220999 - Password prompts on new FTP server (ftp-new.mozilla.org)

Status: RESOLVED INVALID

(mozilla.org :: FTP: Mirrors, task)

Description

[GAThrawn]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.5a) Gecko/20030729 Mozilla Firebird/0.6.1
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.5a) Gecko/20030729 Mozilla Firebird/0.6.1

Tried visiting the new Mozilla FTP server (using FTP rather than HTTP) to
download a nightly build. After reading article at Mozillazine asking for
testing of the new FTP servers, went to new server (ftp://ftp-new.mozilla.org)
to try downloading.

As I'm browsing the server occasionally get prompted for a login, if I cancel
the login get this message:


Sorry, your domain name cannot be determined from your IP address
(212.187.154.100).  For security reasons, this server will not allow
connections from IP addresses without a reverse lookup record
in the Domain Name Service (DNS).

Please contact your ISP or DNS administrator for assistance in
correcting this.

Any questions regarding this FTP server should be directed to
[e-mail].

ftp.gtlib.cc.gatech.edu is a public service of the College of Computing,
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0280 USA.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
PLEASE NOTE:    The filesystems on this FTP server are
                        *NOT* remotely mountable via NFS or AFS.
-------------------------------------------------------------------


However, if I hit the back button and try going into the directory again it
seems to work the second time. There doesn't seem to be any pattern to which
folders prompt for a password and which don't. Have tried using anonymous
authentication by using username of "anonymous" and an email address as the
password and that usually seems to get me in.

Reproducible: Sometimes

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Go to ftp://ftp-new.mozilla.org/
2. Browse around the directorys


Actual Results:  
Get prompted for passwords

Expected Results:  
No password prompts for anonymous access to public FTP server.

I am attempting this from work through our proxy server which NATs us all to the
above address.

Comment 1

[jsp]

I'm also seeing this, but with 100% reproducibility.  I can't browse the server
at all.  Same results if I go to ftp://ftp.gtlib.cc.gatech.edu.  I'm also
connecting through a firewall.  It was just installed a couple of days ago, so
maybe there's a configuration problem on our end.  I'm asking our network
administrator to see if he can sort it out.

I can't get in with IE either.  It just prompts for username/password, which
seems pointless if the error is as Mozilla describes.

Comment 2

[jsp]

Whoops, I committed too soon.  My situation isn't quite the same.  With Mozilla
(1.5rc2) I don't get prompted for a password, I just get the error message.

Comment 3

[jsp]

I had no problem browsing several directories with 1.5b.

Comment 4

[Dave Miller [:justdave]]

Sounds like a site policy at gatech.

In jsp's case, you can't get in at all because your IP doesn't reverse-DNS
(which is a quite common security precaution these days - get your network guys
to add a reverse lookup for your firewall's IP addresses).

In James' case, I would bet you have a rotating proxy server, so you look like
you're at a different IP address every time you connect, and one of your proxy
servers (but not all of them) doesn't have a reverse lookup defined for its IP
address.

Comment 5

[jsp]

I think David's analysis is correct.  Our reverse DNS entry just got added, and
now I have no problem.  gatech's policy is quite reasonable and can be dealt
with by correct configuration, so I think this is INVALID.