Understanding how to set up a proxy server must be on the agenda for those who would aspire to determine their own online fates. In simple terms, proxy usually means acting as a substitute or an agent. Online a proxy is usually a computer that acts as a substitute server. In computing a proxy server is simply an informational middleman, if you will; it handles exchanges between the requester and the ultimate server. A client connects to the proxy server and requests some service, like web page or access to a file. The proxy’s job is to check out all requests and issue denials as warranted (by its set of pre-defined rules). For example, one popular filter is to ban IP addresses outright.
When you want to set up a proxy server, a wide variety of choices exist out there. One of the most popular proxy servers for Windows-based systems is WinProxy. One reason why it’s so popular is that nothing actually needs to be installed on the client (or requester) side. NAT is available since WinProxy is a transparent proxy. This ensures that the client system is unaware of the proxy server’s existence. WinProxy acts just like any other server, dealing with security issues and all the various protocols online – except when it needs to serve as a substitute, a proxy.
Getting it going is fairly simple and quick to do. There’s really no better way to set up a proxy server. Just make sure to take common initial steps such as installing TCP/IP on your network. When all that’s been done, you can go on to WinProxy itself. You can purchase this the traditional way in a store or through a simple download. When you begin the installation, you get the option to run the Install Wizard. Be sure to have your product key handy, as that’s going to be the very first input required of you. The next two screens gathers information about the type of Internet connection that will be used- dial-up or broadband. Sometimes you’ll have to tell the program yourself. The next step will depend entirely on you, as it involves user access information like ID and password. Just leave everything else to the program to handle. It assigns a unique address automatically,to each device on the LAN as internal addresses. The IP address that the Internet Service Provider has assigned to the modem or router becomes the external address. It is this external address that will be shown to those outside your network, providing the anonymity you need. By now you would be practically at the end of setup, ready to take on the worldwide web anonymously through your proxy server, courtesy WinProxy.