Help! Vodafone are forcing me to change my static IP Address (Residental Site)

Forums › Vodafone New Zealand (including Vodafone, WxC, Farmside) › Help! Vodafone are forcing me to change my static IP Address (Residental Site)

kg1

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#288540 7-Jul-2021 09:31

@sansom
I was issued with a static IP Address on 13th November 2006 by TelstraClear which I been using within my website up to 5th July 2021 at which time Vodafone forced me to change my IP Address due to billing requirements and their wish to charge me $4.99 per month for the static IP Address.

Three days ago Downer disconnected my TBox and installed a Vodafone TV Box plus a Vodafone Ultra Hub plus a TC4400VDF modem. Downer staff took the cable from my Smoothwall Firewall Server out of the old modem and plugged it into the Vodafone Ultra Hub which is connected to the new TC4400VDF modem. My three landline phones are functioning ok via the Vodafone Ultra Hub. My 3 PCs, Vodafone TV and wifi network are all functioning ok via the Smoothwall Firewall Server. My Webserver can see the Google DNS site via nslookup command but will not function as a website.
Noel Leeming's technician sent by Vodafone was unable to find a solution yesterday.

I have also tried Drupal forum:
https://www.drupal.org/forum/support/post-installation/2021-07-02/help-vodafone-are-forcing-me-to-change-my-static-ip#comment-14153418

Has any other Vodafone residential customer been a static IP Address user? If you are a Static IP Address user please comment on your progress.

Hamish I would very much appreciate your advice. My website is non-commercial and for educational purposes.

Kevin.

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#2740368 7-Jul-2021 09:39

Not knowing your setup, You will likely need to:

Update your domains A record to point to your new static IP.
Forward the required ports (443 & 80) to your sonicwall from the Homehub (This is assuming the homehub is now acting as your router).

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wellygary

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#2740370 7-Jul-2021 09:39

Can you reach your webserver from an external device by using the new IP address??

If you can, it means your DNS entry is still pointing at the old IP address..

You will need to update your DNS entry with your domain registry ......

cyril7

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#2740371 7-Jul-2021 09:39

Hi, I would suggest that the move to the DOCSIS3.1 network also means a move in BNG, therefore an unaviodable change in subnet.

I really dont understand the issue, sure a minor but short in convienence, but dont you simply not just update your DNS records to point to the new IP address problem goes away

Cyril

Edit, and from what you are saying you have the smoothwall behind the Ultra hub, why would you do that, other than to support phones, there are ways around that without double nat'ing.

michaelmurfy

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#2740379 7-Jul-2021 09:49

I don't understand the issue in this after reading your Drupal thread too.

You're assuming that your Ubuntu server will have a hard-coded IP in-place - this is not at all the case.

All you need to do is update your A record on your site and job done.

Also - your setup sounds really confusing. First-off, Smoothwall is largely unsupported so would recommend moving to something like PFSense but also you've got a Vodafone router in-front of it. It sounds like to me this Vodafone router is dropping traffic (as expected - it has a firewall) and because you've got a double-NAT in place with having a Smoothwall firewall there also things have become rather messy. You need to either connect your Smoothwall box directly to the Cable Modem (DHCP, VLAN 10) and reconfigure your Vodafone router to sit behind to do your phone or just use your Vodafone router going forward.

It also sounds like you were on an old Cable plan and have been since forced to move hence why you're having to pay for a static IP now if you wanted it.

Can I recommend perhaps putting the site on a $5/mo Vultr virtual server instead?

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cyril7

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#2740389 7-Jul-2021 10:00

+1 As per Michael's comments, I dont understand how the Noel Lemming "engineer" did not pick this up :)

Cyril

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#2740395 7-Jul-2021 10:16

Basic A record update takes seconds

kg1

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#2740399 7-Jul-2021 10:24

Thank you @Andib @wellygary @cyril7 for your replies. Much appreciated.

Using http://111.222.333.444 on my cellphone google response "Refused to connect"

using nslookup name.org 8.8.8.8 on the websever responds with the old IP Address.

BNG? "Broadband Network Gateways (BNG) are an essential part of Customer-VLAN (C-VLAN) based broadband topologies" Definitely new to me.

"Update your domains A record to point to your new static IP." Although I have always done everything on the webserver by command line (linux) I have done very little for a long time. Site details Drupal 7.80, Apache 2.4,29, Ubuntu 18.04.5 LTS, PHP 7.2.24

How to "just update your DNS records to point to the new IP address" would be much appreciated.

Kevin.

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#2740405 7-Jul-2021 10:29

Contact the domain host

cyril7

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#2740415 7-Jul-2021 10:31

So how to folk out in the wild connect to your server, it sounds like they use an ip address rather than https://www.kevinswebsite.co.nz if that is the case then you need to sign up to a DNS service and register a domain, and add your current IP to an A record.

Cyril

antonknee

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#2740416 7-Jul-2021 10:32

Where/who did you register your domain with? Like Crazy Domains, or GoDaddy or 1stDomains or eNom or someone like that. Your domain registrar will have a control panel that you log into an update your DNS record for the domain and they should be able to help you do that.

Basically the DNS record is a thing that says mysite.com should send visitors to IP 111.222.333.444. Your DNS record is likely still pointing to your old IP address, as it sounds like you haven't updated that.

michaelmurfy

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#2740418 7-Jul-2021 10:33

Please re-read everything above. As stated, nothing to do with your Ubuntu server. You're firewalled off via the double-NAT.

I also can't stress this enough. It doesn't sound like you know what you're doing when running a web server and Drupal and lack of knowledge really doesn't mix. I'd strongly recommend having a look at https://www.cloudways.com/ and migrating the site over to them.

kg1

11 posts

Geek

#2740463 7-Jul-2021 11:48

I am grateful for all your replies. I have maintained my site www.rescuerobot.org for 9 years and kept the Drupal system up to date and successfully free of hackers and spambots.

The name is registered and I pay the fee annually.

@antonknee My first step is to get the DNS Record corrected to the new IP Address. I appreciate the kindness of your answer.

@cyril7 I would like to seek your help to achieve: "there are ways around that without double nat'ing". The Downer installers are employed by Vodafone NZ to refresh all connections through the street cable infrustructure and install the associated DOCSIS3.1 network equipment including a TC4400VDF modem and a vodafone ultra hub (required by vodafone for IP phone connection: no more copper cables). They do not seem to have any knowledge regarding a Static IP Address.

If I refused to comply Vodafone would disconnect me on 10th July 2021.

For me at 80 years old this is really frightening stuff.

I feel like a punch bag for the corporate bullies who wish to believe that they are not responsible for forcing me to change my IP Address.

Cyril7 I would be grateful if I could send you a private message with my email address.

Kevin.

cyril7

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#2740479 7-Jul-2021 12:22

Hi Kevin, a PM is on its way.

Cyril

Morm

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#2740482 7-Jul-2021 12:26

Ultra hubs may not support port forward of Port 80 depending on the firmware, so it will refuse connection even after DNS change

Log into the Ultra Hub (details on the sticker) and (in advanced mode) to Internet / Port Mapping menu and add a new port map you your server for port 80. Save and also apply. If you browse to your IP address after that you should see the page. If it doesn't support port 80 it will fail to save and tell you. Note, dont put a space in the name as it wont save if you do.

The older HG659 does support port 80 forwards and the Voice lines too

yitz

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#2740487 7-Jul-2021 12:48

Sounds to me like your old router did NAT loopback whereas the new Ultra Hub router does not so you can no longer reach virtual server port forwards on your WAN IP from the LAN side.

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