21
Networking issues
Thanks to its robust security the AdderLink IP Gold offers you great flexibility
in how it integrates into an existing network structure. The AdderLink IP Gold
is designed to reside either on an internal network, behind a firewall/router or
alternatively with its own direct Internet connection.
Positioning AdderLink IP Gold in the network
Every network setup is different and great care needs to be taken when
introducing a powerful device such as the AdderLink IP Gold into an existing
configuration. A common cause of potential problems can be in clashes with
firewall configurations. For this reason the AdderLink IP Gold is designed to be
intelligent, flexible and secure. With the minimum of effort the AdderLink IP
Gold can reside either behind the firewall or alongside with its own separate
Internet connection.
Placing AdderLink IP Gold behind a router or firewall
A possible point of contention between the AdderLink IP Gold 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 AdderLink IP Gold 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 AdderLink IP Gold 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 AdderLink IP Gold correctly using only its network address. The firewall/
router must be informed to transfer traffic, requesting these port numbers,
through to the AdderLink IP Gold.
When a web server is also on the local network
Port 80 is the standard port used by web (HTTP) servers. If the AdderLink IP Gold 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 AdderLink IP Gold 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 AdderLink IP Gold.
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 AdderLink IP Gold.
A
B
LOC REM VNC
100
LNK PWR
AdderLink
GOLD
Internet
A
B
LOC REM VNC
100
LNK PWR
AdderLink
GOLD
Internet
AdderLink IP Gold situated
behind the firewall
KVM link to
host system
KVM link to
host system
Firewall/
router
AdderLink IP Gold situated
alongside the firewall
Firewall/
router
Local
network
connection
Local
network
connection
IMPORTANT: When the AdderLink IP Gold is accessible from the public Internet
or dial up connection, you must ensure that sufficient
security measures
are
employed.
