ADVANCED Q: Controlling Replay @ different IP

[CCCP]

Here is a question to all our advanced gurus:

I need to remote control a Replay TV box at my parent house (IP address is different from mine).
Here is a twist: Cablevision is blocking port 80.
Therefore, I can't use RTVrc that communicates over port 80.

There are some generic ports that Cablevision (bless their souls) allow (8080, 8000 and some others).

Any ideas how can I help my parents navigating through the menus in case of need?

[Murphy]

Get your parents a router that allows port mapping.
i.e. the request comes in on port 8080 and the router forwards it to port 80.

[CCCP]

Originally posted by Murphy
Get your parents a router that allows port mapping.
i.e. the request comes in on port 8080 and the router forwards it to port 80. I can do port forwarding on the remote side.
The problem is that RTVrc is using port 80 (hardcoded).
If I can get my hands on remote comander that is configuarble, I can use port 8080 as communication protocol and then map to port 80 on my parent's LAN.

[TalkinCat]

RTVrc can be set to listen on whatever port you want. I believe the default is port 1234. You just have to edit the "listenport=" line of the rtvrc.cfg file to the port you want, and then forward that port to the IP address of the machine running RTVrc.

[CCCP]

Originally posted by TalkinCat
RTVrc can be set to listen on whatever port you want. I believe the default is port 1234. You just have to edit the "listenport=" line of the rtvrc.cfg file to the port you want, and then forward that port to the IP address of the machine running RTVrc. Now I got really confused...

From what I understand (please correct me if I am wrong) RTVrc communicates to ReplayTV box via port 80.
The setting "listenport=" is for web interface only.
I need to communicate between RTVrc and Replay via some arbitrary port (let's say 8080).

Then I can do the following:
my RTVrc
==> Internet via port 8080
==> Parents' Router forwards port 8080 to port 80
==> Parents' ReplayTV via port 80

I can then setup "listenport=29001" and open http://myIPaddress:29001 to control parents' ReplayTV

[Loren Kruse.]

You will want the RTVrc software running on a computer within your parents house. That way you can set it up to listen on a particular port coming from the internet or within the house.

I would be suprised that your cable company allows port 80 for in-bound...they don't normally allow users to run their own websites.

This might work but again you would need a computer at your parents house running this software:

My cable cable company blocks me from sending email via my company's mail server...they block port 25 except to their mail server. I have setup my mail server at the company to also listen to port 24 for SMTP connections and this software then sends it on to port 25. This might work for you...

The software is called - IP_RELAY and is free.

[CCCP]

Thanks,
Originally posted by Loren Kruse.
You will want the RTVrc software running on a computer within your parents house. That way you can set it up to listen on a particular port coming from the internet or within the house. I would, but there is no computer that runs 24 hours a day at my parent's house. Thus, I am trying to control their ReplayTV from my PC.
I would be suprised that your cable company allows port 80 for in-bound...they don't normally allow users to run their own websites. That's why I want to use port 8080 for WAN communications (between my house and my parent's house).

[Loren Kruse.]

Don't know if this will work or not...In the text file listing your ReplayTV's (replays.txt) try placing the port after the ip address of your ReplayTV or router.

Living Room xx.xx.xx.xx:8080

If that doesn't work you might try contacting the author of RTVrc create you a special version to broadcast on 8080 or if you know Java change the code yourself.

[Slack]

Not to rain on your parade but....
When you get it working: The double select bug still stands in your way.

So it might be easier to tell your folks how to do what you want them to do. Teach a man to fish and all that.

[Loren Kruse.]

I just performed a crude test on my end and putting the port address after the ip address in the replays.txt file and it seems to work. So if your parents router can relay port 8080 over to 80 then you should be in good shape.

Just be aware that anyone then could potentially access your parents ReplayTV's.

[Loren Kruse.]

Originally posted by Slack
Not to rain on your parade but....
When you get it working: The double select bug still stands in your way.

So it might be easier to tell your folks how to do what you want them to do. Teach a man to fish and all that.

