Hummingbird SOCKS FAQ

Hummingbird SOCKS
Frequently Asked Questions

SOCKS is a proxy mechanism that allows client PCs to gain full access to hosts outside their local network while providing a high degree of security for the local network. From its earliest implementation, SOCKS has been considered to be primarily a firewall, protecting local networks from unauthorized access from outside the network.

The Hummingbird SOCKS Client works in conjunction with SOCKS V4/V5 servers. When a SOCKS client application makes a request to a host outside the local network, the request is redirected to the SOCKS server. The SOCKS server authenticates the user, authorizes the request, establishes a proxy connection, and then transparently passes data between the inside host and the outside host.

There are two major versions of SOCKS: SOCKS V4 and SOCKS V5. Hummingbird SOCKS Client supports both SOCKS V4 and V5 for Windows NT/2000 and Windows 95/98/ME.

2. How is SOCKS V5 different from SOCKS V4?

The main differences are:

SOCKS V4 does not support authentication. SOCKS V5 supports a variety of authentication methods.

SOCKS V4 does not support UDP proxy; SOCKS V5 does and allows for proxying of streaming media.

SOCKS V5 also includes PROXY NAME support to move the name resolution process from the SOCKS clients to the SOCKS V5 Server.

3. Does SOCKS V5 work with SOCKS V4?

Most SOCKS V5 servers support both SOCKS V4 and SOCKS V5 clients. SOCKS V4 servers will not support the SOCKS V5 protocol.

4. Where can I get SOCKS?

SOCKS Client: SOCKS V4 and V5 are available HERE. The Hummingbird SOCKS Client is also distributed with all Hummingbird software products.

SOCKS Servers: SOCKS V4/5 is available through anonymous ftp from ftp://ftp.nec.com/pub/socks/. SOCKS V5 is available through http at http://www.socks.nec.com/. Most firewall vendors today support SOCKS V4 and SOCKS V5.

5. How can the Hummingbird SOCKS Client help load balance between SOCKS Servers?

The Hummingbird SOCKS client now supports the use of the BALANCE keyword in the socks.cnf configuration file. By adding this keyword before any SOCKD4/5 lines the listed SOCKS servers will be randomly ordered.

6. May I distribute the Hummingbird SOCKS Client across all corporate desktops?

Yes. The licence for Hummingbird SOCKS Client does not currently restrict distribution within a corporation. However, this is subject to change at Hummingbird's discretion.

7. Is there a SOCKS related mailing list?

Yes. You may send e-mail to .

8. What operating systems does the Hummingbird SOCKS Client support?

The Hummingbird SOCKS Client currently supports:

Windows 2000
Windows 95/98/ME
Windows NT 4.0
Windows XP
Windows 2003

9. Do I have to modify programs to use the Hummingbird SOCKS Client?

No. The Hummingbird SOCKS Client operates Transparently as a "shim" and automatically redirects network requests to the appropriate SOCKS server.

10. Does SOCKS handle UDP?

SOCKS V5 supports UDP, however, SOCKS V4 does not.

11. What does SOCKS stand for?

SOCKS is short for "SOCKetS" which is an NEC internal development name that stuck with the technology.

12. Why can't I ping a Host through a SOCKS server?

The SOCKS support provided by the Hummingbird SOCKS shim allows outgoing TCP and UDP connections to work through SOCKS V4 and SOCKS V5 servers.

PING will not work through either a SOCKS V4 or SOCKS V5 server as it uses ICMP and not TCP or UDP. Also UDP services like DNS lookups do not work through a SOCKS V4 server.

13. Can I FTP through a SOCKS server?

TCP connections are normally supported in only one direction by the shim.

The FTP protocol makes an outgoing connection to establish what is called the "command channel". When a command to transfer data is sent on the command channel the normal operation of FTP programs is to have the FTP server make a connection to the FTP client for the data channel. This is called an "Active Transfer". Active Transfers are NOT normally supported by the shim because they use TCP connections made from a remote machine through the SOCKS server to your local machine. They can only be supported if the BIND-MODULE command is used.

