Apache :: Website shows on all Lan devices, but not externally

RT-XD · Joined: 16 Jul 2014 Posts: 10 Location: UK

Hi all,

I am a complete newbie to apache and web hosting. So if I miss anything, please just ask and I'll do my best to provide the information.

As the title says: I can view the website I've created just fine on LAN devices, but when trying to connect from outside, people get a blank page. No errors or connection problems - just a blank white page.

I've seen others have this issue - but could not see a solution. Or at least, could not understand the solutions that were given.

Apache version: 2.4.9
OS: windows server 2008

I hope someone knows the solution - I would really like to know how to fix this!

Thanks in advanced.

--RT

gijs · Joined: 27 Apr 2012 Posts: 189 Location: The Netherlands

Have you tried disabling any firewalls and such?

RT-XD · Joined: 16 Jul 2014 Posts: 10 Location: UK

Thanks for the quick reply
Yes - I've disabled the router firewall and the windows firewall to test this out.

Although, preferably I would like to keep it on when the website is working XD

gijs · Joined: 27 Apr 2012 Posts: 189 Location: The Netherlands

Did it work when the firewall was disabled? If so its an issue with your firewall configuration. If not it's something else.

Perhaps the Apache server isn't listening on the external IP's

jraute · Joined: 13 Sep 2013 Posts: 188 Location: Rheinland, Germany

RT-XD · Joined: 16 Jul 2014 Posts: 10 Location: UK

Thanks

I've added incoming rules to allow port 80, on both the router and windows firewall.
What's port 443? Am I supposed to allow that as well?
I know it works, because I can see it on other machines on my LAN. But why doesn't it work on the web?

RT-XD · Joined: 16 Jul 2014 Posts: 10 Location: UK

I don't think it's a firewall issue - I tried it with both the firewalls (router and windows firewall) off. I'll give it another go today and see if it works.

But it seems like the HTML files that should be showing just aren't accessible to the public. Only LAN.

jraute · Joined: 13 Sep 2013 Posts: 188 Location: Rheinland, Germany

RT-XD · Joined: 16 Jul 2014 Posts: 10 Location: UK

I've allowed ports 80 and 443 to be forwarded on the router. Still get nothing on machines outside my LAN.

I can see the site on every computer on my LAN network, including the machine where apache is running on.

jraute · Joined: 13 Sep 2013 Posts: 188 Location: Rheinland, Germany

Can you post your httpd.conf anonymised?

RT-XD · Joined: 16 Jul 2014 Posts: 10 Location: UK

I've created a link to onedrive - should be able to download it from there:
(did not want to make a big post full of the Httpd)

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=912D8242333AD897!15800&authkey=!AGdlpAPVh6JyOf0&ithint=file%2c.conf
(edit: copy the whole link into the browser. The click-able part stops half way through the link)

let me know if there's an issue downloading it.

Thanks again for helping Smile

jraute · Joined: 13 Sep 2013 Posts: 188 Location: Rheinland, Germany

Download works.
Will check it later, after work.

Greets JR

jraute · Joined: 13 Sep 2013 Posts: 188 Location: Rheinland, Germany

Ok, first of all i didn't see anything wrong in the loaded modules.
But i wonder about the installation path, because that is a user directory with typically very restricted rights.
So the first thing i would change is the installation path.

You can copy the apache-installation for example to c:\apache and register the path again, that would be my first step.

Then i was wondering about the proxy-configuration you have enabled. Why that? If your apache server is hosting the files, there is no need for a proxy-configuration. Try it without the proxy-configuration.

RT-XD · Joined: 16 Jul 2014 Posts: 10 Location: UK

Thanks for the reply Smile

Yeh, the directory is a little strange. I'll make a copy of Apache onto C:/ and see if that helps at all.

I don't remember enabling any proxy settings. Is this the proxy settings to do with HTML4? I think that was on by default - but I'll disable that too and see what difference it makes.

Right - I've done both things. I still cannot see it outside the LAN.
The httpd.conf is now the stock (with the proxy disabled), so opening the site should just say "it works".

Which it does on my LAN, but on the WAN.

RT-XD · Joined: 16 Jul 2014 Posts: 10 Location: UK

ok, I think I may done something else wrong that isn't really to do with apache.

I shut down the server and all the computers on my LAN suddenly cannot reach the site.

But for others, they still get a blank page - no connection error.

What I think is going on, is that anyone outside the LAN reaches the router and the router isn't forwarding correctly? I'm not sure why, because I forwarded port 80 to the correct local address.

jraute · Joined: 13 Sep 2013 Posts: 188 Location: Rheinland, Germany

are there two locations - i mean are you working in a branch and there is a second company building somewhere else, than the router is maybe tunneling the traffic?

RT-XD · Joined: 16 Jul 2014 Posts: 10 Location: UK

I'm actually setting up the site on a server I've got at home. I don't know if that changes anything?

It's a small website my friends and I are working on, and since I have a spare computer and a fair internet speed, I'm trying to host it.

glsmith

Port 80 blocked by ISP?

RT-XD · Joined: 16 Jul 2014 Posts: 10 Location: UK

Ok - I mayyy have solved the issue?

Something kind of stupid, it seems like. I didn't think about this because there other things I was doing on the server that made me thing it was working.

1. Go to Network and Sharing centre
2. Make the network public instead of private

Simple as that. Now the site actually works for others - and it explains why I was only seeing it on LAN devices.