10-10-2009, 06:19 AM
Entry Level Guide To Using Proxy Servers.
Although I have seen certain threads/posts regarding Proxy Servers in the past, I really can't remember seeing a detailed guide on an introduction on how to use them,
for those people, that may be new to using them.
This guide is intended, for entry level members, who may not have any previous experience of using Proxy Servers,
and includes an effective method for testing them, before use.
This guide relates to the numerical type of Proxy Servers, and not the domain.com extension type.
Basically, one explanation of a Proxy Server, is that it is a computer, somewhere on the web, set up, to act as a gateway, between your PC, and whichever site you may want to access.
Instead of your Browser contacting the Server, of the web page that you want to visit directly, your request is sent to the Proxy Server instead,
which then sends the request to the Server at the desired site.
The Server at the end site, in turn, responds to the Proxy Server, which then forwards the reply on to your Browser.
There is no direct communication, between your PC, and the destination Server.
So an Anonymous Proxy Server can help to protect your identity, by stripping any request made by your PC/Browser of any identifying information.
Some Proxy Servers are Anonymous, some are Transparent.
Anonymous Proxy Servers, may enable you to be Anonymous while online,
whereas the Transparent type of Proxy Server may not.
A numerical Proxy Server, will look just like a regular IP address, for example, in the format of:
123.45.67.8:8080
The first group of numbers before the colon, is the Server Address, the second number, after the colon, is the number, or assignment, for the Port.
The Port number, can vary, between 1 and 5 figures.
When you get a list of Proxy Servers, they can sometimes be unsorted, as far as to what different Ports each Proxy Server may use.
Other lists, can sometimes be seperated into a group of Proxy servers, with the same Port numbers.
This simple guide, relates to a possible list of Proxy Servers, with unsorted Ports.
The Ports, commonly used, for the WWW HTTP Service, can include, 80 and 8080, although there are also many other Port assignments, that a Proxy Server can also use.
This guide, for example, is based upon the Port assignment of 8080.
The first thing that you have to do before using any Proxy Server, is to find a working one, which is not always that speedy, and requires a little patience.
For an example, you could open up Google and type Proxy Server, into the search box.
You will see a list of entries, when the page has loaded, of the many sites that list Proxy Servers, such as:
http://www.publicproxyservers.com
http://www.proxy-list.net/anonymous-proxy-lists.shtml
Once you have a list of Proxy Servers to choose from, for example, with differing Port assignments,
the next thing that you have to do, is to test them, to make sure that they are working.
The way to test Proxy Servers, is at a site with a Proxy checker/tester, such as:
http://www.stayinvisible.com/cgi-bin/proxyjudge.cgi
http://www.proxyway.com/www/check-ip-add...dress.html
An effective way to test the Proxy Servers, is as follows:
[Note: - Before you do any of this, it would be a good idea to have a browser page open, in preparation for testing].
This method is the manual way of testing out Proxy servers, but there is an automatic method, described below.
Rather than going through the list, testing one Proxy Server after the other, with differing Port
assignments, I find that it is more logical, to test the Proxy Servers, that all have the same Port number,
at the same time, one after the other, using the method as follows:
For users of Internet Explorer:
[Note: This is based upon Internet Explorer 6, but seeing as I don't use Internet Explorer,
I have not upgraded it, so later versions, may have a slightly different interface, but the principal should still be the same.
Click on Tools, then select Internet Options. Click on the tab for Connections, then click on
LAN Settings.
Click the box, just under where it Says Proxy server and then click on Advanced.
A pop-up box will appear, listing the various Server protocol types.
Enter the first Proxy Server that you want to test, into the box next to HTTP,
under Proxy address to use, then enter the number of the Port for the Proxy Server, into the relevant box, under Port.
In the first instance, during testing, there is no need to enable the option,
Use the same Proxy Server for all protocols, or add any Exceptions. In fact I have not covered these options in this guide.
Once you have entered the Proxy Server and the Port number, click on OK.
You are now ready to test the Proxy Server, to see if it works or not,
furthermore, to test if the so-called Anonymous Proxy Server is truly Anonymous, because in some cases it won't be,
You can test the Proxy Servers, out at the following sites:
http://www.stayinvisible.com/cgi-bin/proxyjudge.cgi
http://www.proxyway.com/www/check-ip-add...dress.html
Then hit Enter.
