Using InterMapper with Windows XP SP2 and Vista
Dartware has tested InterMapper with Windows XP SP2 and Vista. Use this tech note to help you configure your system to work well with either operating system.
Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista Firewall
Windows XP SP2 and Vista both ship with significant firewalling turned on. You will need to create exceptions ("poke holes") in the firewall in order to use the remote server, web server, telnet server, or DataCenter server as well as to monitor SNMP traps. (In our testing with InterMapper server running on an XP SP2 machine, auto-discovery and monitoring appears to work fine without holes in the firewall. However, you need to adjust the firewall if you want to use InterMapper Remote or other services named below, or if you want to run on Vista.)
Windows XP/Windows Firewall
You can use one of two basic methods of poking holes in the firewall:
- by application
- by port
The first (by application) is the easiest way to be sure that InterMapper will work. The second (by port) may be desirable if you're not planning to use all three servers.
For either method,
- Click the Start menu and choose Control Panel.
- Click Windows Firewall.
- In the General tab, make sure On (Recommended) is selected.
- Click the Exceptions tab.
- If you choose to use the first method, (by application,) click Add Program..., then click Browse... and navigate to InterMapper.exe. Enter a description (such as "InterMapper",) choose a Scope, and click OK. That should be all you need to do.
If you choose to use the second method, (by port) click Add Port... button, enter a name, (such as "InterMapper Remote Server") and a port number. Choose a protocol. The table below shows the proper settings for the InterMapper servers.
Notes:
You need two entries for the Remote Server, one for TCP, one for UDP.
For Vista, in addition to configuring the firewall as above, you must create an inbound rule to allow ICMP traffic, as described below. - Once you've entered all your ports, choose a Scope and click OK. To add a port for another server, or if you haven't done both entries for the Remote Server yet, click Add... again to add more.
- Click OK again to close the control panel. You're done!
| Service | Port | Protocol |
|---|---|---|
| Remote Server | 8181 | Both TCP and UDP |
| Web Server | 80 | TCP |
| Telnet Server | 23 | TCP |
| SNMP Traps | 162 | UDP |
| DataCenter | 8182 | TCP (InterMapper version 4.6 and above) |
Configuring Vista to allow ICMP Traffic ("Pings")
Microsoft has made significant changes to the Windows Firewall in Vista to enhance security and to allow for more advanced configuration. Vista's new Windows Firewall supports firewalling for both incoming and outgoing traffic.
The default behavior of the Vista's new Windows Firewall is to:
- Block all incoming traffic (including pings) unless it is solicited or it matches a configured rule
- Allow all outgoing traffic unless it matches a configured rule.
The default rules will block returning ping packets, and thus InterMapper will not be able to ping any devices. In order to allow this ICMP traffic, a new Inbound Rule must be created in the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security settings for each service:
- Open Control Panel > System and Maintenance > Administrative Tools, and then double-click Windows Firewall with Advanced Security.
- Right-click Inbound Rules in the tree, then click New Rule. Select the Custom option and click Next.
- Select the All programs option and click Next.
- Select the ICMPv4 protocol for the new rule from the Protocol Type drop-down list and click Next.
- Select the local and remote IP addresses to allow and click Next.
- Select Allow the Connection and click Next.
- Select when the rule will be applied and click Next.
- Enter a name and an optional description for the rule, and click Finish.