Firewall Configuration When Connecting Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition to the Short Message Service Center (303785)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Mobile Information 2001 Server
This article was previously published under Q303785

SUMMARY

When you use Mobile Information Server, Carrier Edition with a firewall, you need to open certain ports to allow traffic between the Mobile Information Server computer at the carrier and the Short Message Service center. The ports that need to be open depend on the Short Message Service protocol that is being used.

MORE INFORMATION

The following sections contain short descriptions of each protocol along with the associated firewall configuration.

CIMD2

Protocol Description

When the Client Install Data Manager (CIMD) session starts, the Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition computer opens one Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) connection to the Short Message Service center. All of the data between the Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition computer and the Short Message Service center is sent and received on this connection.

Firewall Configuration

To open the firewall to allow traffic from Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition to the Short Message Service center, open the firewall on the port that was configured in the Physical Channel properties in the Short Message Service Connector Administrator program. To determine which port is configured in the Physical Channel properties:
  1. Start Mobile Information Server System Manager, click to expand Short Message Service Connector, and then click to expand Physical Channel.
  2. Click the name of the physical channel, and then open the properties of the physical channel.
  3. Click Edit to determine which port is being used. The default port is 9000.

SMPP

Protocol Description

The Short Message Peer to Peer (SMPP) protocol uses two TCP/IP connections, both initiated by Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition. When the SMPP session starts, Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition opens two TCP/IP connections to the Short Message Service center. One connection is used to transmit data and the other is used to receive data. During initial communication, the Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition computer indicates to the Short Message Service center which TCP/IP connection transmits data and which connection receives data.

The TCP/IP connection uses the port that is entered in the Physical Channel properties in the Short Message Service Connector Administrator program. To determine which port is configured in the Physical Channel properties:
  1. Start Mobile Information Server System Manager, click to expand Short Message Service Connector, and then click to expand Physical Channel.
  2. Click the name of the physical channel, and then open the properties of the physical channel.
  3. Click Edit to determine which port is being used. The default port is 8188 for both the transmit and receive channel.
The transmit port and receive port do not need to be the same port.

Firewall Configuration

Add rules that allow traffic from the Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition computer to the Short Message Service center on both the transmit port and receive port that was entered in Short Message Service Connectors Administrator program (in the Physical Channel properties). If the transmit and receive ports are the same, you only need to add one rule.

EMI

Protocol Description

An EMI session starts when the Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition computer opens a TCP/IP connection to the Short Message Service center. This connection uses the port number that is entered in the Physical Channel properties in the Short Message Service Connector Administrator program. To determine which port is configured in the Physical Channel properties:
  1. Start Mobile Information Server System Manager, click to expand Short Message Service Connector, and then click to expand Physical Channel.
  2. Click the name of the physical channel, and then open the properties of the physical channel.
  3. Click Edit to determine which port is being used. The default port is 9971.
As soon as the Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition computer connects to the Short Message Service center, the Short Message Service center connects back to the Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition computer on a new TCP/IP connection. Therefore, during normal operation, two TCP/IP connections exist between the Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition computer and the Short Message Service center.

Firewall Configuration

Because two different TCP/IP connections exist between the Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition computer and the Short Message Service center during normal operation, you must add two rules to the firewall:
  • One rule allows traffic from the Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition computer to the Short Message Service center. This traffic uses the port that was entered in the Short Message Service Connectors Administrator program (in the Physical Channel properties).
  • The other rule allows traffic from the Short Message Service center to the Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition computer. This traffic use the same port that the first connection uses.
The two rules are similar, but are two completely different rules.

For example, assume that the Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition computer is used with six different Short Message Service center types (two CIMD2, two SMPP, and two EMI), the IP address of the Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition computer is 192.168.0.17, and the Short Message Service centers have IP addressing according to the following table.

Short Message Service center typeIP Address
Short Message Service center CIMD21.2.3.4
Short Message Service center CIMD21.2.3.5
Short Message Service center SMPP1.0.0.1
Short Message Service center SMPP1.0.0.2
Short Message Service center EMI4.3.2.1
Short Message Service center EMI4.3.2.2

Assuming that default ports are used, the following rules are needed.

RuleNameFROM-IPFROM-PORTTO-IPTO-PORT
CIMD2-1192.168.0.17any1.2.3.49000
SMPP-1192.168.0.17any1.0.0.18188
EMI-1a192.168.0.17any4.3.2.19971
EMI-1b4.3.2.1any192.168.0.179971
CIMD2-2192.168.0.17any1.2.3.59000
SMPP-2192.168.0.17any1.0.0.28188
EMI-2a192.168.0.17any4.3.2.29972*
EMI-2b4.3.2.2any192.168.0.179972*

(*) Note that different ports must be used for each Short Message Service center account if more than one EMI Short Message Service center is used.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:7/20/2001
Keywords:kbinfo KB303785
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.