NETGEAR DG834GUV5 Inbound Rules Port Forwarding, Inbound Rule Example a Local Public Web Server

DG834GUv5 Wireless Router with Built-in DSL Modem User Manual

Inbound Rules (Port Forwarding)

Because the modem router uses Network Address Translation (NAT), your network presents only one IP address to the Internet, and outside users cannot directly access any of your local computers. However, by defining an inbound rule you can make a local server (for example, a Web server or game server) visible and available to the Internet. The rule tells the modem router to direct inbound traffic for a particular service to one local server based on the destination port number. This is also known as port forwarding.

Note: Some broadband ISP accounts do not allow you to run any server processes (such as a Web or FTP server) from your location. Your ISP might periodically check for servers and might suspend your account if it discovers any active services at your

location. If you are unsure, see the acceptable use policy of your ISP.

Remember that allowing inbound services opens holes in your firewall. Enable only those ports that are necessary for your network. Following are two application examples of inbound rules.

Inbound Rule Example: A Local Public Web Server

If you host a public Web server on your local network, you can define a rule to allow inbound Web (HTTP) requests from outside IP addresses to the IP address of your Web server at any time of day. This rule is shown in the following figure:

Figure 3-4

The settings are:

•Service. From this list, select the application or service to be allowed or blocked. The list already displays many common services, but you are not limited to these choices. Use the Services screen to add any additional services or applications that do not already appear.

3-6 Protecting Your Network

v1.0, May 2009