[mythtv-users] How to set up remote access to mythweb?

[Mike Perkins]

Paul Gardiner wrote:
> Craig Huff wrote:
>> Okay, I have read several wiki entries on the mythweb site, but I
>> haven't been able to wrap my head around how to accomplish this.  I
>> have an internet connection with a major ISP which includes a DHCP
>> connection, so no static IP address on the net.  My Myth system is
>> behind a firewall/router.  The good news is the firewall/router has
>> two capabilities I think will be useful in accomplishing this, but I'm
>> not sure how to connect all the dots.  It can support a DynDNS setup
>> and it can do what I think is called port-forwarding -- allowing
>> incoming traffic on a particular port go to a particular system behind
>> the firewall.
>>
>> So, what are the steps required to be able to browse my mythweb page
>> from a system outside my LAN, such as when I'm visiting my parents,
>> etc.?
> 
> You are correct that those are exactly the two features you need. Set
> up port forwarding as others have described, plus go to www.dyndns.com
> to get a free dynamic dns account, and set up your router to keep it
> updated with your changing IP. You'll then have a domain of the form
> somethingorother.gotdns.org that you can use to access your myth box.
> 
I would add: choose a different port to 80 for your incoming, and use your 
router to forward it to port 80 on your mythweb server. This ensures firstly 
that it looks a lot less like a webserver as far as your ISP is concerned, but 
the more important point is that your router is probably being banged all day 
and night by hostiles trying to find a weak point, and one of the favourite 
ports they use is 80 (and 21, 22, 23, 25...).

If their bots get a response to port 80 on your router, someone may take an 
interest in you and try to find a weak spot in your setup. Using a different 
port doesn't eliminate the risk, but it drops you way down the possibles list.


-- 

Mike Perkins