Modded: Accessing the Web Interface (WebIF) from the External Internet

[Black Hole]

However, just one query. When using either Telnet or PUTTY, the command "o humax" to access the box gets me nowhere with an error message to say that the host could not be found, whereas typing "o 192.168.0.2" does work. I've checked that the hostname is set to 'humax' in the WebIf Settings page.

That is unless you're using a static IP and you place the name to IP mapping into the windows hosts file.

Well this is what I found curious in the first place. I've made no changes to my router nor have I ever added anything to the windows hosts file, but prior to loading the latest variant of the modded software, I was able to use the 'o humax' command and now I'm not. I've checked to make sure that the Humax is set to a fixed IP address.

Surely you are mis-remembering? How could "o humax" ever have worked unless you told Windows how to resolve "humax" into "192.168.0.2"? The WebIF settings will only affect how the Humax behaves, and prior to completion of the "o" (open connection) command, the Telnet client is not connected to the Humax.

 

[Chris Green]

As you know, I'm not that well versed in all this networking or command line stuff, picking up the bare minimum snippets as I go along, so I wouldn't know a windows hosts file or how to resolve 'humax' into '192.168.0.2' if they bit me on the arse. I can see where you're coming from, and the logic behind why this 'can't be' but the mystery to me is how one moment I'm able to use 'o humax' and then having only updated the modded software I'm not.

It's no big deal, since I'm quite happy to stick with using the ip address.

Incidentally, I only stumbled across using 'o humax' by accident having minutes before discovered a) where to find telnet and add it into my Windows set up, and b) that 'o' was the command to open something, so I thought 'what the hell?' and typed 'o humax' which to my surprise, worked (back then).

 

[af123]

...and typed 'o humax' which to my surprise, worked (back then).

Was it on fixed IP address back then? Even with the right type of router, I wouldn't expect the name->IP mapping to work on static IP, just on dynamic.

 

[Chris Green]

Was it on fixed IP address back then? Even with the right type of router, I wouldn't expect the name->IP mapping to work on static IP, just on dynamic.

Just in case that was something to do with it, I've just changed my Humax back to DHCP as an experiment and completely rebooted both the hummy and my home network, but still the same result. I've turned my attention to any changes that I really have made, like revoking the port forwarding and still nothing.

Working on the 'what was it you did last?' principle, the only changes to my machine have been an entire cleaning up of the /mod structure to get me out of the fix with passwords I was in, using the routine as set out in hummypkg.org.uk

i.e. ("rm -rf /mod/*", "/sbin/modinit" and "opkg update"),

then reinstalled the even later variant of the modded software. Could it be that there's some very subtle difference between versions HDR_FOX_T2_1.02.20_mod_1.10_upgrade.hdf and HDR_FOX_T2_1.02.20_mod_1.11_upgrade.hdf that's causing this, or an upgrade to one of the .opk files?

As I said before, I'm not bothered, just puzzled.

 

[af123]

As I said before, I'm not bothered, just puzzled.

I understand that, I'm just intrigued as well.

Were you by any chance running Samba before? If so, Windows would have picked up the netbios name of the humax and that could be how it did the conversion.

 

[Chris Green]

I understand that, I'm just intrigued as well.

Were you by any chance running Samba before? If so, Windows would have picked up the netbios name of the humax and that could be how it did the conversion.

Well done - you've cracked it. Re-installing Samba from the Availible list does indeed do the trick. I can't think I'd have intentionally installed it as file-sharing isn't high on my own personal agenda but I wonder if the older package list that's pulled over on first use of the WebIf contained it and then it got overwritten when I cleared out /mod included it as part of the initial build? If it was there, I'd probably have left it there.​

BTW, is there a neat way of listing the packages we are running in our signatures? It's been a useful facility on the toppy.org.uk site to show the extra apps running as well as the software version.​