Networks & Firewalls

HyperGate works with your existing workstations and web servers to move data across Internet Protocol (IP) networks.  As with any network application, your systems must permit HyperGate to communicate across your network for it to operate.  If there are firewalls, VPNs, NATs, or other access control devices in between, then you may need to configure these devices to allow traffic on UDP/IP ports 8083 and 8088.

For the latest information on configuring firewalls to work with MTP/IP, see DEI Technical Note 0002.

Windows XP Firewall

When you first run a HyperGate application under Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or later installed, you will be asked whether you wish to "Unblock" HyperGate.  You must click the "Unblock" button for HyperGate to function.  If you do not have administrative privileges, have your Administrator follow the manual procedure below.

You can manually configure the Windows firewall by opening the "Firewall" control panel and taking the following steps:

• Click on the "Exceptions" panel of the "Windows Firewall" window.

• Press the "Add Port" button.  Enter a name of "HGclient", port number "8088", click "TCP", then click "OK".

• Press the "Add Port" button again.  Enter a name of "HGclient", port number "8088", but this time click "UDP", then click "OK".

• Press the "Add Port" button one more time.  Enter a name of "HGserver", port number "8083", click "UDP", then click "OK".

• Click "OK" to close the "Windows Firewall" control panel.

Third-Party Windows Firewalls

Third-party software or “virtual” firewalls running under Windows (such as Zone Alarm) can create a substantial system load which may impede network performance.  This is true for all networking applications, including HyperGate.  For maximum network performance, we recommend using a hardware firewall instead.  If you must use virtual firewall software in Windows, please verify that it is configured to allow unrestricted access for UDP/IP ports 8083 and 8088, as well as TCP port 8088.

If you must use Zone Alarm on a Windows workstation hosting HyperGate software, please take the following steps:

• Update Zone Alarm to the latest version.  Some versions prior to 4.5.538 erroneously treat all UDP traffic as being on “Port 0”.

• In the “Program Control” panel, authorize both HGclient and HGserver for “Access” and “Server” on all networks.

• In the “Firewall” panel, set the security level for each network to no higher than “Medium”.  If set to “High”, Zone Alarm may hinder or block HyperGate after several minutes of operation.

Using Alternate Port Numbers

You can also configure HyperGate to use any other port numbers, if that is more convenient.  See to the chapters about HGserver, HGclient, and the section on HyperGate URLs for more information about port selection.