Re: TCP/IP Dial-In to AS/400

Christian Luebke wrote:

> Hi,
>
> what do you think about allowing customers to dial in to our AS/400 using a
> TCP/IP connection via an ISDN Router or a PC in our Ethernet LAN? We do not
> have an IPCS which could be used as a firewall solution but we want to have
> our PCs protected so nobody can access them via the net.
>
> We'd like to distribute minor updates of our software using the AS/400 as
> Web-Server - this is the easy part - but are there any security holes? Since
> that would be our machine we use for programming, security has highest
> priority...
>
> Any hints?
>
> Bye, Christian

You could use a Proxy Server on a PC.  It will allow multiple clients on your
network to dial out with one valid internet IP address.  Also, they will have
some basic firewall capability.

Microsoft has one that is part of back office, and there are many shareware
versions out there, one we tested was WinProxy.  We did not use it because the
Work Station Gateway changes the Port each time the user presses enter or a
function key and the browser would lose touch with the server.  I read on the
comp.sys.as400.xxx newsgroup that some unix dude had mapped all of the ports in
his unix proxy server, but we did not try that with Winproxy.

You can have the ultimate unbreakable security system by only connecting to the
internet when your customers need it (or starting the servers when needed), then
turn everything off when they are done.

Or, use a dialup ISP connection, and just tell them to point their browser to
http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx, whatever your ISP assigned you for that call.
--
Art Tostaine, Jr.
Creative Computer Associates, Inc.
Parlin, NJ 08859


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