Description
Using this tag, we can specify the email-address of the local cache manager who will receive mail, if the cache dies. The default is "webmaster." In case squid dies, the mail will be sent to the given mailid.

Example
cache_mgr balu

Description
If the cache is run as root, it will change its effective/real UID to the UID specified below. The default is to change the UID to nobody. If Squid is not started as root, the default is to keep the current UID. Note that, if Squid is not started as root, then you cannot set http_port to a value lower than 1024.

If Squid is started with the userid squid, then the cache_effective_user will be given as squid. If it is started as root then the default value will be taken

Example
cache_effective_user squid

Caution
If the above directive is not configured properly then Squid will have problems in starting.

Description
If the cache is run as root, it will change its effective/real GID to the GID specified below. The default is to change the GID to nogroup. If Squid is not started as root, the default is to keep the current GID. Note that if Squid is not started as root then you cannot set http_port to a value lower than 1024.

If the squid started with the groupid squid then the cache_effective_group will be given as squid. If it is started as root, then the default value will be taken. For further info on the above two tags, see Effective user and group

Example
cache_effective_group squid

Caution
If it is not configured properly, then squid may run in to problem.

Description
If you want to present a special hostname in error messages, etc then define this. Otherwise, the return value of gethostname () will be used. If you have multiple caches in a cluster and get errors about IP-forwarding, you must set them to have individual names with this setting. When the error message appears in the browser, it will show as it is generated from the visible_hostname.

Example
visible_hostname www.visolve.com

Description
If you want to have multiple machines with the same 'visible_hostname' then you must give each machine a different unique_hostname' so that forwarding loops can be detected. In brief, Just set visible_hostname to the address the clients connects to, and unique_hostname to the externally visible address of each proxy. (address == registered domain name)

Example
unique_hostname www.kovaiteam.com

Description
A list of other DNS names that your cache has. This option is used to detect internal requests ( Cache Digests ), when a cache has more than one hostname in use.

Example
hostname_aliases