Oracle iPlanet Web Proxy Server 4.0.14 Administration Guide

About SOCKS

SOCKS is a networking proxy protocol that redirects connection requests from hosts on opposite sides of a SOCKS server, enabling hosts on one side to gain full access to hosts on the other without requiring direct IP reachability. SOCKS is commonly used as a network firewall that enables hosts behind a SOCKS server to gain full access to the Internet while preventing unauthorized access from the Internet to the internal hosts.

A SOCKS server is a generic firewall daemon that controls access through the firewall on a point-to-point basis. The SOCKS server authenticates and authorizes requests, establishes a proxy connection, and relays data. The SOCKS server works at the network level instead of the application level, and therefore has no knowledge of protocols or methods used for transferring requests. Because the SOCKS server has no knowledge of protocols, it can be used to pass those protocols that are not supported by the Proxy Server, such as Telnet.

Figure 15–1 Position of a SOCKS Server in a Network

Diagram showing the position of a SOCKS server in a Network.