sure that it has the following values.
- localhost
- Server host names and IP addresses of other Tableau Server computers in the same cluster.
- Each item is separated by “|”
6. Restart Tableau Server and try to connect through OAuth.
Use Linux to connect to Tableau Server through a forward proxy
You can configure Java net.properties proxy settings to use Linux to connect Tableau Server through a forward proxy.
1. In your file directory, locate the version of Java you’re using to run Tableau Server.
opt/tableau/tableau_server/packages/repository*/jre
2. In the Java locations directory, select the conf folder. If this directory doesn’t exist, create one.
3. In the conf folder, locate the net.properties file and open it in an editor. If this file doesn’t exist, create one by the same name.
Note: If you don’t have write permissions on this file, use the system file settings to enable them.
4. Modify or create the following values:
http.proxyPort=<your proxy port>http.proxyHost=<your proxy host address>https.proxyPort=<your proxy port>https.proxyHost=<your proxy host address>
Warning: Make sure you only include the host. If your proxy address is http://myproxy:8888, then set it to: http.proxyHost=myproxy
5. The proxy host default value is http.nonProxyHosts =localhost|127.*|[::1]. If the default value matches the list of exceptions, bypass the proxy server, then continue to step 6. If they don't match, make sure that it has the following values.
- localhost
- Server host names and IP addresses of other Tableau Server computers in the same cluster.
- Each item is separated by “|”
6. Restart Tableau Server and try to connect through OAuth.
Use Windows to connect to Tableau Server through a proxy that requires OAuth authorisation.
If your proxy requires that you sign in with a username and password, then complete the following steps to allow OAuth requests to connect through the proxy.
1. In your file directory, locate the version of Java you’re using to run Tableau Server.
C:\Program Files\Tableau\Tableau Server\packages\repository*\jre
2. In the Java locations directory, select the conf folder. If this directory doesn’t exist, create one.
3. In the conf folder, locate the net.properties file and open it in an editor. If this file doesn’t exist, create one by the same name.
Note: If you don’t have write permissions on this file, use the system file settings to enable them.
4. Modify or create the following values:
http.proxyUser=<your proxy username>http.proxyPassword=<your proxy password>
5. Restart Tableau Server, and try to connect through OAuth.
Use Linux to connect to Tableau Server through a proxy that requires OAuth authorisation.
If your proxy requires that you sign in with a username and password, then complete the following steps to allow OAuth requests to connect through the proxy.
1. In your file directory, locate the version of Java you’re using to run Tableau Server.
opt/tableau/tableau_server/packages/repository*/jre
2. In the Java locations directory, select the conf folder. If this directory doesn’t exist, create one.
3. In the conf folder, locate the net.properties file and open it in an editor. If this file doesn’t exist, create one by the same name.
Note: If you don’t have write permissions on this file, use the system file settings to enable them.
4. Modify or create the following values:
http.proxyUser=<your proxy username>http.proxyPassword=<your proxy password>
5. Restart Tableau Server, and try to connect through OAuth.
SSL handshake errors
If you’re getting errors, then check to ensure you have put your SSL cert into the correct keystore. On Windows, the keystore is under the system Trusted Certs store. If the keystore is correct, and you’re still getting errors, then import your cert directly into the Java keystore. Complete the following steps to import your certificate into the Java keystore.
Export the SSL certificate for your proxy to a file.
Tip: You can find your certificate under Applications, Utilities, Keychain Access, System, Category, Certificates.
1. Locate the version of Java you’re using to run Tableau.
2. Open the terminal command prompt.
3. Run the following command from the directory that contains the version of Java you’re using to run Tableau.
Keytool –import –trustcacerts –file /Users/tableau_user/Desktop/SSL.cer -keystore Tableau <version>/Plugins/jre/lib/security/cacerts -storepass changeit
4. Restart Tableau Server or Tableau Desktop.
Note: If you get a FileNotFoundException (Access denied) when running the keytool command, try running the command with elevated permissions.
sudo keytool –import –trustcacerts –file /Users/tableau_user/Desktop/SSL.cer -keystore Tableau 2021.3.1/Plugins/jre/lib/security/cacerts -storepass changeit