If you have a local area network (two or more computers connected in a network) with one computer connected to the Internet (via a modem, using a cable, etc.), it may be useful to make the Internet accessible to the other computers on the network by installing a software program that will serve as a proxy server, that is, that will give the network's computers access by proxy, by redirecting information.
However, the more users there are, the lower the bandwidth for each of them will be, since the users share the proxy's bandwidth with each other... For example, if 8 people are connected to a modem at 56,000 bauds, only 7,000 bauds will be left per person, or...not much: no point for 8 people to be surfing the Web with a modem...
There are a variety of software programs that make it possible to carry out this function. The most well-known of these is the software program Wingate, which can be used as a server (on the computer connected to the Internet) and a client (on all of the local network computers you want to connect to the Internet).
Wingate is a shareware program, that is, software requiring payment, which in its unregistered version makes it possible to share a connection with just one other computer on the network at a time. The unregistered version is therefore sufficient for a local area network made of just two computers, but to connect more computers to the Internet you will need to buy the user license.
The server will be the computer on the local area network that is connected to the Internet. To be able to use Wingate as a server, you need to make sure the TCP/IP protocol is correctly installed on the computer that will be used as server.
If this is connected to the Internet via a modem, the following two protocols should appear in the control panel/network window:
If the computer is connected to the Internet via a network card (cable or other), the following two protocols should appear in the control panel/network window:
The next step is to install the Wingate software as server on this machine (recent versions - 3.0 and higher - ask you to choose between client and server, whereas previous versions were installed only on the server).
When Wingate is installed, it functions as a service, that is, it does not function as a normal application that you can see as a task when you simultaneously press CTRL-ALT-DEL. To configure it, you need to use the "GateKeeper" utility that comes with Wingate.
This utility lets you configure access for users that will use the proxy. You can thus define permissions for each user (that is, the services the user has access to) and see which users are connected in real time. There are three configuration tabs in the Gatekeeper interface:
Wingate lets you add users who can "pass through"
the proxy (keep from enabling outside access to the local area network...) You can also add services (ICQ, FTP, WWW, etc.) at your leisure by specifying the
ports associated with each service.
Wingate can draw up a log file of events that lets you see the actions of each user connected via the proxy. Plus, Wingate features a cache system that makes it possible to keep frequently visited pages in memory to keep users of the local area network connected to the Web from having to reload the same information several times.
Clients are the computers that will be connected to the server. To let them access the network, with Wingate versions previous to the 3.0 version, you need to configure each application to specify that the connection is being made via the proxy. For versions 3.0 and up, it is possible to install Wingate as a client on each of the computers to avoid having to configure all of the applications, although this is possible as well. All recent Internet-related applications (browsers, FTP clients, ICQ, etc.) have a "proxy server" option sometimes mistakenly called a firewall; this option may look like this:
In the address field, you need to enter the address of the machine on which Wingate is being used as server (that is, 192.168.0.1 in general) as well as the port associated with the application.
To configure your browser, simply go to preferences (options, configuration...) and find the option "connect using a proxy server".
In the first field, enter the proxy's address (192.168.0.1) and in the second enter the port (80). Some browsers will ask you for proxy addresses for each service, the two main services being http and ftp, for which you will complete the field as described above.
Programs such as CuteFTP, WS_FTP, etc. generally have an option in the preferences that lets you specify the address of a proxy server; in this case enter the address of the computer running Wingate (192.168.0.1) then enter port 21.
You have the option of entering a password if you restricted access on Wingate by assigning passwords to the local area network's users.
This process will give the network's computers access to FTP sites on port 21. To be able to access FTP sites on other ports, you will need to use FTP clients that accept the SOCKS service. SOCKS is a service that makes it possible to dynamically open ports on the proxy, and is the only way to be able to use applications whose port is variable (FTP on ports other than 21, IRC, etc.)
Messaging or e-mail is the most widely used service on the Internet; it is therefore essential that you be able to use it when sharing a connection on a local area network. The e-mail service includes two main functions:
For incoming e-mail, for each network computer, Wingate needs to know where its e-mail can be found. In the options, in the field where you normally enter your user name, enter your user name followed by a number sign and then the address of your messaging server, which will give, for example, your_name#pop.server.com, then your usual password in the field provided to that effect.
The software program WinGate as well as similar free software programs are available in the downloading area of this section. The configuration of network computers follows the same procedure with the other software programs. For more details, refer to the help guides for these programs.
If you have questions, feel free to ask them in the forum!
Last update on Thursday October 16, 2008 02:43:22 PM.
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