Setup a Proxy Server
A proxy server is a server that receives requests intended for another server and that acts on the behalf of the client to obtain the requested service.
It is often used when the client and the server are incompatible for direct connection or for screening purposes, to enable the administrator to control access to undesirable sites.
It may also be used for caching purposes to enable faster access to frequently used websites and improves security because all the computers connected to the LAN access the Internet through a single IP address reducing the number of ports exposed.
Proxy servers work on the seventh layer (the Application Layer) of the OSI model and tend to be application dependent. They are more difficult to install and maintain than firewalls, as proxy functionality for each application protocol like HTTP, SMTP, or SOCKS must be configured individually.
Their filtering capabilities are relatively intelligent Since proxy servers function at the OSI Application layer. Network administrators can bar access to illegal domains but allow access to other sites while ordinary firewalls cannot see Web domain names. Proxy servers can also filter incoming data based on application content inside the messages.
WinProxy
WinProxy is one of the proxy servers available for Windows based systems. No software has to be installed on the client systems because WinProxy is a transparent proxy server that also provides NAT (Network Address Translation).
The client system is then virtually unaware of the existence of the proxy server. Apart from the usual caching and security features it also supports important protocols like HTTP, Real Audio/Video, Mail, FTP, NNTP News, Telnet, Socks, Secure Sockets, DNS, IMAP 4, etc.
The WinProxy Server is installed and configured as follows:
• Install the TCP/IP protocol on all systems connected to the network.
• Run the Install Wizard. The first screen is the product registration screen which require you to enter the product key.
• The next two screens require information about your Internet connection. Select the type of connection and the name of your connection.
• Enter the username and password of the Internet connection to be used.
• WinProxy then configures the internal and external IP addresses. It automatically assigns a unique address to each device on the LAN as internal addresses. The IP address assigned to the modem/router by your ISP is taken as the external address.
• WinProxy then prompts you to disconnect from the Internet if you are already connected.
• In the final step WinProxy works through all the steps and verifies that all operations have been performed properly.
Additional Reading on How to Setup Proxy Server
Comments (1)
I want to say “Thanks!” for this great detailed and easy-to-understand article.