Testing Firewall and Proxy Access from the Corporate LAN to Open Mobile Services

Open Mobile requires access to various iPass-hosted network servers in order to:

  • Receive regularly scheduled updates of available hotspots and automatically download profile settings and modifications made by your administrator.
  • Test basic Internet availability in preparation for launching VPN or performing other procedures.
  • Report session information that is gathered and presented to administrators and helpdesk personnel on the Open Mobile Portal.

This help page presents simple tests that administrators can complete in order to test for the success of these services and the configuration of firewalls, proxies, and other security systems to allow them. These tests included require a laptop and an Ethernet connection to your corporate LAN.


Test of Internet Connectivity:

Default host sniff.gslb.i-pass.com

The first test regards the process by which iPass Open Mobile Client determines you are connected to the Internet in preparation for launching VPN or other items.

  1. Start with the computer disconnected from a working LAN and with the Wi-Fi turned off. Display Open Mobile by right-clicking the system tray icon and selecting Open.
  2. Insert the LAN connector. Open Mobile will attempt to connect.
  3. If Connected is shown, then your system has connectivity to the Internet; this reflects that you have the ability to access the configured connectivity test address (by default, http://sniff.gslb.i-pass.com).
  4. If Identifying or Associated is shown, then it is likely that a proxy, firewall, or other security measure is most likely disallowing access to the configured connectivity test address (by default, http://sniff.gslb.i-pass.com). To correct this condition, add the default address sniff.gslb.i-pass.com (or an alternative address that you have configured) to the list of allowed or pass through addresses on your proxy or firewall.
  5. Alternatively, for On Campus (internal corporate connections) connections to work, you could reconfigure the connectivity address to a corporate address that is available both inside and outside of your corporate network.

Test of Session and User Reporting:

Default host omdatacollector.ipass.com

  1. Start with the computer disconnected from the LAN and with the Wi-Fi turned off.
  2. Insert the LAN connector. Open Mobile will connect to the LAN.
  3. Note the time.
  4. Remove the LAN connector, and replace it 10 seconds later. Open Mobile should disconnect, and then upon reinsertion of the connector, identify the network and reconnect.
  5. Later in the day, check the iPass Open Mobile Portal data collected under Reports to see if the session has been recorded.
  6. Log into the Open Mobile Portal at http://openmobile.ipass.com.
  7. Click on the Reports tab and select Connection Summary (in Open Mobile Portal 1.9) on the left. Click on View Details. The list should show any sessions from today.

To correct a failure to report, add the default address of om-download.ipass.com to the list of allowed or white-listed addresses on your proxy and/or firewall for TCP port 443.


Test of Access to Updates to the client:

Default hosts omupdater. ipass.com and om-download.ipass.com

  1. Start with the computer disconnected from the LAN and with the Wi-Fi turned off.
  2. Launch Open Mobile.
  3. Insert the LAN connector. Open Mobile will connect to the LAN.
  4. Select Tools > Update. Open Mobile will attempt to reach the update
  5. servers.
  6. Look for the status update in the lower part of the GUI. If Open Mobile can successfully access the update servers, you will probably see something like “No updates available”.

To correct a failure to get updates, enable proxies and firewalls inside your corporate network to pass through outgoing TCP connections to om-updater.ipass.com and omdownload.ipass.com on the ports 80 and 443.


Requesting Help

If any of these tests do not seem to return the expected successful results, or configuring proxies and firewalls inside your network as described here does not seem to help, open a support ticket with iPass Technical Support through the Open Mobile Portal. It may be helpful to collect your Open Mobile connection logs (in Open Mobile, press Ctrl+L, then click Email Logs and email the logs to yourself.)

Go to: Other Product Documents > Tech Notes

 

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