Setting Up A Proxy

[gwcz]

Anyone know if it's possible to set up a proxy on the hosted space?

[Head Guru]

No its not allowed.

[Guest Guest488]

And here I was beginning to think that TCH really does rock :-(

 

Is there any particular reason why setting up a proxy is not allowed?

 

I know that a proxy uses more bandwidth than it does web-space, but as long as an account is within its allotted bandwidth for the paid hosting plan, what would be the problem?

[TCH-JimE]

Hi,

 

Proxy's not only use up larger amounts of bandwidth, but can also cause server load issues and may (accidentally) leave the server vulnerable to attack.

 

Jim

[KevinW]

Can someone explain something to me? I thought a proxy server was used to protect and filter requests from a person inside a company LAN to a web server outside. Why would someone want to use TCH as a proxy server?

-kw

[Larry]

it would also 'hide' your host when connecting to other websites..

 

sort of like an anonymous web proxy..

[Head Guru]

Larry your right on.

[KevinW]

Yep, sounds like a good reason to me why TCH doesn't support or allow it.

-kw

[dmohs]

Can someone explain something to me? I thought a proxy server was used to protect and filter requests from a person inside a company LAN to a web server outside. Why would someone want to use TCH as a proxy server?

While this is one use of a proxy server, it is certainly not the only one. I have seen them used in library systems to allow users to access special materials from home. I've seen them used in secure environments to hold unauthenticated hosts hostage until their credentials could be verified. Really, anytime a user is aided by having a program request pages on their behalf, some sort of proxying is going on. The possible applications are too numerous to list.

 

Proxy's ... may (accidentally) leave the server vulnerable to attack.

I would also have to disagree with this statement. An application that listens on a port must still run at the privilege level of the user who executed it. If I were to run a proxy application on a port and allow my application to be completely compromised, providing a shell to the attacker, the attacker would only have enough privileges to wipe out my entire space. The rest of the user space would remain unaffected as long as other users have set up their permissions correctly.

If we consider this scenario as "leaving the server vulnerable," then the same argument could be made to stop allowing any CGI programs as well. With the same ease of writing a vulnerable program that listens on a port, I could write a vulnerable program that listens to STDIN (as in CGI). Again, since the CGI program runs as me, the attacker would have complete control over my own space.

 

Disallowing proxies has no effect on TCH's rocking status. Frankly, this hosting company is so competently run that a simple, "because we said so" would be enough for me on many topics. That being said, it is always nice to have a reasonable explanation. You would have a difficult time convincing me that a proxy application puts more load on a server than a CGI script on average, but if this is the reasoning, so be it.

 

-Dave

[gwcz]

basically I was wondering so I could filter out various websites for my siblings for my parents. No biggie thanks.

[TCH-Dick]

if you just need to filter out certain sites you might look into cybersitter, netnanny, cyberpatrol or other programs like that, they all give you control of what is or isnt viewable from the pc they are installed on.

[TCH-JimE]

As much as I dislike AOL, there kiddies version for safe browsing is very good

 

Jim