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  5. Setting up a PAC file to manage a proxy infrastructure
  6. PAC file FAQ

PAC file FAQ

What happens when a PAC file can't be downloaded?

If a PAC policy is mentioned but the PAC file can't be downloaded,
BlackBerry Access
 doesn't allow the browser to navigate to any web sites, and users see the following message: "Invalid web proxy configuration". Users can try reloading the page to restart the PAC file download so that
BlackBerry Access
 can try to download the PAC file again.

When is a PAC file downloaded and how long is it cached?

For
iOS
 devices, the PAC file is downloaded whenever the
BlackBerry Access
 policy is updated and the app is unlocked. Whenever the
BlackBerry Access
 policy comes to the app, the download sequence starts. When the device starts receiving the PAC file, the previous PAC file is replaced with the new one. After it is downloaded, the data is stored in a persisted file and it's not downloaded again unless a new policy is pushed by
Good Control
.
For
Android
 devices, the PAC file is downloaded only at the time the user tries to load a webpage. When it's downloaded, the PAC data is stored in memory (not persisted) and not downloaded again until either the policy is updated, the app is restarted, or whenever the network changes. The PAC file is downloaded again when a user accesses a webpage after restarting the device or when network changes occur.
You can use the "Enable PAC proxy check for all the sub-resources" app setting to enforce PAC processing without caching. Setting this app setting has an impact on the performance of your organization’s environment. It's recommended to use this feature for special circumstances only.

Is there a cache timeout that controls whether the client will download PAC regularly?

There's no cache timeout for PAC files. The client doesn't download a new configuration unless it meets the criteria described in the previous question.

How can you force clients to update PAC files if the PAC URL is the same but the PAC content has changed?

Due to a limitation in
Good Control
, you cannot apply the policy without changing one of the fields in the policy.
You can force a refresh of
BlackBerry Access
 policies, including PAC configuration, on user's devices.

Why do users see an "Invalid Web Proxy Configuration" error message and how can users diagnose the problem?

This error message is displayed due to various conditions related to PAC files or the proxy server. Users can go to the console in
BlackBerry Access
 to see more details. This error message can be displayed for the following reasons:
  • The PAC script couldn't be executed because of a
    JavaScript
     error. Unfortunately,
    BlackBerry Access
     can't detect
    JavaScript
     errors. It's recommended that you first test the PAC file in a browser on a computer and then deploy it to devices. A PAC tester tool is available to test the PAC here: https://code.google.com/p/pactester/.
  • The PAC file returns an empty value. In the case of computer browsers, they fall back to a connection without a web proxy. However, for security reasons,
    BlackBerry Access
     doesn't fall back and displays an error message instead.
  • None of the web proxies returned by the PAC files are whitelisted in
    Good Control
     client connections. For more information, see Configure PAC settings in Good Control.
  • The PAC URL is invalid, is not whitelisted, or the PAC URL couldn't be connected to. For more information, see Configure PAC settings in Good Control.
  • Manual proxy is set but the proxy details haven't been configured. For more information, see Configure PAC settings in Good Control.