I've an apache configuration question

***glennzo*** · #1 23rd August 2012, 08:39 AM

Or so I think I do ...

Time was that I could get to my MoinMoin wiki from anywhere, your house, my house, anywhere, simply by typing http://glennzos.wickeduseless.wiki. Now with a new modem from Comcast this doesn't work if I'm sitting at home, as I am now. In order to access my wiki from home I need to use the ip address of the server, http://10.x.x.x/mywiki. That is not a problem except for the fact that at the bottom of most of the wiki pages I have a link to return to the home page. That link uses the sample URL above. How do I make this URL work for me while here at home? Can I alias it in the httpd.conf file so that it works regardless of whether I'm at home or somwhere else?

williamsj · #2 23rd August 2012, 06:57 PM

Does your wiki server use DHCP?
If so it is probable that your old modem/router supported DDNS (Dynamic DNS) and captured the hostname of the wiki server.
The new modem may not support, or may need setting up to support DDNS. Then it would resolve glennzos.wickeduseless.wiki to its local IP.

John

***glennzo*** · #3 23rd August 2012, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by williamsj

Does your wiki server use DHCP?

No.

Quote:

Originally Posted by williamsj

If so it is probable that your old modem/router supported DDNS (Dynamic DNS) and captured the hostname of the wiki server.

It did.

Quote:

Originally Posted by williamsj

The new modem may not support, or may need setting up to support DDNS. Then it would resolve glennzos.wickeduseless.wiki to its local IP.

John

I don't think the new modem is capable, unless I misread.

Doug G · #4 23rd August 2012, 08:18 PM

How do you resolve the url name? Do you have a static external IP and a DNS server, or dynamic DNS, or some local network DNS resolution? You can add a hosts file entry for the url on the machines you use to access your wiki from your LAN, but that won't help external users.

If your new comcast modem was due to some service upgrade on your internet connection maybe your ISP also decided to block http to prevent you from running an external web server on your connection. Many residential ISP do this.

***glennzo*** · #5 23rd August 2012, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug G

How do you resolve the url name? Do you have a static external IP and a DNS server, or dynamic DNS, or some local network DNS resolution? You can add a hosts file entry for the url on the machines you use to access your wiki from your LAN, but that won't help external users.

If your new comcast modem was due to some service upgrade on your internet connection maybe your ISP also decided to block http to prevent you from running an external web server on your connection. Many residential ISP do this.

No static external IP address, but it seems to never change. I've had an account with dyndns.org for a few years now. dyndns sends the request to my external IP. Then it is forwarded through the router to the local IP address. This was with the old modem and router. Now the modem/router are one so I'm not using my old router. HTTP is not blocked by Comcast. Apparently they don't bother you if you have a low traffic web site such as mine.

Doug G · #6 23rd August 2012, 10:55 PM

If you have a dyndns account as far as I know you need an agent program at your site. Some routers have dyndns functionality so you set up dyndns in the router, otherwise I believe you need to install a program on one of your computers to do the dns updating.

Did you set up port forwarding in the new router? You need to direct http traffic to the appropriate internal LAN IP.

Also, be aware some routers don't support "loop-around" network access, i.e., from inside your LAN you may not be able to use an external IP address to get back into your LAN. If that's the problem simply set up a hosts entry for the domain url using the LAN ip of the web server. That way your apache vhost will see a domain name (rather that http://10.x.x.x) and will work properly.

***glennzo*** · #7 23rd August 2012, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug G

If you have a dyndns account as far as I know you need an agent program at your site. Some routers have dyndns functionality so you set up dyndns in the router, otherwise I believe you need to install a program on one of your computers to do the dns updating.

Thanks for the reminder. There is a program that I was using to update my public IP to dyndns but I stopped using it because the router handled that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug G

Did you set up port forwarding in the new router? You need to direct http traffic to the appropriate internal LAN IP.

Yes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug G

Also, be aware some routers don't support "loop-around" network access, i.e., from inside your LAN you may not be able to use an external IP address to get back into your LAN. If that's the problem simply set up a hosts entry for the domain url using the LAN ip of the web server. That way your apache vhost will see a domain name (rather that http://10.x.x.x) and will work properly.

I believe that this is the way the new router works based on what I've read on the 'net.

Doug G · #8 24th August 2012, 04:59 AM

So is it working now? I hope so, I don't use dyndns and I'm running low on ideas

***glennzo*** · #9 24th August 2012, 07:26 AM

Nothing has changed yet.

Quote:

simply set up a hosts entry for the domain url using the LAN ip of the web server

How do I do this?

williamsj · #10 24th August 2012, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glennzo

Nothing has changed yet. How do I do this?

Assuming a Windows client:

Edit the file (or create it) C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

Add a line which reads:

<LAN IP of your web server> glennzos.wickeduseless.wiki

This means that your PC will always go to the local address.

If it is a laptop of course it will do the same when you are out of the house, so then you would need to comment it out like so:

# <LAN IP of your web server> glennzos.wickeduseless.wiki