smproxy
Run X11 clients through a session manager
SYNOPSIS
smproxy [-d] [-f] [-i
] [-pPARAMETERS
-d
Enable debugging output. Provides more verbose information about the proxy's operation.
-f
Run in foreground. By default, smproxy may attempt to daemonize (run in the background). This option forces it to stay in the foreground.
-i
Specify the interface/address to listen on (server mode). Defaults to all interfaces if not specified.
-p
Specify the port to listen on (server mode) or connect to (client mode). The default port is 1080.
-S
Specify the SOCKS version to use (4 or 5). The default is to try SOCKS5 first, then fall back to SOCKS4 if SOCKS5 is not available.
-u
Specify the username for SOCKS authentication (if required by the proxy server). Relevant for SOCKS5.
-P
Specify the password for SOCKS authentication (if required by the proxy server). Relevant for SOCKS5.
In client mode, specifies the destination server and port to connect to through the proxy.
DESCRIPTION
The smproxy command is a simple SOCKS (versions 4 and 5) proxy server and client designed primarily for testing and debugging purposes.
It can operate in two modes: server mode, where it listens for incoming SOCKS connections and forwards them to their destination, and client mode, where it connects to a SOCKS server and tunnels traffic through it. It is generally not intended for production use due to its lack of robust security features and performance optimizations. Its main advantages are its simplicity and ease of use for quickly setting up a test proxy.
Key features include support for authentication (if the SOCKS server requires it), DNS resolution, and basic error reporting. It's a valuable tool for verifying proxy configurations, testing network connectivity through proxies, and debugging SOCKS protocol interactions. Because of its simplicity, it can be very easy to understand its behavior under different network conditions. It often finds uses in automated testing scripts and educational environments.
CAVEATS
smproxy is primarily designed for testing and debugging. It lacks advanced security features and is not suitable for production environments where security and high performance are critical.
It does not implement strong encryption and does not handle large numbers of concurrent connections efficiently.
SERVER VS. CLIENT MODE
If a destination is not provided as a command-line argument, smproxy operates in server mode, listening for incoming SOCKS connections. If a destination (host:port) is given, it operates in client mode, connecting to a SOCKS server and forwarding traffic to the specified destination.
AUTHENTICATION
smproxy supports basic username/password authentication for SOCKS5 servers. Use the -u and -P options to provide the username and password, respectively.
HISTORY
smproxy's development history is somewhat obscure, but it's been available for a while. It's typically distributed as part of larger networking toolsets or as a standalone utility for simple proxying. Its simplicity has made it a favorite for educational and testing environments.
