Transparent is a good word but it means something completely different: A "transparent proxy" is a proxy that does not modify the request or response beyond what is required for proxy authentication and identification. This is a citation from RFC2616 which defines the HTTP protocol. Since we are talking about HTTP protocol, we should use words as they are defined there, otherwise it could lead to misunderstandings.
proxies working on so-called 'transparent' fashion do not alter requests and responses, thus acchieving what RFC2616 says. It's true they alter source IP addresses ... but that is not quoted on RFC2616.
So it's a matter of interpretation .... the highlighted quote, in my opinion, does not prohibite a proxy to alter the source IP address, as long the request and the responde is keep intact.
That way, the so-called 'transparent' proxy setup is completly RFC-2616 compliant.
-- Atenciosamente / Sincerily, Leonardo Rodrigues Solutti Tecnologia http://www.solutti.com.br Minha armadilha de SPAM, NÃO mandem email gertrudes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx My SPAMTRAP, do not email it