If the page does not load within a maximum of 4 seconds, I would recommend forgetting about it and just move onto the next one,
as a slow Proxy Server is not an ideal one to settle for, even if it is Anonymous.
This is where it comes in handy to have chosen to test the Proxy Servers with the same Port numbers first, because with the next Proxy Server that you want to test,
you should only have to enter, the server address itself and not the Port on this occasion, because it should aready be there, from the previous test.
This is where you have to have a little patience, because more often than not, you will find that many Proxy Servers are either dead, very slow, password protected, or restricted,
in terms of what sort of pages you can access, depending upon which country the server is located in.
Now it's just a case of testing them out, one after the other, which can take a little time, and I wouldn't really describe it as being all that much fun,
but it's the price we all have to pay, I guess, if we want to protect our privacy while being online.
There are certain applications, that allow you to test Proxy Servers, automatically, from a list, and there is a review of one, a little further down the page.
You should be prepared for quite a lot of pages not loading,
frequent messages about restricted access, the occasional prompt to enter a name and password combination, and eventually, the occasional working Proxy Server.
When the page at the Proxy Server judge/tester, does eventually load, you should make sure that it doesn't spill your own IP address!
Try this test with and without Javasript enabled, just to make sure that it is Anonymous.
For users of Firefox:
Click on Tools, then select Options. Click on the icon for Advanced,
then click on the tab for Network. Click on the button called Settings, to the right hand side, next to Connection
and then click on the option for Manual proxy configuration.
Once again, enter the relevant Proxy Server address and Port number, into the box next to
HTTP Proxy.
Once again. during testing, it is better not to enable any other protocol, nor enter any addresses, into the box for No Proxy for:
The radio button next to SOCKS v5, is usually the default setting..
Once you have tested a number of Proxy Servers and have established whether they are Anonymous
or not, if you want to find out who the server belongs to, then you can do a Whois search for that.
you can do the Whois lookup, as well as other types of queries at these sites:
http://whois.domaintools.com/
http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp
Sometimes, Proxy Servers may not last very long, especially if they are very popular, and the more users a server may have,
may result with the server slowing down somewhat, so it is a good idea, to look out for new Proxy Servers now and then, to give you an alternative choice.
It could also be a good idea, not to use the same Proxy Server for too long, or too regularly, depending on what you will be using it for,
therefore, the wider the choice of Proxy Servers that you have to choose from, and alternating between them, would be the better method of using them.
That is basically all that you have to do.
An alternative to a Proxy Server, is a VPN, which is a Virtual Private Network.
As an example, you could try out:
www.itshidden.com
Which is free, fast, usually always working, apart from the occasional down-time for server maintenance, which is not very often,
and also, there is no software to install either.
The site, which is based in the Netherlands, claims, on its main page, that it keeps no records of user IP
addresses either, as they are not required to do so, although that point, may be a little doubtful now.
But if you are not doing anything illegal, while being online, maybe it shouldn't need to be such a great concern.
Having said that though, who can really say, what details, any owner of any Proxy Server at all,
may keep, as far as user IP addresses, or Server use is concerned?
There is a very useful, free application, called EliteProxySwitcher, which
is a multi-functional, Proxy Server switcher, as well as a checker, which works with lists of Proxy Servers that you many find.
It works with Firefox and Internet Explorer and is available for download here:
http://www.eliteproxyswitcher.com/
[My thanks go to Elektrisk, for pointing this site out to me].
[Note: - I think it worthwhile, pointing out that after installing this application, when I now right click on a URL and open it in a new browser window,
there is an error, an exception, relating to a .js based problem, that pops up and I have to click OK, before the new windows opens.
Clicking on a link directly, does not result with an error].
It is a little annoying, but is something I am prepared to live with, considering the usefulness of the EPS application, especially with regard to testing out Proxy Servers Automatically.
After installing this application, I have found more working Proxy Servers,
during the first run of this application, over a period of 5 - 10 minutes or thereabouts, than I have found in a couple of weeks of testing them manually myself, using the method described above.
I'd rather use a Proxy Server, or a VPN, while being online, as opposed to using neither.
I hope that this may have been of some interest to some of you here.
Safer surfing all!
