mapping ports with windows xp
Introduction
Currently, I'm using a Windows XP box as an Internet-sharing router. I wanted to be able to SSH in from the outside Internet to a Linux box on my internal network. I didn't think it was possible to map a port with Windows XP connection sharing, but I was wrong. This quick article shows how to do it.
Creating a Shared Connection
The first step is to actually have a shared connection. You can get this working through the Network Setup Wizard in the Control Panel. Simply follow the Wizard and reboot. Afterwards, XP will share the public connection to your private network as well as have a DHCP server and DNS services listening on the private interface.
Mapping Ports with XP
In the Control Panel, go to Network Connections. Right-click on your public connection and go to Properties.
Next, go to the Advanced Tab and click on Settings under Internet Connection Sharing.
This window will have a list of common Internet services.
To add a new service, click Add. Fill out the fields appropriately.
Finally, click OK on all the boxes. Windows XP will now forward all SSH requests to the box sitting on 192.168.0.2. Easy enough.
Conclusion
Yes, I find it odd that I'm using a Windows XP box as an Internet-sharing router. However, that's how my current set-up is and I'll live with it. What's surprising and convenient is how easy it is to do simple mapping for external-to-internal communications. Of course, the downside is that you can't do all the fun scripting and mangling available with IPTables.
Tags: Networking, SSH, Windows XP
