User profile for user: tbotn
tbotn Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

Strange OSX firewall issues - suggestions?

Hello.

This is now my second post to do with firewalls, and is part 2 in my saga to enable my Mac as a media server so that I can stream all my favourite Monty Python films and Look Around You episodes to the PS3 downstairs.

I've found everyone on this forum to be extremely helpful in discovering my issue with ipfw which was blocking all incoming connections to my Mac. Now that I have disabled it, services such as VNC are working for the first time, and Twonky Media server is successful in streaming media on the Mac laptop to an iPod Touch through its web browser (hurrah).

But for some reason, I cannot get the PS3 to connect to my Mac...at least not properly. I've ruled out the possibility of it being a router issue, as the media server software I am using works when run on a Vista PC on the same network. This also half rules out the PS3 as being the culprit.

The strange thing is that log files on my Mac generated by PS3 Media Server (the Java software I am running on my Mac to facilitate the streaming of the aforementioned television programmes) show communication between the Mac and the PS3. In brief, the Mac says to the PS3 "I'm a media server", and then the Mac receives the reply from the PS3 "I'm a PS3". Then the connection drops, and the media server does not even appear on the PS3.

Another example of these short-lived connections is when I attempt to navigate to Twonky Media Server through the PS3 browser (Twonky Media Server is essentially a web server). Strangely, the PS3 correctly displays the title of the index page provided by Twonky, but does not load anything else. Again, a connection is made, but then dropped (or so it appears).

My own suspicions are that some bit of software, perhaps the same that activated ipfw, has modified other firewall settings.

Sorry for the long post. Any suggestions?

MacBook 80GB HD, Intel purchased Feburary 2007, Mac OS X (10.5.7)

Posted on Jun 20, 2009 12:03 PM

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11 replies
User profile for user: Tim Haigh
Tim Haigh
User level: Level 7
24,198 points

Jun 20, 2009 12:51 PM in response to tbotn

By default IPFW is set to allow any to any so should not present a problem.

the only app I know that would configure an IPFW startup script is Wateroof. If you have at some point used this software it would have created a startup script. So even if you flushed the rules each time you reboot they would be back again.

the rule scripts are found in /etc

/etc/firewallrules
/etc/firewallrules_6

and the wateroof lauchdeamon is controlled by

/Library/LaunchDaemons/net.wateroof.rules.plist
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User profile for user: tbotn
tbotn Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

Jun 20, 2009 1:43 PM in response to Tim Haigh

Does DoorStopDaemon sound familiar to you? It's the only startup item I didn't recognise. It sounds like the sort of thing that might have changed the settings. I've disabled it to see what happens.

I've been disabling ipfw each time I start up anyway. Do you know where the setting are stored for the normal OSX firewall? (I understand ipfw is disabled in Leopard by default).
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User profile for user: Tim Haigh
Tim Haigh
User level: Level 7
24,198 points

Jun 20, 2009 2:02 PM in response to tbotn

Door Stop is a firewall if that daemon is present the Door Stop must have been installed on your mac at some time.

The way to uninstall doorstop is to use the uninstall function from within the application itsslf. This is what is says on their website.

If you want to turn off DoorStop X's protection, you need only click the Stop button in DoorStop's Setup window. If you wish to remove DoorStop's files from your hard drive, however, you can choose "Uninstall DoorStop X..." from the DoorStop X menu. Doing so will remove files associated with DoorStop, but not the log file or the application folder itself (or its contents). Note that after uninstalling DoorStop, the next time you run it, you will be asked to authenticate, and DoorStop will not be enabled (you can enable it by clicking the Start button in DoorStop's Setup window). After uninstalling DoorStop, you may wish to drag the DoorStop X folder to the trash. Also, if you intend to use another firewall after uninstalling DoorStop, you should confirm the other firewall is actually running and providing protection.


Once you have uninstalled it restart your mac then in your terminal run the command


sudo ipfw flush

this should be enough
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User profile for user: tbotn
tbotn Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

Jun 21, 2009 4:51 AM in response to Tim Haigh

Yup, as far as I can tell, DoorStop is gone. The daemon located in Application Support is gone.

To run the uninstall, I had to re-download the software as I had since deleted it. I put it in my applications folder, ran it, clicked "Uninstall", and it said that it had removed all its files. I then deleted the application.

When I restart, all incoming connections are rejected. When I run either sudo ipfw flush or sudo ipfw disable firewall, incoming connections are allowed, and services such as VNC begin to work, but the strange issue of the connection between the PS3 and the Mac being dropped soon after it is made remains.

Is there another firewall Door Stop might have configured?

Message was edited by: tbotn
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User profile for user: Tim Haigh
Tim Haigh
User level: Level 7
24,198 points

Jun 21, 2009 5:52 AM in response to tbotn

also doublecheck your

/Library/StartupItems -DoorStop puts a startup item in here also.
/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LauchDaemons

contained in the Doorstop startup is the rules script.
This is what is probably configuring ipfw if Doorstop did not uninstall correctly.

I just installed Doorstop and it configured IPFW. I used the uninstall function and restarted my mac and ipfw is normal 'allow any to any'

So if Doorstop uninstall correctly then this is not what is causing the issue.

Have you ever used brickhouse, flying buttress or water roof?

After restarting your mac use

sudo ipfw list


and post the results then we can see the rules that are causing the issue.
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User profile for user: tbotn
tbotn Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

Jun 21, 2009 6:40 AM in response to Tim Haigh

Aha! Thank you! I found more Door Stop nonsense in /Library/StartupItems. I deleted them and then restarted, and ipfw rules have finally reverted to sanity. I no longer need to do sudo ipfw disable firewall every time I start up.

Here's what I got from the ipfw list command:

00010 divert 8668 ip from any to any via en1
65535 allow ip from any to any

That's the good news. The less good news is that I still can't seem to get a persistent connection going between the Mac and the PS3. I tried navigating to Twonky Media Server running on the Mac from the PS3 browser again, and it did load eventually, but very VERY slowly. This is strange because I've tried it on other computers on the same network and they load Twonky Media Server pages fine. Furthermore, it still can't find my Mac's PS3 media server.

Also, is "00010 divert 8668 ip from any to any via en1" normal?

Thanks for all your help so far.

What should I do next?

Message was edited by: tbotn
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Strange OSX firewall issues - suggestions?

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