Although I have seen certain threads/posts regarding Proxy Servers in the past, I really can't remember seeing a detailed guide on an introduction on how to use them,
for those people, that may be new to using them.
This guide is intended, for entry level members, who may not have any previous experience of using Proxy Servers,
and includes an effective method for testing them, before use.
This guide relates to the numerical type of Proxy Servers, and not the domain.com extension type.
Basically, one explanation of a Proxy Server, is that it is a computer, somewhere on the web, set up, to act as a gateway, between your PC, and whichever site you may want to access.
Instead of your Browser contacting the Server, of the web page that you want to visit directly, your request is sent to the Proxy Server instead,
which then sends the request to the Server at the desired site.
The Server at the end site, in turn, responds to the Proxy Server, which then forwards the reply on to your Browser.
There is no direct communication, between your PC, and the destination Server.
So an Anonymous Proxy Server can help to protect your identity, by stripping any request made by your PC/Browser of any identifying information.
Some Proxy Servers are Anonymous, some are Transparent.
Anonymous Proxy Servers, may enable you to be Anonymous while online,
whereas the Transparent type of Proxy Server may not.
A numerical Proxy Server, will look just like a regular IP address, for example, in the format of:
123.45.67.8:8080
The first group of numbers before the colon, is the Server Address, the second number, after the colon, is the number, or assignment, for the Port.
The Port number, can vary, between 1 and 5 figures.
When you get a list of Proxy Servers, they can sometimes be unsorted, as far as to what different Ports each Proxy Server may use.
Other lists, can sometimes be seperated into a group of Proxy servers, with the same Port numbers.
This simple guide, relates to a possible list of Proxy Servers, with unsorted Ports.
The Ports, commonly used, for the WWW HTTP Service, can include, 80 and 8080, although there are also many other Port assignments, that a Proxy Server can also use.
This guide, for example, is based upon the Port assignment of 8080.
The first thing that you have to do before using any Proxy Server, is to find a working one, which is not always that speedy, and requires a little patience.
For an example, you could open up Google and type Proxy Server, into the search box.
You will see a list of entries, when the page has loaded, of the many sites that list Proxy Servers, such as:
http://www.publicproxyservers.com
http://www.proxy-list.net/anonymous-proxy-lists.shtml
Once you have a list of Proxy Servers to choose from, for example, with differing Port assignments,
the next thing that you have to do, is to test them, to make sure that they are working.
The way to test Proxy Servers, is at a site with a Proxy checker/tester, such as:
http://www.stayinvisible.com/cgi-bin/proxyjudge.cgi
http://www.proxyway.com/www/check-ip-add...dress.html
An effective way to test the Proxy Servers, is as follows:
[Note: - Before you do any of this, it would be a good idea to have a browser page open, in preparation for testing].
This method is the manual way of testing out Proxy servers, but there is an automatic method, described below.
Rather than going through the list, testing one Proxy Server after the other, with differing Port
assignments, I find that it is more logical, to test the Proxy Servers, that all have the same Port number,
at the same time, one after the other, using the method as follows:
For users of Internet Explorer:
[Note: This is based upon Internet Explorer 6, but seeing as I don't use Internet Explorer,
I have not upgraded it, so later versions, may have a slightly different interface, but the principal should still be the same.
Click on Tools, then select Internet Options. Click on the tab for Connections, then click on
LAN Settings.
Click the box, just under where it Says Proxy server and then click on Advanced.
A pop-up box will appear, listing the various Server protocol types.
Enter the first Proxy Server that you want to test, into the box next to HTTP,
under Proxy address to use, then enter the number of the Port for the Proxy Server, into the relevant box, under Port.
In the first instance, during testing, there is no need to enable the option,
Use the same Proxy Server for all protocols, or add any Exceptions. In fact I have not covered these options in this guide.
Once you have entered the Proxy Server and the Port number, click on OK.
You are now ready to test the Proxy Server, to see if it works or not,
furthermore, to test if the so-called Anonymous Proxy Server is truly Anonymous, because in some cases it won't be,
You can test the Proxy Servers, out at the following sites:
http://www.stayinvisible.com/cgi-bin/proxyjudge.cgi
http://www.proxyway.com/www/check-ip-add...dress.html
Then hit Enter.
If the page does not load within a maximum of 4 seconds, I would recommend forgetting about it and just move onto the next one,
as a slow Proxy Server is not an ideal one to settle for, even if it is Anonymous.
