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Arman Danesh

We are going to look at proxy software that moves small office networks on to the Internet with minimal pain and fuss.

 The software is designed for Windows 95, 98 and NT.

 Proxy software lets one computer with an Internet connection provide Net access to other computers on a local network (LAN).

 How does this work? The computer running proxy software is a gateway - as far as the internet service provider is concerned, only one machine is connecting to the Net.

 The gateway computer assimilates all download requests from the PCs hooked up to the LAN and returns the information to them.

 This type of environment can have many benefits. It is often inexpensive to maintain a single dial-up account. With a low-cost flat-rate account offering 56 kbps modem access or an ISDN connection, it is possible to maintain an Internet connection rivalling the speed of a low-cost leased-line connection for a fraction of the cost.

 Second, configuration is generally simpler than trying to connect the complete network to the Internet with a leased-line; this process generally requires knowledge usually possessed by experienced network administrators.

 Third, decent proxy software provides a simple way to ensure the security of your network without cutting it off completely from the Internet; in effect, the proxy software becomes a simple firewall hiding the existence of the entire LAN.

 Finally, proxy packages cache recent Internet connections and Web requests so when more than one user requests the same document, later displays are provided from the cache.

 Surfing seems faster and online costs are also reduced, since fewer actual requests from the Internet are sent.

 The first proxy package we will look at is WinProxy from Ositis Software (www.

winproxy.com), which comes in two versions. A Lite version (US$59.95) allows up to three PCs on the LAN to connect to the Internet simultaneously.

 For small networks of up to about 10 sporadic Internet users, this may prove sufficient.

 The unlimited-users version of WinProxy costs $299. A 30-day version of WinProxy Lite can be downloaded from the Web site.

 Of all the packages we are looking at, WinProxy provides one of the most robust feature sets, offering a strong secure firewall resisting popular IP spoofing attacks as well as probes by the now-famous SATAN software.

 Configuration is simple, using standard wizards and multi-tab Windows configuration boxes.

 WinProxy can auto-dial the Internet and disconnect after specified periods of inactivity.

 WinProxy supports almost every possible type of Internet connection (including the increasingly popular IMAP 4-type mail connection), an internal mail server and streaming media such as RealAudio.

 Next we will look at aVirts Gateway Server 3.0 (www.avirt.com). What most recommends aVirts proxy is the ease of set-up.

 Running through a five-minute wizard can provide a completely configured system compared with the longer 30 to 60 minutes needed to fully configure WinProxy if you want to use all features.

 Like WinProxy, aVirt offers automatic dialling, support for many popular protocols, including the Web and FTP (but not IMAP 4). aVirt also supports Smart Filter plug-in technology which can allow a network administrator to check incoming Web content.

 Pricing for aVirts Gateway Server 3.0 is similar to WinProxy. A five-client version costs $89.95, a 10-client version $199.95 and an unlimited licence $399.95. aVirt also offers an educational price on the unlimited version at $279.95.

 Finally, we will look at Internet Gate 4.1 from Maccasoft (www.macca soft.com).

 Internet Gate again offers a proxy server capable of serving most protocols (including IMAP 4 and the expected HTTP, FTP and Telnet).

 It offers a simple interface (in some ways simpler than the aVirt product, which claims to be the simplest to configure) making selection of active protocols easy and the creation of security rules equally simple.

 Likewise Internet Gate offers automatic dialling when needed.

 However, the simplified interface offered by Internet Gate may prove to be a bit of a limitation if you need to create fine-grained security environments and sophisticated logging, including a logging client application.

 In terms of pricing, Internet Gate comes in close to the other two products we have looked at, with a one-user version available at no cost, a five-user version at $75, a 25-user version at $170 and an unlimited version at $255.



Proxy systems cut link costs