Hello Technoslick, Sunday, June 15, 2003, 7:31:07 AM, you wrote:
T> I have a Linksys router/gateway that has the ability to dynamically T> open ports and port ranges when a certain executable is requesting T> to do so from a network client. This has worked very well from T> Windows clients using NetMeeting, ICQ or MSN Messenger for video T> conferencing and chat sessions, respectively. It might be that it only works with Netmeeting or other pgms that specifically use that capability. I was VERY interested in this idea because it opens up an entirely different level of protection for the comps on the local net. Without this, it is necessary to have a separate *app-aware* firewall on each computer. I found this on the net, as a starter: -------- When Microsoft developed NetMeeting 3.0 they chose to use the existing h.323 video conferencing protocol. This protocol happens to be completely incompatible with standard NAT(network address translation) - the technology used for most internet sharing devices. Unlike most TCP/IP applications, NetMeeting uses DYNAMIC PORTS instead of STATIC PORTS. That means that each NetMeeting connection is somewhat different than the last. For instance, the HTTP web site application uses port 80. NetMeeting can use any of over 60,000 different ports. Putting a web server behind a firewall means opening a single small hole. Putting a NetMeeting computer behind a firewall means opening over 60,000 ports - a security nightmare. A few hardware manufacturers have taken it on themselves to actually provide H.323 compatibility. This is not an easy task since the router must search each incoming packet for signs that it might be a netmeeting packet. This is a whole lot more work than a router normally does and may actually be a weak point in the firewall. -------- So - it does not seem to be generally useful, and introduced a new batch of security problems. Too bad. It sounded good. :-) -- Thank you, rikona mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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