Why are dynamic proxies used by RSPs?

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RuralJohnny

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#130957 3-Oct-2013 17:30

Can anyone tell me why an RSP uses dynamic proxies?

Vodafone apparently uses them on their RBI service. The consequence is that two sites I use regularly give me problems. One is a webmail server that checks the user's IP address and, for security reasons log me off when it sees a different IP. It does this many times in a session.

The fix for this issue is to change the config file for the webmail server. But that is a commercial server and even if I had access to it, such a change would not be permitted.

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#907314 3-Oct-2013 17:32

I assume you mean a transparent proxy?

They're used to speed up HTTP traffic, with the logic being that content that could be ~300ms away can be served up ~10ms away improving the end user experience.

RuralJohnny

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#907320 3-Oct-2013 17:38

The forum posts (not geek zone) that I have seen talk about dynamic proxies and I do not know how they may differ from a transparent proxy. If a transparent proxy is about local caching of content, then that has been around for a long time. My problem has been around for only a short time. I have just had an enquiry from Truenet.co.nz - they are getting some funny results when monitoring my connection that looks like it is down to the same changing IP issue.

johnr

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#907346 3-Oct-2013 18:18

The IP address would only change if the connection (PDP context) is disconnected then comes back up again

coffeebaron

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#907426 3-Oct-2013 19:54

Check settings in your RBI router are set to Auto, rather than "on demand"

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kyhwana2

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#907442 3-Oct-2013 20:17

Why is your webmail not over HTTPS? The proxies shouldn't be touching HTTPS traffic..

yitz

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#907449 3-Oct-2013 20:28

Wrong APN?

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RuralJohnny

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#907479 3-Oct-2013 21:25

Thanks for all the suggestions even though none of them answered the question as to why RSPs use dynamic proxies.

That the webmail connection is not over HTTPS is something I will bring up with the service provider. But the problem occurs on other services too. Most notably, truenet.co.nz have reported some curious issues around my data on their monitoring service.

I have no idea of the implications of a wrong APN. In any case, this condition has arisen recently only on my Vodafone 3G fixed RBI service. It does not occur on my WiFi service (that is a temporary service and one I will not have in the medium term so it is not a solution to use only that service).

I have searched my router's setup panels and can find no place to change the config from on-demand to auto.

It is my expectation too that the IP address the world sees for me does not change within a session. But it does. Repeated page refreshes at http://www.whatismyip.com frequently returned different IP addresses.

I have attached a copy of the screen shot after my webmail server logged me off. The IP address on this example is 59.201.224.49.dyn.cust.vf.net.nz. The numeric part of this changes with my webmail server logging me off. The numeric part is a real IP address from somewhere around the world - there appears to be no consistency in it.

I have sent screen shots to Vodafone and have heard nothing back for a week now.

coffeebaron

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#907482 3-Oct-2013 21:32

What model RBI router are you using?

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RuralJohnny

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#907483 3-Oct-2013 21:37

Huawei B970b

johnr

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#907484 3-Oct-2013 21:37

Not APN related sounds like over zealous security feature on webmail

sbiddle

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#907486 3-Oct-2013 21:38

RuralJohnny: Thanks for all the suggestions even though none of them answered the question as to why RSPs use dynamic proxies.
I have sent screen shots to Vodafone and have heard nothing back for a week now.

You're getting mixed up between a proxy server/cache and an IP address.

It's your IP address that is continually changing. This has nothing to do with a proxy.

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RuralJohnny

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#907487 3-Oct-2013 21:40

Over zealous perhaps but they have declined to change the server config file to stop checking IP addresses so there is nothing I can do there. I am trying to understand why Vodafone would use dynamic proxies now where (I think), they have not used them previously.

johnr

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#907489 3-Oct-2013 21:43

RuralJohnny: Over zealous perhaps but they have declined to change the server config file to stop checking IP addresses so there is nothing I can do there. I am trying to understand why Vodafone would use dynamic proxies now where (I think), they have not used them previously.

When did this start and how long have you been on RBI? Nothing new has been introduced to the Core mobile network that would change IP address when a data session is up,

Who is advising you about these ' dynamic proxies ' ?

RuralJohnny

33 posts

Geek

#907490 3-Oct-2013 21:44

Vodafone's customer service did some research and sent me these links. The middle one refers to dynamic proxies as the cause of the problem.

http://lists.horde.org/archives/horde/Week-of-Mon-20040927/025039.html

http://forum.parallels.com/showthread.php?64671-Your-Internet-Address-has-changed-since-the-beginning-of-your-Mail-session-To-protec

http://horde.690.n7.nabble.com/Your-Internet-Address-has-changed-since-the-beginning-of-your-Mail-session-To-protect-your-security--td76067.html

johnr

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#907491 3-Oct-2013 21:48

(don't post names) But have you got the staff member name/s that sent you these links?

Have you actually checked the IP address is changing using the ipconfig command in CMD prompt? <-- windows

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