Router Configuration for Web Access

Overview
     Network Diagram
Configuring your Router
     Determining the Router's Internal IP Address
     Accessing your Router
Port Forwarding
     Older Routers
     DMZ
Additional Information
     Router Manufacturer Websites
     Security Concerns

Overview

In order to configure web access (MobileTech, Customer Web Access  and/or the API) to ServiceCEO, you need to configure some settings on the router that will connect the web server the Internet. This document will detail the steps you need to take in order to get your web access working smoothly.

To configure web access to ServiceCEO on a network with a router, you can use any router that has "port forwarding" capabilities. This means that your router must be able to route all inbound traffic on a particular source port to one host on a network.

The router's WAN (Wide Area Network) IP Address - the router's IP address to which external sources should be pointing - is the address through which external machines may be permitted to access resources on your internal network. Your WAN IP address will allow external access to ServiceCEO. It is also the address by which other people and computers identify and recognize over the Internet. To determine your WAN, please point your browser to http://www.insightdirect.com/support.html. Your WAN IP Address will be displayed on the left side of the page under Connection Information.

Caution!

Caution:
Please note that there are significant security risks associated with opening your network and/or ServiceCEO database to a public network such as the Internet. This document does NOT cover the basic concepts behind secure server administration such as file and directory security along with server maintenance. This document assumes you understand the general networking process, and is only meant to help you setup Web Access to ServiceCEO. If you are unsure of how to proceed, please contact your local network professional. They will be able to ensure that access is properly setup and your systems are not at risk.

Network Diagram

When properly configured, your network will look something like this:

Sample Web Network Diagram

Configuring your Router

To configure the router, we have to first log into the router. You can access the router by typing the router's IP address into a browser from an internal computer (a computer in the local network or LAN). The router's IP address usually defaults to "192.168.1.1" or "192.168.0.1". However, if this is not the case, follow the directions below to determine the internal IP address.

Caution!

Caution:
Please note that the rest of this document uses the Linksys Cable/DSL router as an example for training purposes. You should be able to configure any router in the manner described below. However, note that individual steps may be different then those indicated below. For more information, please see your router's user manual or contact the router manufacturer.

Determining the Router's Internal IP Address

To determine the internal IP address of your router:

  1. Click START > RUN. A Run dialog box appears.

  2. Type COMMAND or CMD in the Open field.

  3. Press ENTER. A "dos" or command prompt window appears.

  4. At the prompt, type IPCONFIG.

  5. Press ENTER. A bunch of information appears.

 

  1. Record the IP address displayed on the Default Gateway line. This address is your router's IP address as seen from inside your network. In the above screenshot, the router's IP address is 192.168.123.254. Please note that this address is only an example.

Accessing your Router

Before you access your router, you will need to know your router's user name and password. The router manufacturer supplies you with the user name and password when you purchase the router, normally in the manual or paperwork that came with the router.

Since, for security reasons, it is advisable for security that you do not use the default password with your router, it is possible that the person/company that set up your router changed the router's user name and password. They should have recorded it for you.

Note that Insight Direct cannot help you if you do not know your router's user name and password. However, some typical default user name/password combinations are:

If these user name and password combinations do not work, you will need to contact the person who configured the router or the manufacturer of the router to get your user name and password.

To access your router:

  1. Open an Internet browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.

  2. Type the router's IP address into the Address field.

  3. Press Enter. Your router's "login" page appears.

  1. Type the user name into the User Name field.

  2. Type the password into the Password field.

  3. Click Octet router's home page appears in your browser.

You are now logged into your router!

Port Forwarding

In order to configure ServiceCEO's web access capabilities, need to forward incoming data from port 80 (the port that controls HTTP transactions) to your router's internal IP Address. (See Determining the Router's Internal IP Address section for instructions on locating the internal IP Address.) This section will cover how to configure your router to forward this port.

This section covers how to forward ports on a Linksys® Cable/DSL router setup. We assume that you have SQL Server 2005 running and that you have already set up your router on your network.

To forward port 80 to the correct IP address:

  1. Log in to your router.

  2. Click the Applications and Gaming tab. The Applications and Gaming tab appears.

  1. Type HTTP in the Application field. Note that this field is for identification purposes only.

  2. Type 80 in the Start field.

  3. Type 80 in the End field.

  4. Select TCP from the Protocol drop-down list.

  5. Type the last digits of the internal IP address for the web server in the IP Address field.

  6. Select the Enable check box.

  7. Repeat steps 3-8 for the second row. The only difference is to select UDP from the Protocol drop-down list.

  8. Save your changes. You may need to scroll down to see the Save button.

Older Routers

For older model Linksys Cable/DSL routers, the configuration process might be different. An example configuration for older routers follows.

  1. After logging into the router, click the Advanced tab.

  2. Click the Forwarding tab.

  1. Type 80 in the first Service Port field.

  2. Type the last digits of the internal IP address for the web server in the first IP Address field.

  3. Click Apply.

Routers and DMZs

As long as you can forward incoming data from port 80 to your router's internal IP Address, you should not need a DMZ In computer networks, a DMZ (DeMilitarized Zone) is a computer host or small network inserted as a "neutral zone" between a company's private network and the outside public network. It prevents outside users from getting direct access to a server that contains sensitive data..

However, if you decide to configure a DMZ, only use the DMZ provided by your firewall A set of related programs, located on a network gateway server, that protects the resources of a private network from users from other networks., and configure the DMZ to include only your dedicated web server. DO NOT under any circumstances put your database server computer in the DMZ.

In addition, do not use your router to configure a DMZ In computer networks, a DMZ (DeMilitarized Zone) is a computer host or small network inserted as a "neutral zone" between a company's private network and the outside public network. It prevents outside users from getting direct access to a server that contains sensitive data..

Additional Information

For some useful information regarding internet security, visit Shield's Up, a web site devoted to finding and explaining Internet security issues. Shield's Up can be accessed through http://www.grc.com/default.htm.

For more information on the Linksys cable and DSL router, please see the Linksys website at http://www.linksys.com/

Router Manufacturer Websites

If you are having problems with a particular brand of router, we've listed some of the main router manufacturer websites below:

If your router is not listed, or you experience trouble configuring it, you will need to contact the manufacturer or read the product manual to assist with the router configuration.

Security Concerns

Hosting web applications raises potential security concerns. While this document does not cover potential security problems, we suggest the following things:

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