Port 80 blocking

From Axentra

Some ISPs will block port 80 (http) in order to prevent their customers from running a server. This can prevent you from hosting web pages for the internet from your Axentra Server.

Table of contents

1 Diagnosing 2 Alternate HTTP port 3 Workarounds 4 See Also

Diagnosing

• Ensure first that your domain name is set up properly, both on your Server and with your domain name registrar.
  • One way to test this is to look up your IP address at the bottom of the ISP Connection page in the admin area, and then attempt to connect to that address from the internet.
• Verify that you have not disabled "Web Sites (http and https)" on the Network Services page of the admin area, and that you have not forwarded ports 80 or 443 from the Port Forwarding page to another computer on your LAN.
• Most ISPs don't block all incoming connections. You should be able to access some features of your Server, such as the Jabber server, from the internet. (You can also try to ping your Server.) You may even be able to reach the admin area, even if you can't see your web pages. If you cannot connect to your Server at all, than you have additional problems.
• If your Server is behind a router or other gateway device, ensure that the device is not interfering with the connection.
  • Some modern cable and DSL modems act as gateway devices, so your Server may effectively be isolated from the Internet, even if it is directly connected to the modem.
    • Consult your modem's documentation to learn how to disable its routing capabilities, or to enable "passthrough" mode.
  • Place your Server in your router's DMZ if you haven't already done so.
  • If your router does not have a DMZ function, forward the appropriate ports through it to your Server. You will want to forward ports 80 and 443 (http and https, respectively), at least.
  • If your router allows remote administration of its functions, that feature may be interfering with your Server. Disable it if you can, or configure it to listen on a different port on your Server.

Alternate HTTP port

One way to work around a blocked port is to use an alternate port. Your Axentra Server will accept incoming web page requests on this alternate port.

• Sign in to the admin area and go to the ISP Workarounds page.
• Enter an alternate HTTP port. It should be a number between 1000 and 65535. Some common ports to try are 8000 and 8080, though you may want to try a less common one.
• Click Apply to save your changes.
• From a computer on the internet, visit the URL http://domain.com:8080/www/, substituting your actual domain for "domain.com" and using your alternate port number after the colon.
• If you see a page hosted by your Axentra Server, then you've found a good alternate port. If you don't, try a few other ports to see if you can find an unblocked port.

Workarounds

If you have found an alternate port that works, you have several options:

• Advertise the revised URL: The easiest solution is to tell guests to visit your site at http://domain.com:8080/ instead. This may not be desirable from an aesthetic point of view.
• Use a Web Reflector service: Your domain name provider may have a service, commonly known as a Web Reflector service, which addresses this problem. Requests to domain.com are directed to their servers, which then forward the request to your Net-Box on the port you specify. This service may involve an added cost.
• Make arrangements with your ISP: You may be able to negotiate with your ISP to unblock port 80. This may involve an added cost, or require upgrading to a "business" billing tier.
• Switch ISPs: If there are other ISPs in your area, you may be able to find one which does not limit access to your Net-Box.

If you are sure that your ISP is blocking incoming connections to your Server, and you can find no unblocked ports, then your only options are the last two given above.

See Also

• Port 25 blocking