How do you start a local connection so you can test internal html files or websites

To test local files or local web servers, you first start a local connection. The local connection is a java applet which creates a reverse SSH tunnel back to your pc. This is a signed applet, and you will have to give it permission to run. Once loaded, it will give you the option of testing internal web sites, or testing local HTML files.

Internal Web sites. Select this option if you have a web server behind your firewall which you need to test. Once a local connection is established, all the browsers on CrossBrowserTesting that you launch are instructed to use the local connection java applet running on your computer as a proxy server. You just enter the url for the pages you want to test - the system will automatically forward these requests to your machine, and the proxy built into the local connection applet will forward these requests to the proper place. Since the proxy is running on your machine and all the requests are forwarded to it, you use the urls you would normally use. For example, if you have internal dns setup, and have a development web server at http://dev.yourdomain.com, with a page located at http://dev.yourdomain.com/mypage.html, you can enter that url into either the live test console or our screenshot engine, and that page will be tested. Alternatively, if you access your local boxes via ip address, you can enter that ip address in and the system will automatically route it to the proper server. Even entries into the 'hosts' table on the machine you start the local connection from will be enabled via the internal web site option.

Local HTML files. Select this option to test files that you have not uploaded to a web server yet. When you choose this option, you will select the local directory you want the local connection made to. The local connection applet will run a small web server which has its root directory set to this directory you choose. All the remote browsers at CrossBrowserTesting will then route any requests beginning with the domain 'local' to this local web server. For example, you can enter http://local/ in a browser while using live testing, and you will see a directory listing of the directory you selected. You can then click on any of the files to view them in the remote browser, or you can drill into subdirectories to view any of the files in it. To take a screenshot of a page under this directory via the screenshot engine, enter a url such as http://local/mypage.html.

The local connections make a reverse ssh connection to your machine via the local connection applet, so your computer must be allowed to make SSH connections through your firewall on port 22. If you receive a connection error, please ask your network group to enable the access through your firewall.

Try it, and let us know how it works for you!