Installation and Configuration
I tested WinGate in two environments. I tested the Home and Standard versions in a small Win95 workgroup with a modem connection. I tested the Pro version in an NT server network environment with an ISDN connection.
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Proxy Servers |
A proxy server acts as a gateway for client applications. For example, a Web proxy server acts as a gateway to Web browsers. A proxy server has several advantages over a router, which only forwards requests. Proxy servers act as firewalls and can control the information clients can transfer and the sites clients can access. Proxy servers also provide transparent services such as caching. Caching is useful when users frequent the same remote sites. Proxy servers can use a connection efficiently. For example, some POP3 proxy servers, such as WinGate's, can act as a POP3 server that accepts outgoing mail and picks up incoming mail from an ISP. You can make a transient connection to the ISP periodically to exchange mail instead of making a transient connection each time a user sends or checks mail.
Proxy servers can be transparent or can require special client configuration for nontransparent operation. Setup and administration are complicated when special client configuration is necessary. Nontransparent operation also means the client software must support proxy operation. Web proxy support is a standard Web browser feature; FTP proxy support is not.
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Installing the Home version was easy. I installed the server software on the PC in the workgroup that had the modem connection, and in fewer than 30 minutes I could access the Internet. I set up additional clients easily with DNS and DHCP support, although I had to add IP support to each client and install WinGate Internet Client on each machine. Administrators with six or fewer users might find the Home version a viable option.
I installed the Standard version on the Win95 workgroup server after removing the Home version. Installation was simple. Managing the software was simple, too, and I didn't need to actively manage the server when I didn't configure advanced options.
Installing the Pro version took longer than installing the Standard version did because I had to disable or configure services such as DNS, DHCP, and POP3 (which NT already provides). I also had to add user accounts, which points to WinGate's one major fault—lack of integration with NT user and group management. The problem is especially apparent when users change NT passwords and want their WinGate password to match their NT password.
The POP3 configuration was the most difficult part of the installation. I had to decide whether to let the existing POP3 server send mail directly to the ISP's SMTP server or through WinGate. I chose the latter because WinGate provides better logging support.
The POP3 proxy server required minimal tweaking, but it let one POP3 mail account at the ISP service the workgroup. I set up all local users to use the WinGate POP3 mail service. You can use POP3 with an existing local POP3 server, and I tried to do so when I installed the Pro version on my NT server. My network was already using IP and had a local Web server and POP3 server, but no Internet access.
The GateKeeper application was easy to use in all three WinGate versions. In the Pro version, GateKeeper showed usernames in the WinGate Connection Monitor (WGCM) and a history view. GateKeeper automatically saves the history to a file. Although its logging information is extensive and useful, WinGate lacks any type of summary or statistical presentation of this information. The software does add a System tray applet that can display the GateKeeper application on screen or start and stop the WinGate server.
Using WinGate
WinGate was a snap to use from client PCs after I configured the server and client. You experience a short initial delay when you use a modem-based connection if no connection is active between the WinGate server and your ISP. This delay is comparable to the delay any modem-based user would encounter, although WinGate users don't have to worry that the software will prompt them for a dial-out connection. WinGate offers transparent Internet access; any Internet application (e.g., IE) can make a connection.
The ISDN connection was also transparent, and the initial connection took less than a second. I set the idle time at the server to 5 minutes, because the telephone company bills ISDN time on a per-minute basis where I live. The WinGate server automatically brought up the ISDN connection after the idle period caused a termination.
Using the POP3 server reduced the ISDN connection charges, because most Internet use in my test environment was for mail traffic. I limited Web browsing to a couple of hours in the morning and afternoon. The Web proxy server was regularly busy, but the other servers, such as the VDOLive and RealAudio servers, found limited use in my test environment. WinGate makes streaming video for workgroups practical. Without this support, my workgroup's Internet connection quickly overloaded when more than two users viewed a video at the same time.