connect to L1000 remotely from PC using a JAVA program

[Richard Darling]

I want to allow users to connect with a new GUI java interface in addition to telnet. I currently use Powerterm to connect to our L1000, and have configured a non-standard port that I allow through the DSL router. The problem with the new GUI program is that it is constantly incrementing the connection port, so I can't open up a specific port or range of ports. I don't feel comfortable opening up the firewall, but this new product allows remote users to use printers at the remote site easily and is very user friendly. I looked at possibly settting up a VPN.
Any ideas? Thanks.
Richard

[A. Clay Stephenson]

Without knowing more about your application, it's difficult to help. The typical way this is done is that you listen for connections on a fixed port and then immediately fork() and exec() a child process and hand-off the connection to ports in the anonymous port range. The parent process then goes back to listening on the fixed port. A common configuration technique is to restrict these anonymous ports to a specified range of port which can be added to your filewall rules. Data Protector does something very much like this. If your listener can be configured to work as I've described then this is one way to solve your problem.

[Richard Darling]

Hi Clay,
I agree, but the program selects a random starting port. I have executed the program dozens of times while using Ethereal to watch activity. I wouldn't mind opening up a range of ports, but our vendor is telling us that the ports are totally random, and they indicate that they aren't going to change the program.