...sort of.

Here's what I have:

Local network 192.168.2.x with 2 Linux PCs and Win 98 laptop
SMC 7004ABR network hub/router
Automatic dialup to ISP through router (56k modem plugged into router)

It all works for 'getting out', i.e. all devices on my LAN can talk to
each other, and any device can connect to any internet address for
browsing or ftp (there is a delay whilst the router dials and connects
to the ISP, but it's effectively transparent.)  Of course, the IP address
I appear with on the WAN side is different every time I connect, but that
is not a problem at this stage.

One of my Linux boxes has Apache running, and I can browse it with Konqueror
from the other Linux box, and with IE from the Windows box.  It also has
an ftp server that I can access from the two other machines.

The SMC router allows 'virtual hosting', i.e. I can open a port on the WAN
side and map that to the same (or different) port on a particular machine
on the LAN side.  I opened the ftp port on the router and mapped it to the
linux box with the ftp server.  I then telnetted to a machine 'outside' and
tried to ftp back in to the WAN address I got for this dialup.  It didn't
work.
...time passes...
I ran an ftp server on Win 98, changed the port mapping to point to the
windows box.  It worked!  I changed it back again though because it is not
of use to me (other than proving it ought to work!).

So.  I know my ISP is not blocking ports (at least ftp).  I know my ftp
server on the Linux box is working for any machine inside (on the LAN),
but something is different when trying to access it from outside.

I looked at the logs on the ftp server, and I don't even see any attempts
to log in from outside, but I do see attempts to log in from inside, so
perhaps the problem is 'further up the line'.  Before I start looking at
some of the more esoteric things, what are the obvious things I should check
first?

Thanks in advance,

Andy
(I just want to access a machine at home from outside is all...)

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