---
name: "rsockd"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "socks4-server"
version: "4.3.beta2-20+b2"
release: "Debian 10 (Buster)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/rsockd"
---

# rsockd(8)

SOCKSified SOCKS server

## NAME

rsockd - SOCKSified SOCKS server

## SYNOPSIS

**rsockd \[ -ver \| -i \| -I \]**

## DESCRIPTION

*rsockd* is the SOCKSified version of the SOCKS server *sockd*. Functionally *rsockd* is identical to *sockd* except that it may (though not necessarily has to) make use of other SOCKS servers to reach some destinations. A number of *rsockd*'s can be strung together or organized in a cascade or other more complicated structures to serve the needs of a particular network configuration and restrictions. Obviously this complicates the issues and make the setup and maintenance of the firewall more difficult. So use *sockd* instead whenever you can.

This document only describes the features of *rsockd* that are different from *sockd*. You should read *sockd*(5) carefully to gain a basic understanding of of how the SOCKS server works.

When *rsockd* receives a request, it checks the request again its configuration (in exactly the same way that *sockd* does) to decider whether the request is to be accepted. The primary difference between *sockd* and *rsockd* is in how they establish connection to the destination host of a accepted request. *sockd* assumes that it can connect directly to the destination host and proceeds to do so.  *rsockd* makes no such assumption. Instead, it consults another configuration file to decide whether it can connect directly to the particular destination host or whether it has to use a proxy connection through another SOCKS server. In other words, it behaves just like a versatile SOCKS client in this regard. Therefore *rsockd* requires not only the SOCKS server configuration file **/etc/sockd.fc** or **/etc/sockd.conf** to decide whether to accept or reject a request, but also the client configuration file **/etc/socks.fc** or **/etc/socks.conf** to decide how to reach the destination host. If it is a multi-homed version *and* supports RBIND, it also needs the route file **/etc/sockd.fr** or **/etc/sockd.fr** to decide which network interface to use for a connection.

Look at it in a different way, you can think of *sockd* as a special case of *rsockd*, one which can connect directly to all destination hosts. In fact, an *rsockd* using the client configuration consisting of only this line

```
direct	ALL  0.0.0.0
```

is functinally identical to the regular *sockd*.

Anther thing to mention is related to the use of *identd*. Only the SOCKS server which the requesting host directly connects to can find out the identity of the real user. Suppose user x on host C connects to *rsockd* on server B which in turn connects to *sockd* on server A in order to reach destination z. Host B can query *identd* on host C to find out whether the user is indeed x. To host A, the request appears to originate from user x on host B. An *identd* query from Host A to host B returns the userid that owns the *rsockd* process on host B, not the real user x.

## OPTIONS

See [*sockd*(8)](/sockd/8.md).

## EXAMPLES

The follwoing is an example of the client configuration file. See related man pages for examples on server configuration and route files.

```
# /etc/socks.conf for rsockd of domain rnd.xyz.com
#
# Use proxy connection through SOCKS server on socks.market.xyz.com
# to reach hosts within market.xyz.com
sockd	@=socks.market.xyz.com  .market.xyz.com  0.0.0.0
#
# Use direct connect to all other hosts within xyz.com
direct	.xyz.com  0.0.0.0
#
# Use proxy connection through SOCKS server on gateway.xyz.com
# to reach all others
sockd	@=gateway.xyz.com  ALL  0.0.0.0
```

## FILES

**/etc/sockd.fc**, **/etc/sockd.conf**, **/etc/sockd.fr**, **/etc/sockd.route**, **/etc/socks.fc**, **/etc/socks.conf**, **/etc/inetd.conf**, **/etc/services**, **/var/adm/messages**, **/etc/syslog.conf**

## SEE ALSO

[*sockd*(8)](/sockd/8.md), [*socks\_clients*(1)](/socks_clients/1.md), [*sockd.conf*(5)](/sockd.conf/5.md), [*sockd.route*(5)](/sockd.route/5.md), [*socks.conf*(5)](/socks.conf/5.md), [*make\_sockdfc*(8)](/make_sockdfc/8.md), [*make\_sockdfr*(8)](/make_sockdfr/8.md), [*dump\_sockdfc*(8)](/dump_sockdfc/8.md), [*dump\_sockdfr*(8)](/dump_sockdfr/8.md)

## AUTHOR

```
Ying-Da Lee, ylee@syl.dl.nec.com
```