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[fordem]

Could you explain how to switch the modes of ftp Active/Passive? I don't see anything about that.

When I mentioned WAN IP, i meant my external - public IP (sorry, my main language is french...I'm a bit rusty). So yes, I can access it using my 192.168.0.xxx IP, but not using my public IP.
For sure, my ISP isn't blocking the port since I was using a software ftp program before with no problem. But about the NAT client side settings, how do I set that up? I've put rules in exept virtual server port 21 towards the DNS.

Thanks for the info

If I might say so - there's no need to apologise, your English is a lot better than my French.

You still haven't provided one VITAL but of information - are you trying to access the public ip from a host on the same network as the DNS-323 - if this is what you are doing, I'd suggest you test from a different public ip - it removes one more variable.

Active & passive ftp - you're using passive ftp - this can be seen from the error dialogue box in your first post, you'll need to switch modes in the ftp client that you are using.

A comment here - I dislike gui FTP clients because many of them hide the commands that they use and the responses from the server in an attempt to make things easier to use.  When they work, they work well, when they don't work, troubleshooting becomes a nightmare.  I actually use the CLI FTP client that's built into Windows as my first choice.

Maybe I should briefly define active and passive ftp ...

 - with active ftp the ftp client contacts the ftp server on port 21 and sets up the data transfer, and then the ftp server contacts the ftp client and transfers the data - the problem with active ftp is that when the ftp client is behind a firewall which does not know how to handle the incoming data connection, it discards the connection and the transfer fails.

 - passive ftp was supposed to be the cure for this firewall related issue, in that the ftp server would instruct the ftp client to make the data connection also - and this works well provided the ftp server is not behind a firewall - but - if the ftp server is behind a firewall, then both the ftp server AND the firewall now have to be configured to support passive ftp - so all we've really done is transfer the problem from client side to server side.

I'm also going to tell you here - that whilst the DNS-323 does support passive ftp, in that it recognizes the pasv command and will respond to it, the implementation is broken and it will NOT work in any firmware version prior to the 1.08 beta (which I have not tested) - active ftp does work, passive does not.

So...

1) test from outside of your network
2) change your ftp client to active and see what happens - you can use Internet Explorer as an ftp client, and you can change it from the default passive mode in Tools/Internet Options/Advanced.

[P01arBear]

Hey I'm back!

Well, here's what I've been up to;

I got home and upgraded to 1.08, wich had a few new fonctions that I was glad to see. I set up the passive info on the DNS, but also on the router. Up to now...It works!

I'm going to kick in a few more tests with some buddies outside the network, see how it goes.

All I can say is, if someone is using a DIR-655 router and wants to access his DNS-323 from outside the network on FTP, he needs to get the 1.08 firmware and set the passive ports correctly on the rules of the router or else it will never work.

In other words, the main problem is the router not routing correctly the passive ports.

I'll come back and give you the final results after my tests.

Thanks all, appreciate it.

[gunrunnerjohn]

Glad to hear you sorted it out.

[fordem]

In other words, the main problem is the router not routing correctly the passive ports.

Not quite - as in my previous post YOU have to configure both the router and the ftp server to match one another IF you are going to use passive ftp.

[P01arBear]

Not quite - as in my previous post YOU have to configure both the router and the ftp server to match one another IF you are going to use passive ftp.

Not so sure, what settings would you require for it to work like you say? You see, my router is buggued up since a few days. No mather if I change or flash the firmware or the router, it won't keep my port forwarding & application rules. They just disapear after rebooting the router, so I can't really change anything.

The fact is, the FTP still works without adding any rules. The only change is that I clicked on using my external IP when in passive mode, and since then everything works well.

The ONLY real problem now, is that the external IP doesn't update itself, that isn't much help when your IP changes when your away from your PC.

[gunrunnerjohn]

That's what DynDNS is for.  As far as port forwarding, that's not an issue, ports are forwarded on the LAN side, the WAN address doesn't matter.

[P01arBear]

I think the problem is not about port forwarding, but external IP.

I don't mean to argue, but....Maybe it does mather specificly with the DIR-655 router? I couldn't make it work with older firmwares, but since 1.08 you have additionnal settings for passive mode. If I don't check the box to use the external IP or put in the right IP, then my FTP won't work from outside the network, I've tested it. The FTP doesn't communicate correctly the external IP. Maybe there is another "better" way to set it up, but I figured out yet (and since I can't add rules on my router anymore, it's not that easy).

