Failed to connect from remote location but connects at home

[ke6guj]

As Greg mentioned, you need to create a placeshifter user for WAN usage.

But, you have done a lot of troubleshooting already. We know that your system will accept external connections. That shows that the server is set correctly, the router is set correctly, and that your ISP doesn't block 31099 incoming.

Now, the fact that you couldn't connect at work is that your work probably has a firewall set to block outgoing traffic, with only certain exceptions. DO you need/want to be able to connect from work? IF so, you may be able to sneak your way through the firewall. Depending on how they have the firewall set, you may find that they may have left some ports open. Port 80 and 443 are common open ports for web traffic. Depending on your router, you may be able to set up your router to port forward incoming port 80 or 443 traffic to port 31099. But then many ISPs block incoming port 80/443 traffic to residential accounts to prevent you from running a website over your internet connection.

So, if you just want to be able to use placeshifter outside your network, excluding work, just set up the placeshifter user account. If you want to try getting access from work, it will take a little more work.

[hemicuda]

Originally Posted by ke6guj

When you try to connect via LAN, are you using the server's IP address/hostname or by locator ID?

Tried both. HD100 froze for 2sec the first time. I put a trial of server on the laptop and PS works fine even though the test screen in the server app fails the port connectivity. I'm going to backup and delete the client properties file and see what happens.

Edit: that only got me as far as the spinning icon on black screen for 1/4sec. then back to the server list.

[craigap]

Well, I finally have everything working with the exception of at my work. Being that I work at a VA hospital and their internet and computer usage is strictly managed I'm thinking that all the sneaking around I try will be in vain. Although, that doesn't mean I don't want to try.

The thing about doing this at work is that I bring in my laptop and plug in the lan cable versus using one of the computers there. How should I start trying?

[sainswor99]

Originally Posted by craigap

Well, I finally have everything working with the exception of at my work. Being that I work at a VA hospital and their internet and computer usage is strictly managed I'm thinking that all the sneaking around I try will be in vain. Although, that doesn't mean I don't want to try.

The thing about doing this at work is that I bring in my laptop and plug in the lan cable versus using one of the computers there. How should I start trying?

I would strongly advise you NOT to do this; most federal (and corporate) entities have strong policies against connecting personal computers to their network (since they can't guarantee that you have taken appropriate safeguards to prevent viral infections). Working in a hospital section also means that their computer network is governed by HIPAA, which has severe penalties for electronic security infractions; if you were caught connecting a personal computer to a medical network, you could face disciplinary action including termination. (I work for a computer security company in a different field).

That being said, it's probably in vain, anyway. If the application is blocked, it's probably blocked by a physical firewall, not a software firewall. Since plugging in a computer to their network is still behind their firewall, the same rules would apply.

Your best bet is to get an iPod, copy video files over as needed, and watch them on your break.

Stu

[ke6guj]

Originally Posted by sainswor99

I would strongly advise you NOT to do this; most federal (and corporate) entities have strong policies against connecting personal computers to their network (since they can't guarantee that you have taken appropriate safeguards to prevent viral infections). Working in a hospital section also means that their computer network is governed by HIPAA, which has severe penalties for electronic security infractions; if you were caught connecting a personal computer to a medical network, you could face disciplinary action including termination. (I work for a computer security company in a different field).

+1 on this. Hooking up a personal computer into the LAN can cause major security issues. Getting caught breaking the rules, expecially HIPAA, could definitely get your peepee smacked.

That being said, it's probably in vain, anyway. If the application is blocked, it's probably blocked by a physical firewall, not a software firewall. Since plugging in a computer to their network is still behind their firewall, the same rules would apply.

There are so many reasons and ways you could be blocked. They could be blocking traffic via port number, traffic per protocall, or some combination thereof. All internet traffic could be going through a proxy server that can cause issues with Sage (I think there is a thread about going through a proxy server). You can even run into networks where "unknown" computers are quarantened away from the rest of the network with limited access and entirely different firewall rules.

If you still wanted to try (and if you are plugging into a federal network, I'd suggest checking with the IT department to make sure that it is allowable), if they were port number blocking, you could try running placeshifter through an open port. Teh problem becomes finding an open port at work that isn't firewalled. If you can websurf, external port 80 and 443 may be open. YOu could then setup your router to accept traffic on 80 or 443 and port forward it to the server on 31099. Now, your ISP may block incoming port 80/443 traffic, so you need to test it after you set up the router (www.canyouseeme.org to test) and would need to find a port that your ISP allows and the work firewall doesn't block.

Now, after you do all this and get a working connection, guess what, all your traffic going through the firewall gets logged. If IT looks at the logs and sees all this "wierd" traffic, alarm bells are gonna go off and they are gonna dig into it. They may change firewall rules to block the traffic, or get rid of the person that is improperly using the network

So, in the end, a video Ipod may be a good idea. Or else, just copy a bunch of Sage recordings onto your laptop and watch them in WMP. I'd even check to see if bringing in a personal computer into the building is allowed.