SOCKS Proxy Servers
Though this protocol was developed long
ago enough, it is rather new (compared to the HTTP proxy). SOCKS allows to work
with any (version Socks 4 - with TCP, Socks 5 - with TCP and UDP) protocols. A
socks proxy simply transfers data from a client to a server, not penetrating
into this data contents (therefore it can work with HTTP, FTP, SMTP, POP3, NNTP,
etc.).
Anonymity of a SOCKS Proxy
As SOCKS (as it was already marked
above) transfers all data from a client to a server, nothing adding from itself,
from the point of view of a web-server, a socks proxy is a client. Therefore
anonymity of this type of proxy servers is very high.
Using SOCKS Proxies
At present time there are 2 versions
of the SOCKS protocol: 4 and 5. The 4th version, as it appeared earlier, is more
widespread. However, now the 5th version is also supported by many popular
programs such as ICQ (old ICQ versions, in general, could use only SOCKS
proxies), Napster, AudioGalaxy, EeDoonkey2000 (MP3 files downloaders) etc.
Generally speaking, as a SOCKS proxy can "proxy" any TCP / UDP protocol, it
could be used also by mail programs, but they do not do it. Therefore, for such
programs (which cannot work with socks) there was developed a special software
automatically enabling TCP and UDP networking client
applications to traverse a SOCKS server.
The most widespread program is the
SocksCap (http://www.sockscap.com). It allows to capture all traffic of a
program and to route it onto a SOCKS proxy 4 or 5.
SOCKS Proxy Chaining
As SOCKS proxies transfer data between
computers without changes, it easily allows to create chains of SOCKS proxy
servers of arbitrary length. However, for creation of these chains it is
necessary to use special programs, as usual software is capable to use only one
SOCKS proxy.
An example of a program, allowing to
create SOCKS chains and to control chains of SOCKS proxies, is the SocksChain
program (http://www.ufasoft.com). With its help you can work with chains of
SOCKS proxies of any length.
Connection of various types proxies
into a chain.
SOCKS proxies can be united into a chain
with other types of proxy-servers (HTTP and CGI). But they should be in the
appointed place of this chain, namely, in the beginning.
You can create the following types of
chains:
SOCKS proxy > > > > HTTP proxy > > > >
CGI proxy
SOCKS proxy > > > > HTTP proxy
SOCKS proxy > > > > CGI proxy
Also you can not create:
HTTP proxy > > > > SOCKS proxy > > > >
CGI proxy
CGI proxy > > > > SOCKS proxy
What should you do, if there is
already a corporate proxy server?
You can use a SOCKS proxy only if your
corporate proxy is a SOCKS proxy. Otherwise you can hardly manage to use
external SOCKS proxies.
How to check mail in mail programs
(such as Outlook) via SOCKS proxies?
Mail programs in their majority do not
allow using proxy servers. This feature is not built-in in them. However, as it
was already mentioned above, a SOCKS proxy allows passing through itself any TCP
protocols (including POP3 and SMTP). To use a socks proxy for getting a mail,
one must use a special program (for example SocksCap, http://www.sockscap.com).
How to use these programs, it was already told above.
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