Proxy Servers

Proxies are special machines that store the last Web pages that have been downloaded on a network. RR has (had?) optional proxies in place. If you choose to use them, your Web Browser will first ask the proxy if this page has been stored by the proxy. If not, the proxy will go out to the Internet, download the page, and send it to you. The page will be stored at the proxy for some time.

Some cable modem installations require you to use proxies, others make it an option. Many popular Web pages have now switched to dynamic, customized, content. These pages may not be cached by the proxy. The proxy server did also attempt to detect if a requested web server is available, by sending a so called 'ping' to the server. However, as a security precaution, many popular sites do not respond to such pings. The proxy server was not able to access the site and returned an error message.

Further Reading:

	The Anonymizer: A public proxy server that can be used to hide your identity.
	The Electronic Privacy Papers: A book about privacy issues and the government. Others like it, I have not read it.