Web Access problem now have a Static IP address DSL

[mjbarker]

I am still not able to access my HS server on my home pc now that I have a Static IP address
and a free port 8080. I was wonder if anyone
knows about the Windows XP RPC settings that
my ISP DSL provider says I need to double check
and make sure it is set to let my ip "on the pc" be accessed from the web.
Sure thought once I had the the Static IP
I would be rolling. I also am confident windows
XP firewall is not running.
Any ideas!

Michael

[smoothtlk]

I assume on your DSL router that there is a firewall? Did you open up port 8080 on that device? Can you ping your server from the Internet? Maybe you already answered this when you said "and a free port 8080"?

[mjbarker]

I do not have firewall running on the DSL Modem
Router. I don't know for sure about the port
8080 on the router. At one time before I had
a Static IP. I had a Dynamic IP and NAPT was enabled and setup and running on the DSL Modem
router. So I was looking up and reading about
port forwarding etc. So I set that up for port
forwarding 8080. But now NAPT is disabled per
my ISP instuctions with Static I IP.
My DSL Modems IP is 64.147.XX.XX1.
MY PC Static IP is 64.147.XX.XX2. From work I can
ping the router but not the pc's IP.
The real tech support guy from my ISP is out today.
But another tech support guy from my ISP told
me to double check windows XP RPC setting
on my PC. I have never delt with it on this PC
SO I don't know much about it.
Could that be the probem? Or is it more likly the
port 8080 issue still needs to be able to
be passed through the Modem?

I know the HomeSeer software server is up and running. Because from that pc
I can fire up a browser and go to the url
of 64.147.XX.XX2:8080 and get the prompt to for
user name and password and input those and I am in. Just can't do that from the real outside world.

Michael

[huggy591]

Usually when you get a static IP, your ISP will only give you one, which is used for the outside router connection.

Are you sure you have two assigned from them?

- Gordon

"Security is EVERYONE'S business!"

[smoothtlk]

Sound more like the PC is on a "private side" IP (even though it's not configured with a private IP subnet like 192.168. or 10.0.). and the DSL on the public. Still sounds like the Router isn't passing to the private side. If the port isn't opened, then there is a firewall on the router turned on. I don't know why the PC would be on the public side at all (if it is, which sounds doubtful). I would get the directions for the router and open it up wide open for testing only. Once you get through, start locking it down.

[huggy591]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, DavidL.

MJ, the router will route between two networks, so the outside will be set to the IP your ISP gave you, but the inside will be a network like 192.168.0.x. That's how routers work. If you use the second IP and it is not assigned to you, your machine will work locally, but it willnot be reachable from outside, since that IP is probably assigned to someone else's router.

As far as checking your RPC, that hasn't got much to do with this - that's probably a reference to what they thought was the MSBlaster worm or a relative of it. Just make sure your machines are patched.

- Gordon

"Security is EVERYONE'S business!"

[mjbarker]

Thanks for everyones input into this confusing
problem.
Well it turns out it was non of the about
mentioned issuse that was "blocking my access".
If I would of thought of this before I had a
Static IP probably would have been able to "Fix"
this and have remote access even with a Dynimic
IP using the NAPT Port Forwarding feature in Efficent 5660 DSL Modem.

But anyways here is what was going on.
Background I had my DSL ISP provider switch my account to have a Static IP for MY PC. So
my pc's network connection setting had to be changed etc like normal. It is and was different
from the Static IP they asigned the Modem.
Example 6x.14x.x7.1x1. My pc's IP is
6x.14x.x7.1x2. Get the idea all worked fine for
internet surfing.
The problem did not have anything to do with
those settings.
Background my company that I work for
is in different location in the us.
The empoyees that are remote from home office
like myself have to"VPN" into our intranet to me able to run Lotus Notes and access document
inside the corporate intranet. So I will try to explain in laymans terms "mine" why this is an issue. This VPN Cisco systems software
that I have to fire up and log into "only when I need toget inside the company and Note Mail etc.
So to repeat I do not have VPN running all the time. Now when you install the VPN software App.
It adds a componant to the network settings that
no one I have talked to has any idea what it means. That is why I am writing this long explaination because this is the 4th or 5th time
this VPN network setting has burnt me. I had to uninstall the VPN APP. That automaticaly
took out the Network setting called
"Deterministic Network Enhancer".
Like I said I do not know what htis does.
It does not affect my laptop for an experiment
I ran HS Web server it on it which is Windows
2000. But my home PC is windows XP.
Will write more in a follow up post.
See if this makes any sense to anyone.
With VPN uninstalled I no have a HS Web Server
that I can access from any internet connection.
Michael

[huggy591]

I believe there are configuraiton settings that can be made to allow the software to be loaded, but not in use (not connected), when you want to use your PC for "home" use.

In general, most companies will try to lock down the PC when using the VPN so that there is no possibility of an Internet-based attack getting into your machine and then spilling onto the corporate network. This is a big security problem for many companies because, for example, what if your machine gets a virus or Trojan while you are using the Internet for home and then you connect to the corporate network and infect it? My company does the same thing using different software, and if the software is compromised or cannot run, the VPN will disconnect.

Personally, I would not (and I do not) use the same PC for business and the HomeSeer server. Just having HS on there may violate your company's IT security policy. I recommend you do the same - set HomeSeer up on another machine, preferably a dedicated server.

Glad you got it working, though!

- Gordon

"Security is EVERYONE'S business!"

[smoothtlk]

I have the Nortel Contivity VPN software installed on my PC and have no problem accessing the server from the Internet when the VPN is not in use.

Glad to hear you got it working.
By the way, why is your PC exposed to the Internet?

[mjbarker]

Hey all, Let me clearify my home PC status.
My home PC is just that my home PC not my
PC for work/Business. I only execute and run
the Cisco VPN software once or twice a day
to tunnel into my corporations intranet and
logon to Note to check mail. Once in the morning
before heading in and maybe a couple of times
in the evening. Ya I know to dedicated.
Any way I also 99 % of the time shut off my PC
when not in use. Now that I have HomeSeer
I am leaving it on to play with this web server
stuff. The main question I was seeing if anyone
else had seen this deterimistic Network enhancer
in the network settings of windows after this
Cisco VPN is installed or know why it is affecting
this. When I wrote in my other post that I had been burnt before on this. I was really reffering
to past time I had tried to have two pcs my home
desktop and my works laptop on my home network
"both plugged into a network switch simple
passive linksys. I could not get one computer
to "see" the others drive/files. Untill I finally
experimented and uninstalled stupid Cisco VPN.
So here ya have it, it is working I probably
will build up a new pc out of old mother boards
and have it be the web server and not have
VPN installed and will try to install a firewall
on it so it will not be "exposed" to the internet.
Of course now I have to see if I am paying for and
can get another Static IP from my ISP.
One other thing. I diddo some searching and it turns out the version of Cisco VPN 3000 according to their web site have problem with Windows XP.
Need 3.4 or 3.6 on up. So then I looked on my
company IS dept web software down loads and they
have the newer version aval. So I have downloaded
that and will experiment to see if that fixes this but I just don't think it will. Best bet
just keep it uninstall when I want the web server
access from remote.

Michael