Like you said, I do have DynDNS. But the router doesn't return the right IP in passive mode it would seem.

All in all, I would suggest to D-Link's team to make the DNS-323 able to auto-update the external IP. In that case, it would be able to work alone.

[gunrunnerjohn]

I'm missing something here.  The router isn't the one that's returning the external IP address, that's determined by your ISP and provided by your modem to the router.

Are we arguing?  I thought we were just discussing the issue.  I don't have a problem, so if it pains you to talk about it, I'm gone!

[P01arBear]

Sorry, I didn't mean that in a bad way (like I said, I'm french, so maybe my expression wasn't right).

I don't know if you're using FW 1.08, if not maybe you would understand better when seing it visualy. Because there is a new setting to "check" use external IP adress and then you type in your external IP.

Now, my external IP is not the problem. The problem is when I connect to my FTP in passive mode, without this function, the FTP won't work. Meaning, the external IP sent back by the DNS-323 once logued seems to be the key to this problem. Yes, it's fixed with FW 1.08 (at a some point at least). But if my ISP changes my IP, then I won't be able to access the DNS until I update my IP on the panel manualy at home. Not so useful if I'm far away and need to get into my DNS!

CLIENT [OK] -> CONNECTED TO DNS [OK] -> /!\ DNS IN PASSIVE RETURNS INFO ABOUT EXTERNAL IP /!\

Right now it's working well from my work. If I had unchecked "use external IP address in passive mode" or in that same setting of the DNS would not have typed it my correct external IP manualy, then I would be able to connect to my DNS but it would reject me with the message I first showed at the begining of this thread.

Did I explain better now?

[gunrunnerjohn]

Maybe you need to be talking to the D-Link support on the DIR-655 router side for this issue.  As I have mentioned, my IP address has changed several times from power outages, and DynDNS handles the change just fine, and my DNS-323 has no problem with FTP connections from the Internet.  I'm not sure how I see this as a DNS-323 issue.  My FTP worked before 1.08, and it still does.  I also have a friend that has Comcast and a D-Link DIR-615, and I've accessed his DIR-323 FTP server a number of times as well.  I know he's not running 1.08, last time I checked, he was on 1.06 firmware.

[P01arBear]

Maybe this will also help.

My main usage will be with IE as client. I've tried with a FTP client (Filezilla), it gives me this message IF I DON'T CHECK "USE EXTERNAL IP IN PASSIVE MODE" on my DNS;
Status: Server sent passive reply with unroutable address.

DynDNS -> DNS FTP SERVER [OK]
DNS FTP SERVER -> CLIENT [OK BUT REPLIES WRONG IP -  Perhaps 192.168.0.xxx instead?]

So you see, I can connect. I just doesn't reply the correct address.

If I do check it and type in my actual IP, then it works. I figure they have added this function because of similar problems that were fixed unofficialy with fun_plug wich would do the exact same thing by giving the external IP address, but now this is added tru the D-Link panel wich I'm glad to see because I didn't want third party plugins such as fun_plug.

So right now you must be saying "Well, if it works when that's checked, keep that setting". The only problem remaining is the need to update the external IP address that the FTP server replies with if my ISP changes my IP for some reason, then I have to change it on my DNS FTP server. This is where I suggest to D-Link's team to figure out a way of making it auto-updatable so it can be independant.

[gunrunnerjohn]

Did you look at the DynDNS client in the DNS-323?  If that's active, maybe they use that?

[P01arBear]

Did you look at the DynDNS client in the DNS-323?  If that's active, maybe they use that?

Maybe so, will try after work! But I doubt it, this function si directly in the FTP panel, the DynDNS is another panel that doesn't really interact with the ftp server.

[gunrunnerjohn]

Well, if the box knows the external IP address...

Can't hurt to enable it and see...

[P01arBear]

Well, if the box knows the external IP address...

Can't hurt to enable it and see...

It knows it already, it just doesn't auto-update it for some reason.

When I check "USE EXTERNAL IP ADDRESS FOR PASSIVE" my external IP was already written and I didn't have to change it. Then my IP changed in the night and it didn't auto-update itself.

But, I'll try DynDNS on my DNS instead of giving that task to the router. I'll keep you up.