Internal LAN users can't access Alpha5v8

[randbo]

I have Alpha5v8 server up and running.

My internet users can access my index.a5w through the www.domain.com

I can access the index page from the server console, but by only when using the localhost.

I can't access the domain, and my internal LAN users can't access the domain. Why?

I use Optonline Cable, they have a modem, I have my router connected to their modem.

I currently have IP security set, where I ask my users to go to www.whatismyip.com. They tell me their IP, I plug it into the [accept IP addresses list]. I upload the security settings, and they have access. but when I try that with my local LAN users, it doesn't work. We get the following error.

403 Forbidden
"The security settings of this server do not allow access from your browser.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

[Steve Wood]

Re: Internal LAN users can't access Alpha5v8

If your web server is inside your firewall, none of your LAN users can access via the domain name. This is an industry standard. Use your server name for internal users, such as http(s)://servername, or perhaps http(s)://servername/sharename, etc.

[RobPolley]

Re: Internal LAN users can't access Alpha5v8

I run WAS on our intranet server. All was fine until today, when every database I open (all which worked fine until today) resulted in the 403 error, except one, which works fine.

I can't find any reason with regard to folder location, directory location, etc. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

--Rob

[JerryBrightbill]

Re: Internal LAN users can't access Alpha5v8

There are a limited number of reasons you would get a 403 Forbidden error.

1. The page does not physically exist using the url provided. The security runs before the existence of the physical page is even checked. If security is on and you are calling a page, the error will occur is the page if not listed as allowed or requiring login. If the page address is wrong, it isn't listed in security and therefore blocked.

If you suspect this is the problem, try turning security off in the settings, publish the settings and try again. If the address was wrong, you will get a page not found error if the security is off.

2. Some security files are actually missing. The settings and security guid fields are automatically published, but the security data files must be explicitly published. If they were not published, you will get the error. This typically only occurs after the first publish. If the app was previously published to the target, the files should be there unless someone manually deleted them.

3. Each project must have a unique guid in the guid.SecuritySettings file. If two projects on the same server have the same guid, only the first opened will work. The second will return the 403 error as the guid is already in use. This can happen if you publish to one location, and then republish to another. In that case, if the first publish was in error and those files have been removed, you can shut down the Alpha Five program (or server program) and restart. Stopping and restarting the server alone will NOT clear the error.

If you copy a project from one folder to another, do NOT copy the guid.SecuritySettings file. It will be automatically recreated on any publish if it is missing. If you think you may have published to multiple locations, just delete the guid.SecuritySettings file in the current project and republish anything. A new one with a new identifier will publish and be used for the security.

[RobPolley]

Re: Internal LAN users can't access Alpha5v8

Jerry,

You are a God!

It was item 1.

Many thanks!

--Rob

[Hansolo]

Re: Internal LAN users can't access Alpha5v8

Quick question.

I am getting this error on a VPS setup. Why would it do this for a simple test page in the A5Webroot that does not need security and was never set up for security. the WAS security framework is turned on but that is in anticipation of a project I am building. I simply cannot view a test page. The test page was just made with a txt editor and not Alpha. If I turn off the WAS security framework it works fine. This is not fitting into any of your conditions below.

Thanks for any comments,

There are a limited number of reasons you would get a 403 Forbidden error.

1. The page does not physically exist using the url provided. The security runs before the existence of the physical page is even checked. If security is on and you are calling a page, the error will occur is the page if not listed as allowed or requiring login. If the page address is wrong, it isn't listed in security and therefore blocked.

If you suspect this is the problem, try turning security off in the settings, publish the settings and try again. If the address was wrong, you will get a page not found error if the security is off.

2. Some security files are actually missing. The settings and security guid fields are automatically published, but the security data files must be explicitly published. If they were not published, you will get the error. This typically only occurs after the first publish. If the app was previously published to the target, the files should be there unless someone manually deleted them.

