Need to get through the ISP proxy to connect to an FTP server running on my computer

[anotheruser]

I setup an FTP server and tested it by connecting to localhost. For testing if external connections were working; I temporarily disabled my firewall and tried to connect to my computer using my external IP address (whatismyip.com). That didn't work. An online port scanner found the HTTP port open, so I tried to access it through my browser. It was my ISP proxy.

How do I connect to my computer's FTP server from outside the intranet if the ISP proxy is in my way? Assume that I cannot configure the ISP's proxy server.

[Nunzii]

You'll need to make that port available outside of your LAN. I'm assuming you have a router setup. This site will walk you through how to do that.

[anotheruser]

I'm using an ISP that has its own wireless routers. It runs in infrastructure mode (college's wireless network). I won't be able to configure any router. Thanks for the suggestion though. I appreciate any input.

[Nunzii]

Well in that case...you could try using one of the VPN clients....I'm using Zerina and OpenVPN to do my site-to-site connections but without any port forwarding, you can try using Hamachi. Just install it on both computers and it'll give you a virtual IP that'll make it appear to be on the same network. Then just try to connect to FTP with that virtual IP. I can walk you through it if you need me to. Just get me on IRC.

[Jung]

Without being able to PAT you're not going to be able to do much, unless you can tunnel traffic through an open port (via VPN or an SSH tunnel).

[Nunzii]

Without being able to PAT you're not going to be able to do much, unless you can tunnel traffic through an open port (via VPN or an SSH tunnel).

I was going to suggest SSH tunneling but figured since he had to access to any router he would run into the same problem as just being able forward the FTP port. So wouldn't the VPN route be a better way?

[Jung]

110, 80 and 443 are obviously open at the bare minimum. Why would SSH be an issue?

He may actually run into problems with VPN if they block GRE. I'm not sure what kind of VPN Hamachi creates though.

[anotheruser]

Thanks a lot for your help. OpenVPN seemed difficult to use, so I decided to use Windows 7's VPN support.

Following are the steps for configuring Incoming VPN Connection in Windows 7

1. First go to Control Panel and open Network and Sharing Center.
2. Click on Change adapter settings.
3. Press Alt+F and select New Incoming connection
4. Put a check on who you’d like to give access to this computer or you can configure a new account by clicking on Add someone,after that click on Next.
5. Put a check mark on Through the Internet. Click on Next.
6. Select the protocols you want to enable for this connection. Click on Allow access.
7. Make a note of the Computer name as this will be used by the client to connect to this computer and after that Click on Close.

Following are the steps for configuring Outgoing VPN Connection in Windows 7

1. First go to Control Panel and open Network and Sharing Center.
2. Click on Set up a new connection or network.
3. Select Connect to a workplace then click on Next.
4. Select Use my internet connection (VPN).
5. Type the IP address or computer name where you wish to connect and your connection name under the Destination name field.
6. Enter a User name and password that has been granted access to the host computer.
7. For getting connected through created VPN connection, you can either right-click on the Network icon in the system tray and select Network and Sharing Center or go to Control Panel and open Network and Sharing Center, and click on Connect to a network.
8. Now connect VPN Connection windows will appears.

I managed to connect to establish the network and also connect to the network by mentioning my computer name, username and password. That brings me to the next issue. My computer's name is not guaranteed to be unique across the internet, so how does it know which computer to connect to? I guess I'm supposed to give an IP address. But where do I see this IP address? ipconfig /all gives an intranet IP address (as expected). I'll need the external address for computers on the internet to connect to me right?

EDIT: With regard to SSH tunnelling, unless I can open a port on the ISP's proxy I won't be able to use it right? All these issues are arising because I couldn't open an FTP port on the proxy. Isn't this SSH port just like any other port?

There is a proxy and 22, 80, 443 are open according to this website: https://www.securitymetrics.com/portscan.adp


I just realised that I can't access the internet when I'm connected to the VPN (which I created). As soon as I disconnect from the VPN the net starts working. Unchecking the Use default gateway on remote network option does not work.

When I click on the networking icon in the taskbar I see RAS (Dial in interface) No internet access.
Seeing the properties of "No incoming connections" in Network Connections shows me No hardware capable of accessing calls is installed under "Devices:" But I've read that this is normal.

ISSUE RESOLVED: Thanks to Nunzii who was kind enough to spend time creating a network on Hamachi and getting my VPN up and running.

[Jung]

http://www.ssh.com/support/documenta...Explained.html

[anotheruser]

I've already been through that site. In fact, there is an example for FTP port forwarding itself on the same website:
http://www.ssh.com/support/documenta...ple_-_FTP.html

For incoming port forwarding to work, let's say I redirect incoming connections from port X to port Y (for whatever reason) and that I've asked the other person to connect through port X; port X must be visible to him right? Why will port X be opened on the proxy? If it could be opened, I would have simply ran my FTP server on that port. Am I missing something?

VPN allows me to have an IP, so that the client can 'see' my computer past the proxy and thus connect to my ports.

[Jung]

Sorry, I thought it was understood that you need an endpoint to accept the connections and tunnel back to your location.

[anotheruser]

Alright, my original query was to make an end point. Thank you.