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Nothing like the word
FREE to get you to click
on it, huh? Listed below (some courtesy of Fred Lindahl) are Proxy and NAT programs
that are free. Some are demo versions, limited to a few users. Some are "freeware".
Most run under Windows 95 or 98. None run under the MacOS.
Some are basically specially configured versions of
Linux, intended to be run on a dedicated computer.
If they work for you, great. If they don't, then you might want
to try one of the other programs mentioned in this site, including the
free
2.1d version of Wingate.(Download the file wg21d95.exe
for Win95 and wg21dnt.exe for WinNT.)
NOTE! I have not tried any of these programs and they are listed here
for informational purposes only. If you can't get them to work,
please contact the company, NOT ME! Thank you!
Free Proxy/NAT programs - Win95/98
AnalogX Proxy (AnalogX, proxyi.exe, 241KB) http://www.analogx.com/contents/download/network/proxy.htm Freeware Proxy Server.
AnalogX Proxy is a small and simple server that allows any other machine
on your local network to route its requests through a central machine. Supports HTTP (web), HTTPS (secure web), POP3 (receive mail), SMTP (send
mail), NNTP (newsgroups), and FTP (file transfer) protocols.
EasyProxy (Leech Software, EasyProxyServer.zip,
16KB) http://www.leechsoftware.com/easy_proxy/ Freeware HTTP Proxy Server.
Proxy Server, multithreaded engine provides fast access to dozens of LAN
users. Share your dialup connection with the rest of the network.Perfect for small offices and homes with networks. Configure your
clients to use proxy support and simply launch the server. No setup
needed, it's easy. Only free for 30-day trial.
Internet Gate (Maccasoft, igwin144.zip,408KB) http://www.maccasoft.com/igate/index.html Free (1 Shared User) HTTP Proxy Server
A multiple proxy gate and firewall. It can allow users on a Local Area
Network (LAN) without Internet access to access the Internet through a
single machine on the LAN connected to the Internet, either via a dial-up
modem / ISDN connection or another ethernet card.
NetProxy Lite (Grok Developments, np303.exe, 2,759KB) http://www.grok.co.uk/netproxy/ Free (see below) Proxy Server
A secure, reliable and cost-effective way to provide simultaneous Internet
access to multiple network users with only one Internetconnection of almost
any type (a dialup modem account, ISDN, cable-modem, leased-line, etc.).
Support for many protocols including HTTP (with Cache), secure HTTP, RealPlayer
(audio and video), FTP, Telnet, SMTP & POP3, SOCKS and port mapping.
Includes full access logging functionality, dial-on-demand, and a powerful
configurable firewall.
NetProxy is distributed as "try before you buy" shareware. This
means that you can download a fully functioning 30-day evaluation version
now. After the evaluation period has expired, NetProxy will continue to
run with support for one user at a time - you can carry on using it in
this mode completely free of charge!
Proxy+ (Fortech Ltd., pplus210_66us.exe, 500KB)http://www.proxyplus.cz/ (See description below)
128K Firewall, proxy and mail server gives the complete solution of shared
access to Internet from LAN. Version for 2 users is absolutely free, versions
for 5 ($99), 10 ($199) and unlimited users ($299) are available.
Sambar Server (Tod Sambar, Sambar42.zip, 2,445KB)http://www.sambar.com/ (See description below)
The Sambar Server is a multi-threaded HTTP, FTP and Proxy server.
Features include:
· Multi-threaded WWW Server with highly programmable API
· DLL-based server APIs (source code provided for Windows GUI wrapper
and NT Service)
· Easily Installed, Uninstalled and Configured
· Dynamic HTML via scripting language and extensible methods
· HTTP 1.1 KeepAlive Support
· HTTP PUT method support for one-button publishing
· FTP Server (per-user or group read/write restrictions)
· HTTP, SSP, SMTP, POP3, FTP & IMAP4 Proxy
· AD/content filtering via HTTP Proxy
· Integrated Search Engine
· Integrated Site Analysis
· Perl 5 included with server
· CGI 1.1 support
· WinCGI 1.3 support
· Username/password and IP address Security
· HTML based documentation and system configuration
· Many source code samples (sendmail client, security interfaces, page
counter etc.)
As Microsoft and Netscape have the commercial market pretty well locked
up, I'll continue to enhance and distribute the Sambar Server for free
until a new venture sweeps me off.
SOCKServ (Phil Fong GeoCities, sockserv.zip, 160KB) http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/2517/sockserv.htm (Freeware - free for non-commercial use!)
Number of connections is only limited by memory or other stuff! The practical
limit is 64 or the winsock limit whichever is lower. Can pass requests
to other SOCKS servers! - Check the "Chain to other SOCKS" box
to do this. Can log all data that passes through it! - Check the "log"
box. Can limit sending and receiving bandwidth usage separately. The limit
can be toggled on and off without stopping the server.
Bind95/NT is based on the UNIX code but it is a fully
functional 32bit DNS server. (Domain Name Server).
SpoonProxy (Pi-Soft Consulting, sproxy16.exe, 510KB) http://www.pi-soft.com/ (Proxy. See description below)
Enables every machine on your network to access internet resources through
one internet connection thereby saving you tons of money in telephone
and ISP costs. It runs in a small amount of memory (you will hardly know
it's running), yet it is an industrial-strength proxy server that is incredibly
easy to set up, is fully customizable, and has excellent online help.
