Trouble shooting forwarding/ddns issues...

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kiwifidget

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#223176 17-Sep-2017 15:49

I would really appreciate some help getting my head around port forwarding and ddns and how to tell if its working or not, or if I've not done something right.

I have a WHS2011 server with a Microsoft live domain (myname.homeserver.com). Its part of the WHS setup, not something that runs anywhere else.

I have a website on that server which I can access remotely via myname.homeserver.com:port1.

When I was using Unotelly I used the same domain name to keep my IP updated with them and that worked, so I dont think the Live domain is WHS specific.

Now I have replicated the website on a NAS which I can access internally. I have put a new forwarding rule in my HG659b.

So I have two forwarding rules now, two ports, two different internal devices, both with static IPs.

Rule 1 : WHSWEB : PORT1 : WHSIP10

Rule 2 : NASWEB : PORT2 : NASIP11

(in the HG659b the devices dont appear as IP addresess but as MAC addresses)

But I cant the NAS website remotely using myname.homeserver.com:port2.

I'll need to get an alternative DDNS service at some point as the WHS server is being retired, but not until I can get remote access to the NAS working.

I have tried substituting myname.homeserver.com with my.external.IP:port2 but still no joy, so that removes the Live domain from the equation right?

The web response is "This site can't be reached. my.external.IP took too long to respond."

I dont know if this means the site just could not be found, or it was found but was too slow.

Is there anything I have overlooked?

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michaelmurfy

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#1867558 17-Sep-2017 16:30

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I am going to strongly suggest that you don't port forward to the Windows Home Server - support ended last year for this and since then there has been a multitude of IIS exploits that may compromise your server. One way of getting access would be to use a VPN - if you've got a Raspberry Pi handy then there is an excellent app called PiVPN which will achieve this for you.

If this is just a general purpose website you could also host this on a Raspberry Pi or similar.

This is just me being cautious - I've seen people lose mass data on their NAS devices via cryptolocker-type tools and would rather you don't be another victim to this.

kiwifidget

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#1867605 17-Sep-2017 17:34

@michaelmurphy

I am open to better solutions.

I dont know anything about RPis, other than I have heard of them.

I realise the WHS is the weak point in my setup, which is why am I trying to retire it.

I bought a NAS to hold the data, and it can run the website but it's no biggie if something else does, so long as its on 24/7.

I have an older Intel Compute Stick but it might be a bit underpowered.

I will also need something to do incremental backups of 4 Win10 computers, but that's a battle for another day.

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kiwifidget

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#1867608 17-Sep-2017 17:41

Do RPi's run Win10, and have ethernet ports?

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michaelmurfy

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#1867617 17-Sep-2017 18:03

@kiwifidget Raspberry Pi's run Linux mostly. Linux is quite easy to learn and rock solid.

What kind of website is it? Feel free to flick me a PM and I may be able to help you out.

kiwifidget

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#1867621 17-Sep-2017 18:18

@MichaelMurphy

Thanks for your offer of assistance. Much appreciated.

And I may take you up on that.

You have put an idea in my head though.

I'll put the website on my ICS and see if I have the same issues.

It might not be fast, but its just for testing.

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Mattmannz

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#1867941 18-Sep-2017 11:20

This won't be a DDNS issue, as long as the hostname resolves to the correct IP, it will either be an HG659 firmware issue or a port problem.

Normally when doing a port forward setup and I am having issues I do local testing first to confirm that the services are accessible internally without NAT or PAT being the issue. As it's a website and you now have it running in two places and wish to have it accessible I assume you are running the second webserver on a different port ie 81 or something similar?

Can it be reached internally via http://nasaddress:newport - if not then that's your issue. If it is then the next step is to confirm the port forwarding. There are a bunch of online port scan tools available which will tell if the port is open and accepting connections. If the connection is not open then it could be a firmware issue on the HG659, or there is a problem with what you have setup.

I generally try and avoid PAT (port address translation ie http://externalip:81 to http:/internalip:80) as I have experienced a bunch of issues with consumer grade devices.

Cheers

Matt.

kiwifidget

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#1868030 18-Sep-2017 13:50

@mattmannz

Yes, the website has a different port on each device.

I can access the websites fine within my network.

I went to setup the Compute Stick but it started doing a big windows update, so thats out of service for a few days.

My rules have the same port number on each side.

So externalip:9090 goes to WHS:9090, and externalip:9095 should go to NAS:9095.

Both the WHS and NAS sites have a login screen before accessing the site.

I am using MXTool with my external IP to check the ports.

The externalip:9090 connects successfully with MXTool but the externalip:9095 does not.

I get this response from MXTools : The remote server returned an error: (401) Unauthorized.

What would this error indicate?

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gbwelly

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#1868042 18-Sep-2017 14:09

kiwifidget:

The remote server returned an error: (401) Unauthorized.

What would this error indicate?

Perhaps the NAS is expecting different host headers? (I assume the URL is different when you are accessing it on the lan?)

kiwifidget

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#1868061 18-Sep-2017 14:30

@gbwelly

Its not really different.

Internally its just internalip:9095 , and externally externalip:9095.

I cant use my browser to access the external address because my HG659b doesnt allow it.

My old TP-Link ADSL router did, but not this one VF gave me for fibre.

So can only test using the MXTool.

I have to leave the house and go to the library to test with my browser.

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bignose

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#1868150 18-Sep-2017 16:48

The externalip:9090 connects successfully with MXTool but the externalip:9095 does not.

I get this response from MXTools : The remote server returned an error: (401) Unauthorized.

What would this error indicate?

NAS probably has it's own firewall, and may be rejecting a connection attempt from outside your LAN?

kiwifidget

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#1870743 22-Sep-2017 09:48

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Because you've probably all been wondering, I've got it all working now.

I was at a friends place when I decided to try it out from there, and it just worked.

So I think something to do with the library wifi was blocking it.

Thanks everyone for your help.

Now onto project two : setting up a RPi3, so exciting!

Life is too short to remove USB safely.