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Appendix 5 - Networking issues
Thanks to its robust security the Digital iPEPS offers you great flexibility in how
it integrates into an existing network structure. The Digital iPEPS is designed to
reside either on an internal network, behind a firewall/router or alternatively
with its own direct Internet connection.
Positioning Digital iPEPS in the network
Every network setup is different and great care needs to be taken when
introducing a powerful device such as the Digital iPEPS into an existing
configuration. A common cause of potential problems can be in clashes with
firewall configurations. For this reason the Digital iPEPS is designed to be
intelligent, flexible and secure. With the minimum of effort the Digital iPEPS
can reside either behind the firewall or alongside with its own separate Internet
connection.
Placing Digital iPEPS behind a router or firewall
A possible point of contention between the Digital iPEPS and a firewall can
occasionally arise over the use of IP ports. Every port through the firewall represents
a potential point of attack from outside and so it is advisable to minimise the
number of open ports. The Digital iPEPS usually uses two separate port numbers,
however, these are easily changeable and can even be combined into a single port.
IMPORTANT: The correct configuration of routers and firewalls requires advanced
networking skills and intimate knowledge of the particular network. Adder Technology
cannot provide specific advice on how to configure your network devices and strongly
recommend that such tasks are carried out by a qualified professional.
Port settings
As standard, the Digital iPEPS uses two ports to support its two types of viewer:
•
Port 80
for users making contact with a web browser, and
•
Port 5900
for those using the VNC viewer.
When these port numbers are used, VNC viewers and web browsers will locate
the Digital iPEPS correctly using only its network address. The firewall/router
must be informed to transfer traffic, requesting these port numbers, through to
the Digital iPEPS.
When a web server is also on the local network
Port 80 is the standard port used by web (HTTP) servers. If the Digital iPEPS is situated
within a local network that also includes a web server or any other device serving port
80 then, if you want to use the web browser interface from outside the local network
environment, the HTTP port number of the Digital iPEPS must be changed.
When you change the HTTP port to anything other than 80, then each remote
browser user will need to specify the port address as well as the IP address. For
instance, if you set the HTTP port to ‘8000’ and the IP address is ‘192.168.47.10’
then browser users will need to enter:
http://192.168.47.10
:
8000
(Note the single colon that separates the IP address and the port number).
The firewall/router would also need to be informed to transfer all traffic to the
new port number through to the Digital iPEPS.
If you need to change the VNC port number
If you change the VNC port to anything other than 5900, then each VNC viewer
user will need to specify the port address as well as the IP address. For instance,
if you set the VNC port to ‘11590’ and the IP address is ‘192.168.47.10’ then
VNC viewer users will need to enter:
192.168.47.10
::
11590
(Note the
double
colons that separate the IP address and port number).
The firewall/router would also need to be informed to transfer all traffic to the
new port number through to the Digital iPEPS.
Internet
ADDERLINK
ADDER
®
Internet
ADDERLINK
ADDER
®
Digital iPEPS situated
behind the firewall
KVM link to
host system
KVM link to
host system
Firewall/
router
Digital iPEPS situated
alongside the firewall
Firewall/
router
Local
network
connection
Local
network
connection
IMPORTANT: When the Digital iPEPS is accessible from the public Internet or dial
up connection, you must ensure that sufficient
security measures
are employed.