Get Connected
Our "Getting Connected" videos demonstrate how to configure your server's TCP/IP settings and network, with specific details for an Apple Airport router, or general instructions for typical routers featuring Web-based setup. |
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Step-By-Step Setup
Most modern local networks with Internet access are bridged to the Internet via a router using a single, ISP-assigned IP address. This page describes the network setup required to allow external users to connect to your Rumpus server on this type of network.
If your Rumpus server has a direct Internet connection, with a permanently assigned, routable IP address, then users should be able to connect to your server immediately, without the additional network setup described here (assuming there are no firewall conflicts).
- Step 1: Start Rumpus
Start Rumpus, complete the Setup Assistant, and click "Start Server". Be sure to read the brief instructions displayed when the Setup Assistant completes the server setup.
The help information displayed by the Setup Assistant after the server setup has been completed explains exactly what you need to do to connect to the server from other clients on the network. Be sure to make a note of the server IP address and the URL shown. Also, when Rumpus is started via the "Start Server" button, it first performs a few basic checks to confirm that there are no conflicts with other servers or the local firewall. If a warning dialog is presented after you click "Start Server", be sure to read the warning text carefully.
- Step 2: Confirm Local Access
Confirm that the server is functioning by connecting with a Web browser or FTP client running on another computer on the same LAN, and/or running on the Rumpus server itself. When you connect, be sure to specify the local address of the server.
Checking local access to the server is very important, as it confirms that the server is working as expected, and lets you know that remote users will be able to connect as soon as the network is correctly configured. Again, be sure to connect using the local IP address of the server, as inidicated on the Setup Assistant help window. Many networks won't allow local users to connect to the server via the public IP address at all. To make sure you are testing the server, not the network, it is important that you connect directly, using the local address of the server.
- Step 3: Check Your Address
Most modern Internet connections are assigned only one IP address for the entire network, and on some networks this address is dynamic (it changes each time your router connects to the ISP). In either case, determine the current address of your LAN.
The best way to confirm your IP address is to check the paperwork/instructions that you received when your Internet connection was installed or set up. You can also contact your ISP for this information. Right now, your IP address appears to be "98.84.18.52".
Again, because this test doesn't directly look up the address (instead, it reports the address your browser connection appears to originate from), it may not always be accurate. Confirming your network address with your ISP is always a good idea.
If your network address is dynamic, look up the current address and use it for testing. Rumpus can be used in dynamic IP environments with proper setup, so for initial testing, don't worry that the address will change in the future.
- Step 4: Configure The Router
Configure your router to accept and forward incoming connections to the Rumpus server. Because the Rumpus computer is on a private network, people outside your LAN can't connect directly to the server. Instead, users will connect to the router, which will forward connections to the internal IP address of the Rumpus server. See the "Network Setup" window in Rumpus for an overview of the setup needed, and the "Port Forwarding" topic on this page for an explanation of how forwarding works and why it is needed.
Specific setup procedures will vary depending on the router, so the following instructions are fairly general. If you have detailed questions about configuring port forwarding on your router, contact the router manufacturer.
Open the router setup software, or setup URL if your router is configured by Web browser. Go to the "Port Forwarding" setup area. This is also sometimes called "Virtual Servers", "Pinholes", "Port Mapping", "Inbound Port Mapping", or "Relays". Add an entry to the setup so that port 21 is forwarded to port 21 on the local IP address of the Rumpus server. Next, add an entry so that ports 3000 through 3XXX are also forwarded to the Rumpus server, again making sure that each port is forwarded to the same port on the internal address. The upper bound of this port range ("3XXX") is based on the number of maximum simultaneous connections you have set in Rumpus. The value is 3000 + Max Simultaneous Connections. For example, to support the default maximum number of simultaneous connections (which is 8), the port range to be forwarded is 3000 through 3008. Note that this range is the Rumpus default passive mode port range, but can be changed if needed. See the "Advanced Options" section of the "FTP Settings" help page in the Rumpus control application for details.
If you are using the Rumpus Web File Manager (WFM), you will also need to set up a port forwarding entry for the defined Web Services port. The WFM default port is 80. Be sure to set up a forwarding entry on your router so that the WFM port specified on the "Options" tab of the "Web Settings" window is forwarded to the local IP address of the Rumpus server.
If your router is configured via Web browser, and the router defaults to the same port used by Rumpus (usually, port 80), you may need to change the router admin port. In the router setup, find the "Admin Port", "Web Administration Port", or similar setting and select some unused port ("8080" is a good choice) for router administration. When you log in to the router to perform administration, don't forget to add the non-standard port to the router address when connecting, as in "192.168.1.254:8080".
Of course, any security restrictions on these ports put in place on the router or on an external firewall need to be lifted as well. In addition, you must allow outbound connections on port 20, which is the FTP Active Mode connection port. For more details, see the "FTP Overview" article in this package.
- Step 5: Test Your Connection
Have an external user attempt to connect. People connecting from outside your network will need to connect using the external address of your network. No one from outside your LAN will ever be able to connect to the private address (usually, any address that begins "192.168.") of your server.
If you would like a technical support person from Maxum to attempt the connection, choose "Rumpus Help" from the "Help" menu in Rumpus, then click the "Contact Support" button. Using this function pre-enters information about your Rumpus server that will help technical support identify any problems. Please also be sure to supply a test username and password, so that we can log in to your server and check for common problems.
- Step 6: Check Passive Connections
If external users can connect and retrieve a directory listing, you are done, and your server is now functional. If external FTP clients can connect but can't retrieve a directory listing, open the "Network Settings" window and supply the "External Network IP Address". Next, flip to the "Router" tab and try connections with the "Allow Router To Perform Data Connection Address Mapping" option turned both on and off.
It is very important to make sure that your network will support passive mode data connections, because most clients will default to using passive mode and many client networks will only permit clients to use passive data connections. Supporting passive connections can be tricky, though, as different routers handle passive FTP in different ways.