Many FTP programs (Hummingbird FTP and WSFTP) support a mode called Passive Transfers. This is where the FTP client program makes a TCP connection to the FTP server for the Data channel. This mode is supported by the shim. Unfortunately, this mode is NOT supported by the FTP program from Microsoft. You to add the command BIND-MODULE FTP to the socks.cnf file to allow the Microsoft FTP program to receive incoming connections from beyond the SOCKS server. You can also specify BIND-MODULE * to allow all programs with this requirement to operate. Also, we recommend you use th IP address instead of the host name for Microsoft FTP

14. How do I uninstall The Hummingbird SOCKS Client?

If you use OS with WinSockV1.1, run the UNINSTAL.BAT program. If you use WinSock V2, from the Control Panel open Add/Remove Programs. Select Hummingbird SOCKS and Click Remove.

15. Where can I get updates to the Hummingbird SOCKS Client?

Updates are periodically posted to our web site http://connectivity.hummingbird.com/products/nc/resources.html.

16. What TCP/IP stacks does the Hummingbird SOCKS Client work with?

The Hummingbird SOCKS Client supports Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows 95/98/ME and Windows NT/2000.

17. Is there Technical support for the Hummingbird SOCKS Client?

Yes. You may post questions or request help on our mailing list .

18. Can I use PROXY-NAME with a SOCKS V4 server?

No. The PROXY naming ability is only available with SOCKS V5 servers.

Also the PROXY-NAME keyword is mutually exclusive with the DENY keyword as DENY operates on IP addresses only.

There can only be one PROXY-NAME line in the Socks.cnf file which can take a comma seperated list of SOCKS server addresses

19. Extraneous characters in the socks.cnf configuration file.

Please ensure that the socks.cnf file contains no extraneous characters such as unwanted linefeed of carriage return characters. These characters may be introduced during file transfers or if the socks.cnf file is edited with an application that includes formatting codes.

If in doubt retype the socks.cnf file in an editor such as notepad.exe.

20. Why am I prompted for my Username and password when I start a new connection?

It is the SOCKS Servers responsibility to demand authentication of the SOCKS client. If the server is configured to require a username and password for a specific connection the SOCKS client must comply and will prompt the user for the required information.

Please note that the server configuration can require authentication for some connections and not others.

21. How do I temporarily turn off the SOCKS Client?

In some cases you may wish to disable the Hummingbird SOCKS Client. For example if the client shim is installed on a laptop that does not require SOCKS while used on a home network then you can simply rename the socks.cnf configuration file while it is not needed.

With V7 and NT/2000:

c:
cd \
cd winnt\system32\Hummingbird\Connectivity\7.00\Socks
if exist socks.cnf goto out
ren socks.c__ socks.cnf
goto end
:out
ren socks.cnf socks.c__
:end
echo Job Done.

With V7 and 95/98:

c:
cd \
cd Windows\System\Hummingbird\Connectivity\7.00\Socks
if exist socks.cnf goto out
ren socks.c__ socks.cnf
goto end
:out
ren socks.cnf socks.c__
:end
echo Job Done.

22. Does SOCKS support Windows 2000?

Yes, SOCKS supports Windows 2000

23. How do I upgrade to the latest version of SOCKS?

If you are running Windows 95/OSR2 with Winsock V1.1, complete the following steps:

Download the new version of SOCKS.
Copy the existing socks.cnf file from your System folder to a temporary folder.
Uninstall the current version of Hummingbird SOCKS by running the file named uninstall.bat.
Complete the installation of the new version of SOCKS.
Restore the original socks.cnf to the following location:
C:\%windir%\System32\Hummingbird\Connectivity\<version>\Socks

If you are running one of the following operating systems, complete the steps below:

Windows NT4/98/2000/Millennium Edition

Windows 95 with Winsock V2

Windows 95/OSR2 with Winsock V2

Download the new version of SOCKS.
Complete the installation of the new version of SOCKS, saving it to the same location as previous version.

Note: You do not need to uninstall the older version of SOCKS. The installation overwrites all relevant files. The socks.cnf file does not change, and retains its previous settings.