AOL broadband via a router?

Does anyone know how to set up shared access to AOL broadband via a
hardware router?

--
BRG
===
http://www.brgservices.co.uk/

"BRG" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:Xns93E9C13F9F746BrianGxxx@194.168.222.40...
> Does anyone know how to set up shared access to AOL broadband via a
> hardware router?
>
> --
> BRG
> ===
> http://www.brgservices.co.uk/

Can't be done, my friend!
AOL have a specific protocol which prevents this (along with other NICE
things we non-AOL users have!) Best advice if you want multiple access is to
ditch AOL and get a REAL isp who doesn't use spyware!
Why do you want AOL in the first place? Surely it wasn't the free CD which
plopped on the doormat!!!

HTH
Paul


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.514 / Virus Database: 312 - Release Date: 28/08/2003

Paul King wrote:
> "BRG" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:Xns93E9C13F9F746BrianGxxx@194.168.222.40...
>
>>Does anyone know how to set up shared access to AOL broadband via a
>>hardware router?

> Can't be done, my friend!

Errr - not actually true - it can be done - but they do make it more of
a pain than it ought to be.

> AOL have a specific protocol which prevents this (along with other NICE

They establish a VPN connection between the AOL client software and
their servers.

> things we non-AOL users have!) Best advice if you want multiple access is to
> ditch AOL and get a REAL isp who doesn't use spyware!

That I would agree with ;-)

You can share by one of two ways:

Either setup AOL on one computer as normal and then again on a second
computer - however the second computer you specify the transport
mechanism to use as TCP/IP. You will then need to install proxy software
on the primary computer to relay traffic to the second one. Chose your
proxy carefully however, since it is easy to accidentally end up
granting access to your computer to anyone who wants it, if if you do
not know what you are doing!

I am also aware of people who have setup AOL using a router. However it
is not as straight forward as with a real ISP. Your router will need to
allow full VPN passthrough, and you will need a AOL client install like
that described for the proxy solution. You should then be able to
"log-in" (or whatever AOL call it) from both computers.

Note that the use of the VPN will effectively bypass the firewall in
your router! So you will most likely need a software firewall as well
(assuming AOL do not furnish one).

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

"Paul King" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:3f53e9c7$0$273$(E-Mail Removed):

> Why do you want AOL in the first place?>

I don't.

--
BRG
===
http://www.brgservices.co.uk/

Darren Grant <(E-Mail Removed)-nospam-> wrote in
news:(E-Mail Removed):

It is _not_ possible to use a router
> with AOL UK broadband.
>


....because?

--
BRG
===
http://www.brgservices.co.uk/

John Rumm <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:fdd5b.1341$(E-Mail Removed):

> BRG wrote:
>
>> I need a router-based solution, proxying won't fit the bill.
>> Any more detailled information or pointers would be much
>> appreciated.
>
> He used a vigor router, but thought that any router
> capable of VPN pass through should work.

Worth a try. I'm planning to use a Netgear DG824M which supports
VPN pass through.

>>>Note that the use of the VPN will effectively bypass the
>>>firewall in your router! So you will most likely need a
>>>software firewall as well (assuming AOL do not furnish one).
>>>
>>
>> I'd always understood that VPNs are very secure generally. Are
>> you saying that all VPNs have this effect on routers, or that
>> AOL's approach is the problem?
>>
>> Again, more details would be very helpful.
>
> You are right that VPNs are secure - their whole reason for
> being really! However it does depend on how you look at it.
>
> The encryption used by the VPN will ensure that the "tunnel"
> between your computer and the remote network remains secure as
> it passes over a public network (e.g. the Internet). However
> what the VPN does is allow a computer to connect to a remote
> network in such a way that it appears to be a "part of" that
> network. The remote computer will normally be able to access
> network resources as if it were connected directly to the LAN
> (although slower perhaps!) So the network must "trust" the
> remote computer and vice versa.

Testing shows that when tunnelled into AOL, the common ports tested
by grc.com are listed as closed (not stealth), but that ports 1025
and 5000 are open. Presumably these latter are for the AOL client
to chatter to the AOL mothership.

>
> The actual level of protection you get will also depend on
> "where" in its protocol stack the router includes its firewall.
> Normally with a router that includes its own VPN end point
> termination, it can be integrated with the firewall if required.
> In the AOL case, the end point is in the AOL client software
> running on your PC. Hence the router only gets to see the
> already encrypted VPN traffic. As a result its embedded firewall
> is not in a position to make any judgement about the content of
> these packets.
>

Aha, I understand what you are saying now - I'd misinterpreted your
description. The tunnelled connection is similar to a port
explcitly forwarded to a specific client PC. It is passed through
the router which does not 'see' its content. The VPN connection has
its own virtual IP address and ports that are only visible to the
client PC, not the router.

Unfortunately SoHo networking routers don't do VPN endpoints in
general - it takes an industrial-strength Cisco box and a huge
wallet to do that. :-)

I've found that the AOL tunnel also bypasses Windows XP's built-in
firewall, but it does not bypass Kerio Personal Firewall (possibly
others, but haven't tried). Presumably the former operates lower
down the TCP/IP stack. BTW: Kerio PFW seems to work OK with AOL 8.0
software for both broadband and dial-up.

--
BRG
===
http://www.brgservices.co.uk/

BRG wrote:

>>He used a vigor router, but thought that any router
>>capable of VPN pass through should work.
>
>
> Worth a try. I'm planning to use a Netgear DG824M which supports
> VPN pass through.

Yup that should work.... I have certainly setup a system for a client
that used the ordinary Win2K VPN client to connect via the DG814 version
of that router - and that worked well.

> Testing shows that when tunnelled into AOL, the common ports tested
> by grc.com are listed as closed (not stealth), but that ports 1025
> and 5000 are open. Presumably these latter are for the AOL client
> to chatter to the AOL mothership.

Port 5000 is the Universal Plug'n'Prey port in windows. If you are not
using UPnP you could close that port. Have a look at grc.com for a
utility that will do it for you.

> the router which does not 'see' its content. The VPN connection has
> its own virtual IP address and ports that are only visible to the
> client PC, not the router.

Yup

> Unfortunately SoHo networking routers don't do VPN endpoints in
> general - it takes an industrial-strength Cisco box and a huge
> wallet to do that. :-)

One of the Vigors and also the SAR715-PV both can do real end points
(IPSEC, PPTP, and L2TP) in the router if required. You can get the
latter for about 100 quid now.

> I've found that the AOL tunnel also bypasses Windows XP's built-in
> firewall, but it does not bypass Kerio Personal Firewall (possibly
> others, but haven't tried). Presumably the former operates lower
> down the TCP/IP stack. BTW: Kerio PFW seems to work OK with AOL 8.0
> software for both broadband and dial-up.

Also remember that the built in XP firewall is hardly worthy of the name
- since it does very little in the way of egress filtering. As a result
it does little to protect you from trojans and spyware that wants to
"phone home".


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/