External DDNS

[bluemonkey07 590]

I see this new option in the advanced settings tab of the web clients...can someone explain exactly what this setting is for?

[Beardyname 198]

Not sure if all clients use it as of now, but the box should be for informing your clients where they can find the server outside of your local LAN.

If you clients are configured to use your external IP this won't affect anything at all.

[Koleckai Silvestri 1154]

It is for people who do not have a static IP. They would get a static IP via a Dynamic DNS service. That service has you install a small app on the server that tells the service what the current IP. Now your external clients can connect reliably without changing the server IP every day.

[bluemonkey07 590]

Thanks for the explanation... I have a DDNS service and I'm aware what it does....just unsure why it is a server option if it is the clients that are required to use it? Does the server somehow send that info to the client? If so how?

[Luke 42077]

well for most the first time they connect with a mobile client it's inside their home network. so that allows them to get the external address so that when you leave home the transition will hopefully be seamless

[bluemonkey07 590]

So if I enter my ddns address here the android client should automatically switch to using it when outside my LAN?

[Luke 42077]

Well Red hasn't released the android update yet with that feature, but yes, soon that's what should happen.

[bluemonkey07 590]

So you would need to connect the client locally to the server initially for this to work? How does the client know when to use the ddns address?

Edited April 5, 2014 by Vidman

[Beardyname 198]

I would imagine when it fails to load your local address, but as i said above if you setup your clients to use the external DNS in the first place it does not matter. 

 

This is a really handy feature for the mobile apps who "Discover" the server when searching locally and then ppl won't complain that it does not work outside their homes!

[Koleckai Silvestri 1154]

It would be failover. First try the local address. If that doesn't work, try the external address. Hopefully it will be able to make a connection. That is, once the clients support it completely.

[bluemonkey07 590]

I would imagine when it fails to load your local address, but as i said above if you setup your clients to use the external DNS in the first place it does not matter.

 

This is a really handy feature for the mobile apps who "Discover" the server when searching locally and then ppl won't complain that it does not work outside their homes!

^^ This does not work for me when in my home lan....I have to have two separate connection settings for wan and lan access...I have put in a feature request for the android client which makes more sense to me as it does not require a connection fail to use the ddns address

 

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[Beardyname 198]

If you have port-forwarded etc it should work from inside your home, or at least it does for me But with future updates the clients should handle this correctly.

[bluemonkey07 590]

If you have port-forwarded etc it should work from inside your home, or at least it does for me But with future updates the clients should handle this correctly.

Nope it doesn't ... The router needs to support hairpin for this to work I believe

[Beardyname 198]

huh i would not imagine that there is a router out there not capable for this, but then again i cannot possibly have tested every router so ^^ The feature will get in the android client sooner or later!

[Redshirt 1487]

The version of Android currently being tested by my team is making use of this new server-supplied property to fully configure a users connection. Hopefully it'll be in everyone's hands soon.

[bluemonkey07 590]

huh i would not imagine that there is a router out there not capable for this, but then again i cannot possibly have tested every router so ^^ The feature will get in the android client sooner or later!

Well I find the opposite to be the case for me.... I have yet to find a router that allows this

[bluemonkey07 590]

The version of Android currently being tested by my team is making use of this new server-supplied property to fully configure a users connection. Hopefully it'll be in everyone's hands soon.

Did you see my feature request? Is there are reason you have implemented it this way rather than the one I suggested? Just curious

[Redshirt 1487]

Can you point me to it again, or repeat it.

[Luke 42077]

Did you see my feature request? Is there are reason you have implemented it this way rather than the one I suggested? Just curious

 

He's implemented it the way he has based on core guidelines coming from me, which handles your scenario without a problem.

[bluemonkey07 590]

OK cheers I look forward to trying it out.... It just seems strange to me to have this as a server side setting rather than client side.

 

This was my suggestion BTW: http://mediabrowser.tv/community/index.php?/topic/4869-FR:-Android---LAN/WAN-configuration/settings

Edited April 8, 2014 by Vidman

[moviefan 187]

So I am confused after reading through this thread.

 

Does this setting work as Wayne Luke suggested - by trying inside address first and then failing to DDNS address?

 

Or does it count on our router/firewall being able to translate traffic going to external addresses back to their internal addresses and "hairpin" that traffic back into the LAN as Beardyname mentioned?

 

I know my ASA firewall does not support this second option and the only way to accomplish it is by using DNS rewrites to give the clients the proper address.