Fetch Softworks

Fetch, (White) AirPort Base Station & Cable Modem Weirdness... (3 posts)

• Started 21 years ago by Huck
• Latest reply 21 years ago from Huck

• Huck Member

  Hello:

  This isn't exclusively a Fetch issue but I'm hoping there is a solution waiting to be found here.

  I'm using Fetch 4.0.2 running under OS 10.1.5 and having trouble successfully connecting to one particular FTP server a via cable modem accessed using AirPort networking. I'm using a a Dual Ethernet ("White") Base Station running the latest AirPort software, version 2.0.4. The FTP server administrator has tried everything he can think of without having any luck fixing this problem.

  Here's are the particulars:

  1 -- If I physically connect any Mac to my cable modem, I can connect to this FTP server without any problems using Fetch. (It seems that War-FTP isn't too fond of passive mode, so I turn it off for this site. But it might would work enabled, as well.)

  2 -- If I attempt to connect wirelessly via AirPort (set to share a single IP address using DHCP and NAT), Fetch times out without accessing my directory. Changing any/all of Fetch's settings make no difference.

  3 -- If I turn off AirPort's IP address sharing (only one person at a time can access the cable modem), Fetch connects without any trouble.

  This sounds like some sort of double firewall issue to me. There is a built-in firewall in the new "White" Base Stations that cannot be turned off... although it would seem that disabling "Distribute IP addresses" via the AirPort Admin Utility (situation #3) DOES disable the firewall.

  I'm told by my PC using friends that WS-FTP for Windows has the ability to be set up to navigate a firewall *first* before sending commands out to a remote FTP server. Does Fetch have such a feature? Any other ideas?

  There's nothing of interest in Fetch's transcript logs.

  Dozens of similar reports can be found on Apple's AirPort discussion forum... and it would seem that all OS X-savvy FTP client apps experience difficulty accessing some sites via AirPort. So, while I realize that the REAL fix probably won't come until Apple allows users to turn off AirPort's built-in firewall -- I was hoping that someone here might have a suggestion.

  Thanks!

  Huck

  Posted 21 years ago #

• Jim Matthews Administrator

  My understanding was that the Airport firewall blocked incoming connections, which is what is used for non-passive mode transfers. The problem here may be that the Airport requires passive mode transfers, but the War FTP server does not support them.

  Fetch supports the same list of proxy server protocols as WS_FTP, but the Airport Base Station does not implement any of them to my knowledge.

  Sorry,

  Jim Matthews
  Fetch Softworks

  Posted 21 years ago #

• Huck Member

  Hi, Jim:

  Thanks for your response.

  While AirPort's firewall is supposed to ONLY block incoming connections, I think AirPort may be interpreting a command being sent to an internal address on the server side and is instead interpreting it locally. 

  I'm told that the WS-FTP for Windows firwall "workaround" does fix such problems for similar wireless setups in the Wintel world... but I guess I'll have to wait for Apple to give users the option to turn off AirPort's firewall.

  It is strange that I have trouble with just this one site as I can connect to almost all other War-FTP driven servers using PASV or not.

  Thanks, again!

  Huck

  Posted 21 years ago #