Not Able To Access IIS Web Server Externally

Question

User-1087689410 posted

For 4 days, I have been trying to get my IIS web server to work! I am able to access the website internally through the internal static ip address 192.###.#.201 from different devices on the network. I have setup port forwarding on my Verizon router to forward all incoming requests from the external public to the internal port 80 on the Windows 10 desktop where my IIS server is sitting. I have completely turned off all firewall settings and anti-virus applications/processes on my Windows 10. Even after having all those doors being opened, still every time I access the website through the url http://public-ip-address:port# I got the "This site can't be reached" message. I tried it with both IE and Chrome browsers. But none of them work. From the public, I have no problem accessing other web servers connected to the same Verizon router that send and receive communication through port 80. So, clearly there is either something wrong with my Windows 10 or the setup of my IIS server. Or it could be that the router has trouble forwarding the port. I am just guessing. I don't know. It has been 4 days and countless hours, but I am still not able to find any clue to why this is happening. Could someone who has been through similar situation help me out?! Thank you for all of your help!

Answer 1

User-474980206 posted
Do you have a business account? Residential accounts do not supply an external static ip (but the dynamic one is supposed to last a while). How did you determine your public ipaddress? You should be able to ask the router it’s external ipaddress and check if it’s static or dhcp. Then check your external ipaddress with a browser from a machine in your local lan. Just google what’s my ipaddress. If this ipaddress does not match your routers external address, then your router is behind a nat translating router, and you will not be able to access from the internet.

If you do not want to buy an static ipaddress, you can do what most home internet facing applications do. Create a proxy account on a cloud service and install a reverse proxy on you local internet. This may cost more than just hosting in the cloud.

Answer 2

User-37275327 posted

Rather explain here, check this article.

https://manage.accuwebhosting.com/knowledgebase/2886/How-to-configure-IIS-to-access-website-using-IP-address.html

Also check "nslookup" on CMD how your request travels.

Answer 3

User1120430333 posted

192.###.#.201   That looks like a LAN IP on a router. If so, you need to use port forwarding on the router so the  traffic coming to the WAN IP  assigned by the ISP used by the router and the Internet traffic is coming in on  is directed to the machine the is using the LAN IP that is hosting the Web server aka IIS.

Secondly, the machine exposing the Windows O/S, the file system, user accounts, the registry and IIS has not been harden to attack for a machine exposed to the public Internet. You are trying to expose nothing but a hack-bait machine that can be used to attack other networks on the Internet.. There are 1,000 page books concerning how to harden things and the experts can hardly do it. 

I suggest that you find a Web Hosting Provider.