This is where it comes in handy to have chosen to test the Proxy Servers with the same Port numbers first, because with the next Proxy Server that you want to test,
you should only have to enter, the server address itself and not the Port on this occasion, because it should aready be there, from the previous test.
This is where you have to have a little patience, because more often than not, you will find that many Proxy Servers are either dead, very slow, password protected, or restricted,
in terms of what sort of pages you can access, depending upon which country the server is located in.
Now it's just a case of testing them out, one after the other, which can take a little time, and I wouldn't really describe it as being all that much fun,
but it's the price we all have to pay, I guess, if we want to protect our privacy while being online.
There are certain applications, that allow you to test Proxy Servers, automatically, from a list, and there is a review of one, a little further down the page.
You should be prepared for quite a lot of pages not loading,
frequent messages about restricted access, the occasional prompt to enter a name and password combination, and eventually, the occasional working Proxy Server.
When the page at the Proxy Server judge/tester, does eventually load, you should make sure that it doesn't spill your own IP address!
Try this test with and without Javasript enabled, just to make sure that it is Anonymous.
For users of Firefox:
Click on Tools, then select Options. Click on the icon for Advanced,
then click on the tab for Network. Click on the button called Settings, to the right hand side, next to Connection
and then click on the option for Manual proxy configuration.
Once again, enter the relevant Proxy Server address and Port number, into the box next to
HTTP Proxy.
Once again. during testing, it is better not to enable any other protocol, nor enter any addresses, into the box for No Proxy for:
The radio button next to SOCKS v5, is usually the default setting..
Once you have tested a number of Proxy Servers and have established whether they are Anonymous
or not, if you want to find out who the server belongs to, then you can do a Whois search for that.
you can do the Whois lookup, as well as other types of queries at these sites:
http://whois.domaintools.com/
http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp
Sometimes, Proxy Servers may not last very long, especially if they are very popular, and the more users a server may have,
may result with the server slowing down somewhat, so it is a good idea, to look out for new Proxy Servers now and then, to give you an alternative choice.
It could also be a good idea, not to use the same Proxy Server for too long, or too regularly, depending on what you will be using it for,
therefore, the wider the choice of Proxy Servers that you have to choose from, and alternating between them, would be the better method of using them.
That is basically all that you have to do.
An alternative to a Proxy Server, is a VPN, which is a Virtual Private Network.
As an example, you could try out:
www.itshidden.com
Which is free, fast, usually always working, apart from the occasional down-time for server maintenance, which is not very often,
and also, there is no software to install either.
The site, which is based in the Netherlands, claims, on its main page, that it keeps no records of user IP
addresses either, as they are not required to do so, although that point, may be a little doubtful now.
But if you are not doing anything illegal, while being online, maybe it shouldn't need to be such a great concern.
Having said that though, who can really say, what details, any owner of any Proxy Server at all,
may keep, as far as user IP addresses, or Server use is concerned?
There is a very useful, free application, called EliteProxySwitcher, which
is a multi-functional, Proxy Server switcher, as well as a checker, which works with lists of Proxy Servers that you many find.
It works with Firefox and Internet Explorer and is available for download here:
http://www.eliteproxyswitcher.com/
[My thanks go to Elektrisk, for pointing this site out to me].
[Note: - I think it worthwhile, pointing out that after installing this application, when I now right click on a URL and open it in a new browser window,
there is an error, an exception, relating to a .js based problem, that pops up and I have to click OK, before the new windows opens.
Clicking on a link directly, does not result with an error].
It is a little annoying, but is something I am prepared to live with, considering the usefulness of the EPS application, especially with regard to testing out Proxy Servers Automatically.
After installing this application, I have found more working Proxy Servers,
during the first run of this application, over a period of 5 - 10 minutes or thereabouts, than I have found in a couple of weeks of testing them manually myself, using the method described above.
I'd rather use a Proxy Server, or a VPN, while being online, as opposed to using neither.
I hope that this may have been of some interest to some of you here.
Safer surfing all!
ORT format, save them with one per line, and save them as a .txt file. Load the .txt file into EPS, then have it check the proxies. Delete all the proxies with a red X by them, then simply double-click the proxy to start using it. Dunno if this works automatically in IE like it does with FF.