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Obsolete Releases => SME Server 7.x => Topic started by: mxc on August 25, 2006, 02:34:49 PM

Title: Problems access server-manager url --- blank page
Post by: mxc on August 25, 2006, 02:34:49 PM
Hi all,

we can ssh into the sme server box but we cant view the server-manager url. We just get a blank page. There are no obvios error messages in the http log files and we are at a bit of a loss where to look.

Has anyone got any ideas where to look?

Also it appears that the mail logs are not being written to mailog as expected but to the qmail current log file. Is this correct?
Title: Re: Problems access server-manager url --- blank page
Post by: frond on August 26, 2006, 02:56:01 AM
mxc

>.. we cant view the server-manager url. We just get a blank page.

Are you logging in as admin ?
Title: Problems access server-manager url --- blank page
Post by: mxc on August 26, 2006, 07:18:31 AM
Hi there,

Thanks for the reply. This is where we are at:

1) We can view the server-manager url if we login as admin from the console,
2) We are connected via VPN through an endian firewall,
3) While connected via VPN we are unable to ping the green network card on the firewall and unable to connect to any internet services.   So although we have connected via VPN to the green network and can ssh into smeserver it seems sme server cannot see the firewall and therefore its gateway. I dont know if this is some weired VPN issue.
4) Sometimes from the machine connected via VPN we are able to see the sme admin panel from a browser but most of the time we are unable to see it from the vpn machine. We have enable access to the admin panel from the local green network.


We have used firewalls before but this is the first time we are trying sme server in the mix.  It just doesnt make logical sense to me that we have a green network ip from the vpn and can ssh into the sme server but the sme server cant see the firewall.  We are going out to the client tomorrow to see whats up.  Any hints appreciated.

=============================

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Title: Problems access server-manager url --- blank page
Post by: mmccarn on August 26, 2006, 04:08:18 PM
Have you used ssh for port forwarding before?

Try this:
$ ssh -l root -L 443:127.0.0.1:443 <yourSME>

(or C:\> putty -L 443:127.0.0.1:443 <yourSME>)

Then open your browser and try
https://localhost/server-manager

This will work as long as you are not already running a webserver on port 443 on your local workstation.  If you are, use:
$ ssh -l root -L 8443:127.0.0.1:443 <yourSME>

followed by:
https://localhost:8443/server-manager

("8443" chosen at random as a TCP port that is likely to be unused by any service on your local workstation)

This gets you to the server-manager, but without solving your VPN problem...

Some More Questions:
Title: Problems access server-manager url --- blank page
Post by: cactus on August 26, 2006, 04:43:17 PM
Quote from: "mmccarn"
Have you used ssh for port forwarding before?

Try this:
$ ssh -l root -L 443:127.0.0.1:443 <yourSME>

(or C:\> putty -L 443:127.0.0.1:443 <yourSME>)

Then open your browser and try
https://localhost/server-manager

This will work as long as you are not already running a webserver on port 443 on your local workstation.  If you are, use:
$ ssh -l root -L 8443:127.0.0.1:443 <yourSME>

followed by:
https://localhost:8443/server-manager

("8443" chosen at random as a TCP port that is likely to be unused by any service on your local workstation)

This gets you to the server-manager, but without solving your VPN problem...
Isn't the /server-manager location actually a rewrite for port 980?  Shouldn;t that one be opened as well?
Title: Problems access server-manager url --- blank page
Post by: mmccarn on August 26, 2006, 06:08:49 PM
This is the first I've heard of port 980...

I manage 5 - 10 SME servers remotely tunnelling only port 443 using ssh.

If you felt you did need another port, just add another "-L" command.  You can add as many "-L" commands as you like, like this:

$ ssh -l root -L 443:127.0.0.1:443 -L 80:127.0.0.1:80 -L 980:127.0.0.1:980 <yourSME>

You can also use ssh/putty to tunnel ports to other systems on the same network as the SME server.  I manage several systems on one network using a command like this:

$ ssh -l root -L 2443:192.168.1.2:443 -L 6443:192.168.1.6:443 -L 3397:192.168.1.97:3389 -L 3398:192.168.1.98:3389 -L 5917:192.168.1.17:5900 -L 2204:192.168.1.4:22 <mySMEbox>

Allowing me to:
Title: Problems access server-manager url --- blank page
Post by: cactus on August 26, 2006, 08:08:29 PM
Quote from: "mmccarn"
This is the first I've heard of port 980...

From the /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf file:

Quote
ProxyPass /server-manager http://127.0.0.1:980/server-manager/
<Location /server-manager>
    order deny,allow
    deny from all
    allow from 127.0.0.1 192.168.93.0/255.255.255.0
</Location>


And from the /etc/http/admin-conf/httpd.conf file:

Quote
Listen 127.0.0.1:980


But I see this is only on the localhost, so that is internal for the server and not for remote access (I guess).
Title: Problems access server-manager url --- blank page
Post by: mmccarn on August 27, 2006, 07:16:46 AM
Cool!

It turns out you can use the port 980 for http connections to server-manager:

$ ssh -l root -L 9800:127.0.0.1:980 <mySMEserver>

http://localhost:9800/server-manager

This would allow me to avoid the warning about my self-signed certificate and reduce the amount of data encryption from twice to once (potentially useful with a slow server or workstation)!