Buffalo LinkStation FTP problems...

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VeeDubbs

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 9, 2005
Messages
398
I have the 250GB model of the Buffalo LinkStation. Last night I enabled the FTP server for the first time. Everything works great at home. Can get and put files just fine. However, when I get to work today, no such luck. I get "Connection closed by remote host". I have forwarded ports 20 and 21 to the IP addy of the LinkStation in my router.

Also, I do have RDC working to my home PC so I know for a fact I am able to access my network at home, and my DynDns.org account is working fine.

Any suggestions? Anyone else having this problem? Thanks!! :)
 
FTP is pretty complex, and you're not likely to get a SOHO router working for it without opening a slew of high-number ports. i think it's passive mode ftp where the server and client only use port 21 in order to negotiate the use of a higher number channel for the actual data transfer. once they've agreed on a port to use the client makes contact on that channel. this is an unrelated connection as far as your router's state tables are concerned and hence the connection is getting blocked.

you could solve this in a couple of ways.
1) use openbsd + pf + ftp-proxy. ftp-proxy is usually used to go out to ftp servers on behalf of clients behond the firewall, but it can be used the other way as well. it would help because you can use "user proxy" tags and pf will know which connections to allow/disallow even though technically speaking the 2 connections are not related in the sense of state tables.

2) open the range of high-number ports on your router that ftp uses. it should be a range- not like you need to open everything above 1023. i think it's everything above 49151 actually. that still leaves you with ~16K open ports though which i would not consider a good idea.

3) wait for someone else who has a better idea to come along and post to the thread.
 
use port mode on the client side
if your not using a FTP program, I recommend FileZilla. Put in your server/user/pass and in the connection setup choose port instead of passive. I bet ya, it will work :)
 
Ezekial said:
use port mode on the client side
if your not using a FTP program, I recommend FileZilla. Put in your server/user/pass and in the connection setup choose port instead of passive. I bet ya, it will work :)
Click to expand...

I got FileZilla. I enter address/user/pass. It says Connected with my.home.ip.addy. Waiting for welcome message....

Not sure if I found what you are talking about. Went to Edit->Settings->Firewall Settings
Is that where I choose between port instead of passive?

Thanks for all the help guys! :)
 
yeah, enable passive mode there. if the linkstation does not like it though you will still have a problem. IOW, the link station may not support passive mode.
 
Thanks for all the help.

I'm sure you picked up on it but I forgot to mention after the Waiting for welcome message... appears it just times out. I guess it's just not gonna work. Why the hell do they put an FTP Server in the linkstation then!?
 
It still does'nt sound like there is anything wrong with the ftp-server, the problem is how ftp works. The connection is opened on port 21, and then moved to a high port. Your network is allowing the connection on port 21, but not on the high ports.
 
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