Regarding proxy software (stratum) I have to reccomend BFGMiner over Slush's proxy. I've used both for awhile now and BFG comes out much better. The blades don't have near as many issues, and the work shares are more consistent.
In addition to making sure the blades work like a charm, it's nice being able to see aggregate stats on the blade farm in one spot without using html. I'm convinced that html request processing on the blade's part causes network issues for the blades.
Anyhow, 3 thumbs up to luke-jr and bfgminer.
For this thread to be considered 'comprehensive', I suggest the OP provide software proxy info on the first post, as the thread has had folks inquiring about it. I suggest BFGminer as the primary focus, Slush's should also be mentioned. Just a suggestion.
Is this the Windows or Linux BFGMiner? What code do you use in BFG so it sees the Blades?
Both Windows and Linux. You use the --http-port flag to set the getwork port. By default it's 8332 I believe, but you could use anything as long as the blade uses the same.
Basically start BFG as you normally would, add --http-port 8332, and point your blades to the server running BFG using 8332 and they'll connect up. For blade setup make sure each blade has a unique worker name, password doesn't matter.