Cannot connect to Subsonic over internet

[Foomin]

So I donated to this worthy cause and got myself an activation code, so I can use a .subsonic.org address to connect to the static IP computer I have running Subsonic. I can access the computer without problems when I'm on my home network, but I have problems connecting from the outside.

On the network page, I've enabled UPnP (and also on my router), and I get a success message:

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Status: Successfully forwarding port 8080 and port 443.

I am using port 8080 to access Subsonic, and I have https enabled on port 443, like the message says.

When I try to create a .subsonic.org address to connect to, I get the following error:

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Status: xxxxx.subsonic.org is registered, but could not connect to it. (ConnectTimeoutException)

I saw a similar post that said to try another name, as the error message suggests that the name I'm trying to use is is use. I tried many different names, and all give me this same error. Is this my problem?

My router is using a dd-wrt build, and I am manually forwarding port 8080 to the Subsonic computer. I also have UPnP enabled, do these features collide and cause problems? As far as I know, my ISP does not block connections to port 8080, or any other port for that matter. Using a dyndns service, I can connect to the Subsonic machine from over the internet (RDP, FTP, etc.), but it won't allow me to use my dyndns hostname to connect to Subsonic. I'm suitably stuck in the mud here. If anyone has any help to offer, I'd appreciate it. If you need any more information regarding my network or configuration, let me know and I'll supply it.

[RobbieG]

Are you forwarding port 443 on your router as well? Try selecting different ports in subsonic and forwarding those instead to see if that makes a difference.

[Foomin]

I've tried a couple combinations, and none seem to work. I've tried forwarding ports 80, 8080, 8081, and 23994 (random port that was sure not to be blocked), and none have given me any success. I've since disabled https, but when it was active I tried ports 443, 444, and 445 for encryption, none working. I did make sure to forward the encryption ports on my router when it was enabled, that didn't seem to be the problem.

[GJ51]

Most problems are due to improper setup on the router. Setting a fixed internal ip address for the server and proper port forwarding rules on the router are essential for long term stability.

Never use port 80 or 443 - ISP's often use or block them and these are also the default ports on WHS for the remote login page. 8080,8081, work fine. 808X always works. I've seen others use different port numbers that have caused install failures.

READ: http://monroeworld.com/android/subsonic/ This is the Windows tutorial but most of the concepts apply to any setup. Specific setup instructions for other Operating Systems are available in the Tutorials section. http://forum.subsonic.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=6 and on the Subsonic website at http://www.subsonic.org/pages/installation.jsp

In Subsonic Settings/Network - UNCHECK " Automatically configure your router to allow incoming connections to Subsonic (using UPnP or NAT-PMP port forwarding)." make sure to hit the SAVE button, you may have to scroll down to see it depending on your screen size. UPnP or Plug & Pray works sometimes, but not very often and you're better off learning what's going on anyway. You're dipping your toe into the network mgmt. thing anyway, might as well learn what's going on as home networks don't get simpler as time goes on. As your network gets more complex, you're going to have to learn this stuff! No time like the present.

Manually assign a fixed intenal IP and static route to your server at the upper end of the address range of the router, out of the way of DHCP, e.g. 192.168.1.254

[Foomin]

Hey Gary, thanks for the response. I found the cause of my port forwarding problems, my router was not acting properly, and I ended up re-flashing it and configuring everything from scratch. I think I may have screwed up my initial install of dd-wrt, but I've fixed that.

Anyway, I can see my open ports from the outside now, but another problem has cropped up. I still can't access Subsonic on anything other than my local network. xxxxx.subsonic.org will resolve to my WAN IP, but I still get connection errors. I've doubly checked that my ports are open, and I've configured Subsonic to listen on those same ports. The error on the network tab of settings says this:

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xxxxx.subsonic.org responded successfully, but could not authenticate it.

I'm not sure I understand the message. Does someone know what this error means and how I can fix it?

[GJ51]

First, let's verify if you can get in from outside. Use canyouseeme.org to get your external ip address and try connecting to the server from outside the network using the external ip:port# format. If you need me to do that for you just send me a pm with the ip link and whatever you use for guest logon.

Go to http://www.canyouseeme.org/ enter your SS port number and click the Check box to be sure the Subsonic port is open.

[Foomin]

canyouseeme.org tells me that my port (8085) is open. I've also manually pinged both the hostname (xxxxx.subsonic.org) and my WAN-side IP directly from an outside address, and both have responded. This is why I'm nearly positive the issue is no longer port forwarding.

[GJ51]

OK, have you had someone try to connect to the ip:port# from outside?

Test your setup by entering your external IP:port# to see if it connects. e.g. http://98.117.185.5:8084/ If it works, you're good to go.

Due to the fact that some routers will just resolve to an internal address, it's best to test this format from outside the network. A 3g connected cell with the SS app will do.

If you can connect to SS inside at 192.168.1.25:8084 and the router is forwarding 8084 requests from outside to 192.168.1.25, then there should be no problem connecting to http://98.117.185.5:8084/

98.117.185.5 is the gateway device address that passes the request for 8084 to the router (gateway and router can be same device) which then just translates the request to 192.168.1.25:8084 and sends it to the server where SS is waiting to answer on 8084. If one works, so should the other, unless there's a detail in the router that's wrong.

[Foomin]

Yes, they are unable to connect to Subsonic. The only connection I have to Subsonic is when I'm on my local network, nowhere else on the Internet.

[GJ51]

What happens if you enter the external address:port# from INSIDE your network?

Got it! Change port 443 to 445.

Never use port 80 or 443 - ISP's often use or block them and these are also the default ports on WHS for the remote login page.

Also, disable SSL until you get a successful http connection.

[Foomin]

Disabling SSL connections fixed the issue, it's now accessible from the outside. I'll play around with https connections and see if I can't get those working on my own. Thanks for all your help! If I run into any issues connecting via SSL I'll reply to this thread. Thanks again! =]

[GJ51]

Congrats!

Remember that if you enable SSL you still use the http address to make the connection. DO NOT try to access the https address directly.

[Foomin]

Hey, I'm having problems again. In a stroke of genius, I thought it a brilliant idea to last night restart the computer Subsonic is installed on. This morning, I once again can't connect to Subsonic from the internet. Checked my ports, they are forwarded and open (canyouseeme.org), but I am on an outside network now and can't connect to subsonic. I have RDP access to the computer Subsonic is on, and can therefore change any setting on the machine or my router remotely, with the benefit of being able to test Subsonic remotely. https protocol stays disabled on the advice of GJ51 a few posts ago.

I'm using the Dyndns service to sync my Dynamic WAN IP to a hostname (xxxxx.dyndns.org), and that is how I connect via RDP. What's strange is how I can remotely connect to the same computer via RDP protocol, but not via Subsonic. Since xxxxx.subsonic.org did not give a connection, I tried xxxxx.dyndns.org:8085, 8085 being the port Subsonic communicates on, which also does not work. Both these addresses worked remotely before the restart. Since I can connect to the server using RDP (xxxxx.dyndns.org:3389), I'm led to believe that Subsonic may be the issue. I've ruled out port forwarding as the issue, as I've fixed that problem and can verify that my ports are correctly forwarded.

Anyone want to wager a guess? I've tried connecting with SSL both enabled and disabled, with no luck. I've changed ports, making sure they were not blocked and forwarded correctly, with no results.

EDIT: I'm not sure what the problem was, but after another restart, and every time since, it's worked properly. I'll chalk it up to the OS, I guess. Thanks for all the help everyone!