3. Each project must have a unique guid in the guid.SecuritySettings file. If two projects on the same server have the same guid, only the first opened will work. The second will return the 403 error as the guid is already in use. This can happen if you publish to one location, and then republish to another. In that case, if the first publish was in error and those files have been removed, you can shut down the Alpha Five program (or server program) and restart. Stopping and restarting the server alone will NOT clear the error.

If you copy a project from one folder to another, do NOT copy the guid.SecuritySettings file. It will be automatically recreated on any publish if it is missing. If you think you may have published to multiple locations, just delete the guid.SecuritySettings file in the current project and republish anything. A new one with a new identifier will publish and be used for the security.

[Steve Wood]

Re: Internal LAN users can't access Alpha5v8

It falls in to the category of If security is on, security is ON. It doesn't matter how you created the file, what tools you use. If the file is in the web project, and security is on, it will protect that file from view according to your settings for that individual file.

You need to either turn security off for your test, or right-click on the file, select Security and select Always Allow, and republish your file.

Also, if your file has an extension .a5w the above applies. If it ends with something else, .txt for example, you need to go to Web Security > Page Security and find File Types always Allowed, and include that file type.

[Hansolo]

Re: Internal LAN users can't access Alpha5v8

Thanks Steve. That is interesting. I have a project published to A5Webroot\project. So you saying that if I want security on that project, that any other different unrelated project I make in the future (A5Webroot\anotherproject) has to follow the same security rules even if security is not needed for that project? I thought the security only applied to the projects individually if you added security to the project.

The page I currently have in A5Webroot is not and was never created in a project or published with Alpha 5. It is a simple .htm page created with note pad that should have nothing to do in the least with security.

Guess I need to learn a lot more or go back to what seems to be the simpler way in V7.

[Steve Wood]

Re: Internal LAN users can't access Alpha5v8

Yes, its per project. Should have mentioned you can leave security turned on on the server, but off in the project at Web Security > Security Configuration. Just toggle it off. Then that project will not have security applied. But you still need to publish security files to that project at least once, which is an option on the Publish dialog.

If security is on for that project, your HTML file needs to be registered in Page Security as a type always allowed, per my last post. ALL files, regardless of extension, fall under security if security is turned on for a given project.

[Hansolo]

Re: Internal LAN users can't access Alpha5v8

Sorry to keep beating this to death but this is driving me nutz! Here is the situation.

I have the V9 WAS setup on a VPS. I have the security framework turned on so that I can use it for future projects I need to do.

BUT... currently I have no projects published to the server.

I simply placed a index.htm test page in the A5Webroot. I originally did this to test that the domain was correctly mapped. Instead what I get is the security error I listed above and is shown in the attached image.

If I turn off the security framework on the server, then I don't get the error and can see the simple test page.

How am I going to be able to serve projects or pages that do not need security and don't have it in the project, if they get trumped by this Security Error?

[Steve Wood]

Re: Internal LAN users can't access Alpha5v8

You have to understand that if security is turned on for the server it covers EVERY page under the document root, no matter how it was generated or where it is placed. EVERY project (typically denoted by a subfolder) MUST have appropriate security files present in order to run ANY file whatsoever, even if you have security turned off for a given project.

This makes sense if you do have security turned on for the project, but I agree it seems odd (at first) if you have security turned off for a given project, or your the file you placed on the server is not related to any particular project, like your index file you tested.

But you do need those security files published to your project location if you want any files to appear.

I know which files specifically you need, but I'm not going to post it here.

It's best to create your Alpha project and in the Profile set the project folder if you want one. Click Publish and check to include the security files. That will place the appropriate files on the server at the right location. Then your test file will work.

[Garry Flanigan]

Re: Internal LAN users can't access Alpha5v8

Hansolo,
Are you trying to access the web page via internet from outside?
If so, have you shared the a5webroot folder? Don't forget this needs to be done in 2 places.
Garry

[NoeticCC]

Re: Internal LAN users can't access Alpha5v8

This often has to do with internal routing, you may have to add the IP address of your server to the hosts file.