Getting PlaceShifter working through a company fire wall

[rickgillyon]

No ideas from anyone about other likely open ports to try?

[Ryokurin]

If your work allows you to use instant messengers you can try 5190 as well, thats the port that AOL Instant Messenger uses.

[jamart3d]

yes , stopped sage service/server, had to set ps port by
editing sage.properties, since no way of changing it in the gui..
i'm not interested in port forwarding..

funny thing is even at home I can't get the windoz ps client to connect
if the ps server port is anything but 31099. though the gui said it was
happy with 80 with no port forwarding.

the server machine is set dmz via my router, so all ports are open
the machine that i'm testing the windoz ps client on has ports 80,8080,31099
open.

but I was also testing the linux ps client from work. thinking if point it directly to a port
I would see that in the log, not so. Guess i'll hit up support.

[rickgillyon]

Originally Posted by Ryokurin

If your work allows you to use instant messengers you can try 5190 as well, thats the port that AOL Instant Messenger uses.

There is *no* hope they would let us use instant messaging...

[jamart3d]

Originally Posted by jamart3d

on linux ps client , if I have connect to this server directly, no locator ID string
and have address like
http://my.dnsdojo.org:8080

to answer my own question, do not put "hhtp://" in the address field
only hostname and port like,
my.dnsdojo.org:8080

[jamart3d]

Originally Posted by hemicuda

I use SSH tunneling through port 22.

could you give more detail?

are you running ps client on linux
server on windoz?
what ports?

could you share your ssh config file? or cmd?
thanks

[motobarsteward]

Originally Posted by jamart3d

yes , stopped sage service/server, had to set ps port by
editing sage.properties, since no way of changing it in the gui..
i'm not interested in port forwarding..

funny thing is even at home I can't get the windoz ps client to connect
if the ps server port is anything but 31099. though the gui said it was
happy with 80 with no port forwarding.

the server machine is set dmz via my router, so all ports are open
the machine that i'm testing the windoz ps client on has ports 80,8080,31099
open.

but I was also testing the linux ps client from work. thinking if point it directly to a port
I would see that in the log, not so. Guess i'll hit up support.

No, you have to change it using the gui. You can only do it from the server. The client does not give you the option.

[jamart3d]

hi motobarsteward,

as i understand the only way to change ps server port without portmapping
is to to edit the sage.properties file.. the gui only lets u setup portmapping

and then in ps client you need to connect without id and using
ip : port
like
my.dnsdojo.org:8080

it works fine for me..
well except thru work firewall/proxy
i'll hold off buying a ps license untill ps linux client can deal with a http_proxy
like most other net apps..

peace

[motobarsteward]

Originally Posted by jamart3d

hi motobarsteward,

as i understand the only way to change ps server port without portmapping
is to to edit the sage.properties file.. the gui only lets u setup portmapping

and then in ps client you need to connect without id and using
ip : port
like
my.dnsdojo.org:8080

it works fine for me..
well except thru work firewall/proxy
i'll hold off buying a ps license untill ps linux client can deal with a http_proxy
like most other net apps..

peace

I didn't have to edit my config.properties file. I did it using the native Sagetv gui. Maybe MCE9x16 doesn't let you?

[ptaylor]

Before trying this, be sure you know what you are doing. Some companies would fire you for using their Internet connection in this way...

I can guarantee that the IT Security department of most large companies would consider just about any method listed here as "getting around the firewall", and would consider it a breech of their Internet Usage Policy...

Not trying to be a wet blanket here, but just offering a word to the wise...

[ptaylor]

Originally Posted by rickgillyon

There is *no* hope they would let us use instant messaging...

That might not be that bad. The guy that watches the IDS at our company reads a lot of the IMs that people send. (Snort picks out pretty much all the common IM packets.) At our company, he says there about a 50/50 split of people using it to talk to other people at work about business and people who are using it to just chat with friends. If he's getting stock tips from IM's the CEO sends, he's not telling...

[ptaylor]

Originally Posted by rickgillyon

No ideas from anyone about other likely open ports to try?

You might try 53... Just drop to a prompt and do this:

nslookup

At the nslookup prompt, type:
server 4.2.2.1
google.com

If you get answers back with google.com's IP addresses, they are letting DNS requests out....

[rickgillyon]

Originally Posted by ptaylor

Before trying this, be sure you know what you are doing. Some companies would fire you for using their Internet connection in this way...

Absolutely true, be sure you have a good idea how they will react. The firewall guys sit a few desks away from me and they'd be cool...

Originally Posted by ptaylor

The guy that watches the IDS at our company reads a lot of the IMs that people send.

Not a worry, for me it's a few lines with one of my kids when they get home from school. They don't give me long before they find something more interesting...

Originally Posted by ptaylor

You might try 53...

Thanks, I'll give it a shot tomorrow!

[briands]

Slightly different problem...

I will be traveling to Asia for the next two weeks. Would love to use PS on my laptop (company provided). Even connected to my home network and NOT running the VPN software, I am able to connect via local server, but I get Locator Failed to find server. On my personal laptop, it says Locator found server.

Any suggestions?

[jamart3d]

without the need to tunnel or run thru some other hoops
http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...postcount=1452

[rickgillyon]

Originally Posted by jamart3d

without the need to tunnel or run thru some other hoops
http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...postcount=1452

Assuming you have enough ports for the webserver...

[rickgillyon]

Originally Posted by ptaylor

You might try 53... Just drop to a prompt and do this:
nslookup
At the nslookup prompt, type:
server 4.2.2.1
google.com

I got this:

> google.com
Server:  vnsc-pri.sys.gtei.net
Address:  4.2.2.1

DNS request timed out.
    timeout was 2 seconds.
Non-authoritative answer:
Name:    google.com
Addresses:  64.233.167.99, 64.233.187.99, 72.14.207.99

When I use 53, just like 8080 etc., I get the login prompt from the webserver but after signing in it times out without displaying any data. No idea why...

[ptaylor]

Originally Posted by rickgillyon

I got this:

> google.com
Server:  vnsc-pri.sys.gtei.net
Address:  4.2.2.1

DNS request timed out.
    timeout was 2 seconds.
Non-authoritative answer:
Name:    google.com
Addresses:  64.233.167.99, 64.233.187.99, 72.14.207.99

When I use 53, just like 8080 etc., I get the login prompt from the webserver but after signing in it times out without displaying any data. No idea why...

Well, it looks like they are allowing it out without forcing you to go through their DNS servers... Just not sure why you can't get into the webserver...

I do know that some firewalls (specifically, CheckPoint, but probably others as well) can see, for example, SSH traffic running on another port. Perhaps the firewall is detecting that it's not DNS traffic and shutting the connection down? That seems like a longshot, though...

[rickgillyon]

Originally Posted by ptaylor

Perhaps the firewall is detecting that it's not DNS traffic and shutting the connection down? That seems like a longshot, though...

It wouldn't surprise me as I had the same problem using https ports etc. Weird that I get as far as putting user/pass in and then fail. Never mind, back to tunnelling...

[mike1961]

I just installed placeshifter. I had to configure my DSL modem in bridge mode. Otherwise, I would have to forward the port from my modem to my router and then from my router to my server. But, it's not possible to forward ports with the DSL modem which is why I had to set it to bridge mode. Tech support was very helpful from my ISP for configuring it to bridge mode. Then you go to Virtual Servers with a dlink modem to set the forwarding of the public to private ports.

Something to think about for anyone who is stuck.

Mike