The shareware version is fully functional indefinitely (no expire for
basic proxy operations), limited only by the number of simultaneous connections
it allows. So for a small home network, SpoonProxy is basically free.
Supports HTTP, FTP, POP3, SMTP, SOCKS4 and 5, incoming and outgoing IP
restriction, auto-dial on demand and a port mapping wizard for easy configuration.
SpoonProxy is fully-functional in this trial version and will not expire.
However, it is limited to one user connection at a time until registration
and SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 support will stop working after 30 days. So, for
a small two machine home network, SpoonProxy is basically free.
VSOCKS Light (Paul Smith Computer Services, vsock013.zip,
333KB) http://www.pscs.co.uk/software/vsockslight.html (Proxy. See description below)
A simple, FREE proxy server to allow you to connect UNLIMITED users on
your LAN to the Internet through a single modem-equipped PC. Now anyone
on your LAN can 'surf the net', or download files or read Usenet through
a single Internet connection. VSOCKS Light implements a subset of the
SOCKS 4 proxy protocol. This protocol can be used to proxy any TCP/IP
protocol including HTTP, FTP, TELNET and NNTP (Usenet). Common web browsers
already support the SOCKS protocol, other software that doesn't support
SOCKS itself can still be used via a SOCKS proxy by using free third party
software .
This software is totally Free and works for Unlimited concurrent users.
FireDoor (Equivalence) http://www.equival.com/ (Proxy. Free, limited time trial for two users.)
Free NAT programs
- Linux based
Since Linux comes with built-in Internet sharing capability, you don't
need any of these programs if you're already running Linux. You
would use these programs if you wanted to follow the advice that you frequently
get in the newsgroups to "just throw a Linux box on your network"
to handle the Internet sharing chores.
These
programs are intended to be run by themselves on a dedicated computer!
6/23/01
SmoothWall http://www.smoothwall.org/ Description: NAT.
Free NAT based router with DNS Proxy and DHCP LAN servers, web caching
proxy, and embedded SSH Java administration. Installs from downloadable
CD image. [Thnx Russ Foster & Andrew Murdoch!]
4/9/01
floppyfw http://www.zelow.no/floppyfw/ Description: NAT.
Free Debian based NAT router/firewall.
Installs from a single floppy. [Thnx David!]
1/22/00 NetBSD/i386
Firewall Project http://www.dubbele.com/index.html Description: NAT.
Free NetBSD-based "firewall". Not
a lot of information about the features or number of clients you can have.
1/22/00 ClarkConnect
http://www.clarkconnect.org/index.html Description: NAT.
ClarkConnect transforms a standard PC into a full-featured Internet gateway.
Version 0.6 (BETA) is a FREE pre-configured version of Red Hat 6.2.
You get the usual NAT features, plus a few extra goodies - most notably
a personal webserver, built-in dynamic DNS, and Windows-based tools.
Updated 7/7/01
Coyote Linux [Thanks to Jon Gahan!] http://www.coyotelinux.com/ Description: NAT
Coyote Linux is a FREE single floppy distribution of Linux that is derived
from the Linux Router Project (LRP). The main difference between LRP and
Coyote is the way that it is configured and maintained. There is a Windows
Disk Creator that makes it easy to create a bootable floppy, but uses
an earlier version of the program.
1/9/00
FREESCO (FREESCO.org) [Thanks
to Rafael Diaz!] http://www.freesco.org Description:NAT.
FREESCO (stands for FREEciSCO) is a free, Linux-based replacement
for commercial routers supporting up to 3 ethernet/arcnet/arlan network
cards and up to 2 modems.
GNATbox Light (Global Technology Associates) http://www.gnatbox.com Description:Free Linux based NAT firewall/router for two users.
GNAT Box that supports up to 5 clients. Fits on one floppy, downloaded from a floppy image from their
site.
Start your PC with the floppy, a wizard asks you questions and after
2 or 3 minutes, you're on your way.
EDGE Router (Fire PlugComputers Inc, edge07.zip,
17.4MB) http://edge.fireplug.net/ Description:Free Linux based NAT firewall/router
Use the EDGE Project firewall to create a fully Internet connected LAN
for your home or small business (or large business if you are really frugal).
The Edge Firewall Router uses the ThinLinux building blocks to implement
a simple edge router suitable for routing small networks via a low speed
connection. E.g. dial, ISDN, cable or ADSL.
Linux Router Project
Description: Free Linux based NAT firewall/router... and more! http://linuxrouter.org A networking-centric micro-distribution of Linux. LRP
is small enough to fit on a single 1.44MB floppy disk, and makes building
and maintaining routers, access servers, thin servers, thin clients, network
appliances, and typically embedded systems next to trivial.
Checkthese
articles for LRP setup help.
LEAF - Linux Embedded Appliance Firewall
Description: Free Linux based NAT firewall/router http://leaf.sourceforge.net/ Both Oxygen and EigerStein versions of the Linux Router Project
(LRP) are represented there. EigerStein is quick, easy, and relatively
powerful. Oxygen is heavy-duty powerful, but a bit harder to setup.
These
programs are intended to be run by themselves on a dedicated computer! 
6/23/01
SmoothWall