I can connect to my new PtokaX hub server from both it's host machine (localhost) as well as any computer behind the router (192.168.0.*), but problems arise when trying to access it from outside the LAN. I receive the following error when attempting:
[15:31] *** Connecting to specialsauce.servebeer.com:4444...
[15:31] *** No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it.
I've tried it without the port designation as well with the same result. I have port 4444 forwarded to the host as well as port 411. I don't see what else could be filtering the connection attempts. My local soft firewall is set up to exempt ALL traffic communicating with PtokaX, and Windows Firewall has been disabled. I'm fairly sure that it is my router that is causing the problems, but I'm not sure what could be causing the problems as I've checked all of the options that I can find. Any ideas?
The host name is: "specialsauce.servebeer.com" if you wish to check it. The DDNS is properly set up to my IP address and updates regularly. When I ping the name, it properly resolves to my current IP address as it should, I'm just getting my connections refused. Again, any ideas? I would be happy to provide more info should you require it. Thanks.
Hi
If you are running your hub on a LAN computer the computers on the LAN enter the hub by setting there LAN i.p.e.g. 192.168.0.*for connection. All other WAN computers connect to the hub by using the hubs WAN i.p in your case specialsauce.servebeer.com. hope this helps you.
It's very simple: set up a static ip on your server and dont use firewall behind a firewall ;)
Nah, nah. First, I already know that WAN users would require me to use my outside IP address or my DDNS address (specialsauce.servebeer.com). My problem is in accessing it from those two addresses.
Next, I do have a static IP address for my host computer, static as in, my router does not provide it with an IP, it is always 192.168.0.62. All relevant ports have been forwarded correctly to that address and have been triple checked. The Hub is exempt from my software firewall, all TCP/IP as well as UDP traffic and any other protocol are free to come and go as they please when associated with PtokaX.
My problem is not ignorance nor is it port forwarding. Okay, let me choose another way to ask for help. Is there any way for me to capture all packets arriving at my host computer (192.168.0.62)? I could then find out if the problem was in my router, or if it was the host computer actively denying connection attempts. Perhaps a packet sniffer? Any suggestions? I have no experience with packet sniffing and wouldn't know what to look for. What kind of packets are used to form connections with PtokaX? Syn/Ack/Syn like many TCP/IP? Or is it something else?
Okay, tried tossin' the server into a DMZ and nothin'. This leads me to think that it's the computer rather than the router. I've got the computer back behind the router now and still the same problem. Are there any local security policies that'd interfere with connections? What services are required?
Does anyone know anything about PtokaX here? I'm about to go look for a new Hub with some support.
I don't mean that I'd prefer to use something else, I like PtokaX, and I never assumed that the problem was with the program, perhaps the settings, but not the program it's self.
I appreciate the idea that my router may not allow loopback, I had never considered that. Would a disallowed loopback be successfully sidestepped if I used a proxy outside the network?
I tried looping through a proxy outside of my LAN, still no dice, and I'm positive that I had it set up properly. *sigh* So I don't think that it's my router, I really think that it's something to do with my host. I also tried the options you mentioned and found that resolving to IP worked fine, but the second, "listen only to this IP," gave the following error on attempting to start the Hub: "Server socket bind error: WSAEADDRNOTAVAIL (10049) for port 4444." I take it that the program is detecting a conflict on the multiple ports that I have listening. I've tried a portscan from an online nmap scanner, and detected that those ports are open and listening (except for when I have the "listen only to this IP" enabled, in which case the server is not connected).
Still the same error as always: "[12:41] *** Connecting to specialsauce.servebeer.com:4444...
[12:41] *** No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it."
This is getting really trying.
No ideas?
I used a WAN proxy to test loopback and my router allows it as detailed in a previous post. Also, as mentioned, my port forwarding is fine. I can connect to other services that I add, such as a lightweight ftp server. I can also connect to this ftp server using a WAN proxy (to ensure loopback capability).
In my previous post, I had finally decided that the fault was with my computer rather than my router after adding my server to DMZ. Doing so changed nothing, which leads me to believe that my host is filtering the connection. Before I'm asked about my firewall again, I have tried disabling it but it is uninstalled for the moment. I've also disabled antivirus for testing connectivity to make sure that it isn't to blame.
I'm sorry if I sound frustrated, but my posts aren't being read. If you're going to try and help, which I really appreciate, you're going to have to understand what I'm doing. Repeating that I need to test loopback after having tested it is extraneous. If using a proxy isn't enough to prove loopback, I've tested TightVNC from a computer at my parent's house and was readily able to connect and control my host through a forwarded port. So ya, this is my situation.
Also, what does it mean that it binds to a specific IP? I imagine that binding to my external IP would prevent me from connecting using my LAN IP (ie. 192.168.0.*). So, that'd mean that it only allows connections with the LAN's IP (my DDNS address) as the destination to communicate. I'd test this, but PtokaX won't allow me to run the server with that option enabled, giving me the error I mentioned in my previous post about port conflicts (that don't exist).
Again, thanks for the help, I don't mean to sound unthankful if I've portrayed myself in such a light, this is merely discouraging.
As far as port 4444 not listening, I know, I disable the Hub for security reasons, though since no connections can be made, it's probably not necessary. And I fail to see how a proxy outside of my LAN connecting to my host falls short of providing proof of loopback. This is a computer outside of my LAN that redirects my packets from outside of my LAN back to my Host. When connected through the proxy, my Host views the incoming connection as the IP of the proxy, which I've checked using Netstat.
I am not running Media Center, it's XP with no other servers listening. I'm not sure why 139 is open, I'll check that now. It's not listed as forwarded, perhaps it was because I was in DMZ, which has now been disabled. I had forgotten to fix that after testing; thanks for letting me know.
Okay, about loopback, providing that you are correct about it being the problem, I'll test it this weekend when I visit my parent's house. Thanks again for the help, and I hope this resolves to be a non-issue, as you've said. This being the case, why wouldn't a proxy bypass loopback? It seems that if attempting to connect through such a proxy, the source would appear to be outside the LAN rather than internal. Since I was unable to connect using said proxy to my Hub, but able to connect with other services, wouldn't that suggest that loopback was not the problem? I'm sure that I have some misunderstanding with networking here that I want to clear up.
Again, thanks for your patient help.
I know what loopback is; I have run across the term in it's usage in relation to 127.0.0.1 or localhost, and made the assumption that was what you had meant. I guess what I was saying is that since I was using a proxy to redirect my packets, they would appear to come from another IP address, say 91.194.85.79, which is different from my LAN's address as can be seen through my DDNS. Basically, the connection would appear to originate from outside of the LAN, bypassing loopback prevention. The source IP of the packet would be different. That is, unless my understanding of proxies is incorrect.
I'll make sure to select those options that you mention, and thank you for the suggestions. We'll see if this resolves the issue in a few days.
EDIT:
Well, changes, I'm moving to a Linux system on the host computer and so I'll be installing a Linux hub instead. This decision doesn't stem from my problems, as the same issues will be similar; I just need to learn to use Linux better.