If you push the button half way down you can get around the double select bug ;)

But you can use the enter key in a lot of cases to avoid the double select bug...except in the ReplayTVGuide.

[CCCP]

Thanks to all!

A few thoughts:
- I know about the unfortunate/annoying double-select bug, but I will have to live with it.
- Teach a man to fish...: Actually I need a remote control to accept IVS shows (from me) on my folks' behalf.
By the time they get to TV, they will have a show already downloaded.
If anyone have a better idea how to auto-accept IVS shows, please let me know.
- As for anybody being able to access my parents' ReplayTV: Really, what are the chances? :p - especially when port 80 is blocked by cable company :D

Thanks again, I will try this weekend...

[Loren Kruse.]

Since the ENTER key doesn't work in the ReplayTVGuide there is no way to accept a IVS show until the double select bug is fixed.

I have asked in the next release that they allow the Enter key to function in the ReplayGuide as it does in the channel guide...we can only hope.

[MaxH]

Actually, accepting a show is one of the only things that the double select bug will NOT screw up. That's because "Accept show" is the first choice when you select a show that has been sent to you, so the second select will accept the show.

But if you forward port 8080 or any other port to port 80 on the Replay, that Replay's web server will crash with every port scan, and the only way to restart the web server will be to soft reboot the Replay. That's why you will probably need to run RTVrc on a computer at your parent's house anyway. You may need to convince them to leave it on 24/7. Controlling it from another PC with the port forwarded will only work in the small window between a reboot and the first port scan.

[CCCP]

Originally posted by MaxH
Actually, accepting a show is one of the only things that the double select bug will NOT screw up. That's because "Accept show" is the first choice when you select a show that has been sent to you, so the second select will accept the show. I have already thought of the same.
I have previously accepted shows on my own Replay with the double-select bug.
But if you forward port 8080 or any other port to port 80 on the Replay, that Replay's web server will crash with every port scan, and the only way to restart the web server will be to soft reboot the Replay. That's why you will probably need to run RTVrc on a computer at your parent's house anyway. You may need to convince them to leave it on 24/7. Controlling it from another PC with the port forwarded will only work in the small window between a reboot and the first port scan. Do you mean with EVERY port scan?
Or does somebody have to scan the port 8080 (the one I forward to port 80) for Replay's web server to crash?

[goodjoke]

Is settings up a DVarchive box and ftp'ing the files entirely out of the question? Once you set it up, there is little or no maintenance for your parents.

[MaxH]

I'm pretty sure the whole point of port scanning is to scan all 60,000+ ports. Not being a script kiddie, I don't know how they actually implement it. ;)

[Scyber]

Originally posted by MaxH
I'm pretty sure the whole point of port scanning is to scan all 60,000+ ports. Not being a script kiddie, I don't know how they actually implement it. ;)

Depends on what kinda of scan. Most scans will probably only scan the well known & common port #s. 8080 happens to be one of the common ones (it is the default for tomcat & other java application servers). I would change it to something less common and you would run less of a risk.

[CCCP]

Thanks to all!
I will give it a try...

[Loren Kruse.]

Originally posted by MaxH
Actually, accepting a show is one of the only things that the double select bug will NOT screw up. That's because "Accept show" is the first choice when you select a show that has been sent to you, so the second select will accept the show.


Must of been the SEND show that I was thinking about...

[sfhub]

Originally posted by CCCP
Do you mean with EVERY port scan?
Or does somebody have to scan the port 8080 (the one I forward to port 80) for Replay's web server to crash?
It's not the port scan per se, but the HTTP server on the Replay dies when
it gets some particular requests it wasn't expecting. Not all unexpected
requests cause the server to die, just some. The likelihood of receiving
these requests when a port to the replay is directly accessible is much
higher.

[dnastrain]

A comment on RTVrc -- not sure if someone already pointed this out.
The documentation at rtvrc.sourceforge.net states:

Normally you can press ch+/ch-, ffw/rew, IR/QS in Replay and Channel guide to skip pages/categories. These shortcuts don't work remotely.


Just verified that the above restriction is not true anymore. The CH+/- and FF/RR work on the Replay and Channel Guides remotely...