How can I get the IP address of the host Web Server into a Session variable?

[John Kotuby]

Hi all,

I have a situation where a Web Server at an install site does not currently
have a publically registered Domain Name associated with the site. This
requires that the a user access the site from a remote (outside the LAN)
browser using the IP address, as in http://192.35.78.234 .

Currently in my code I use the following syntax to obtain the Root Web path
which I then append as a prefix to Images and Links in external documents
(Excel files) so the recipient of an HTML Email or one of the spreadsheets
can both resolve the images or click on a spreadsheet link to view a page on
the site.

Dim strRootWeb As String = Me.Request.Head ers.Item("Host" ).ToString
strRootWeb = "http://" + strRootWeb
Session.Add("Ro otWeb", strRootWeb)

Then for a working link in an external document I will do something like:

Public strRootWeb = Session("RootWe b")
strRootWeb & "/Common/PageView.aspx

But this does not work if the name of the Web Server is not publically
registered with DNS servers.

Thanks for any help on resolving the IP address of a Web Server root.

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

"John Kotuby" <jk*******@comc ast.netwrote in message
news:%2******** ********@TK2MSF TNGP06.phx.gbl. ..

Not sure if this is what you want or not but, based on the subject of your
post, you can get the IP address of the host web server into a Session
variable like this:

Session["HostIP"] = Request.ServerV ariables["LOCAL_ADDR "].ToString();
--
Mark Rae
ASP.NET MVP
http://www.markrae.net

[John Kotuby]

Thanks for the reply Mark,

I think that will give me the actual IP address of the Server box that the
Web Application is running on. That would work for me if the was directly
connected to the Internet.
However, in this situation, the Web Server is behind a firewall and being
accessed via NAT.

What I am really looking for is the Public IP Address that is used in the
request to get to the Router that then finds the Server behind the firewall.

I am thinking that it is contained somewhere in the HttpRequest object just
as the Me.Request.Head ers.Item("Host" ).ToString returns the string for the
Root Web as requested by the client.

When the browser sends out a request for http://www.url.com that is
immediately converted by a public DNS server to an IP address. It is that
public IP address that I seek to grab, not matter what Web server is hosting
our application. I have been looking for the property that contains the IP
address but can't seem to find it in the documentation.

Thanks...
"Mark Rae [MVP]" <ma**@markNOSPA Mrae.netwrote in message
news:ec******** ******@TK2MSFTN GP06.phx.gbl...

"John Kotuby" <jk*******@comc ast.netwrote in message
news:%2******** ********@TK2MSF TNGP06.phx.gbl. ..

Not sure if this is what you want or not but, based on the subject of your
post, you can get the IP address of the host web server into a Session
variable like this:

Session["HostIP"] = Request.ServerV ariables["LOCAL_ADDR "].ToString();
--
Mark Rae
ASP.NET MVP
http://www.markrae.net

[=?Utf-8?B?YnJ1Y2UgYmFya2Vy?=]

if the firewall (or load balancer) is doing nat translation (which it should
be), then its not available (as only the firewall knows it).

your best bet is to add to the ipaddress to the web.config as a setting

-- bruce (sqlwork.com)
"John Kotuby" wrote:

Thanks for the reply Mark,

I think that will give me the actual IP address of the Server box that the
Web Application is running on. That would work for me if the was directly
connected to the Internet.
However, in this situation, the Web Server is behind a firewall and being
accessed via NAT.

What I am really looking for is the Public IP Address that is used in the
request to get to the Router that then finds the Server behind the firewall.

I am thinking that it is contained somewhere in the HttpRequest object just
as the Me.Request.Head ers.Item("Host" ).ToString returns the string for the
Root Web as requested by the client.

When the browser sends out a request for http://www.url.com that is
immediately converted by a public DNS server to an IP address. It is that
public IP address that I seek to grab, not matter what Web server is hosting
our application. I have been looking for the property that contains the IP
address but can't seem to find it in the documentation.

Thanks...
"Mark Rae [MVP]" <ma**@markNOSPA Mrae.netwrote in message
news:ec******** ******@TK2MSFTN GP06.phx.gbl...

"John Kotuby" <jk*******@comc ast.netwrote in message
news:%2******** ********@TK2MSF TNGP06.phx.gbl. ..

Not sure if this is what you want or not but, based on the subject of your
post, you can get the IP address of the host web server into a Session
variable like this:

Session["HostIP"] = Request.ServerV ariables["LOCAL_ADDR "].ToString();
--
Mark Rae
ASP.NET MVP
http://www.markrae.net

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

"John Kotuby" <jk*******@comc ast.netwrote in message
news:eV******** ******@TK2MSFTN GP03.phx.gbl...

What I am really looking for is the Public IP Address that is used in the
request to get to the Router that then finds the Server behind the
firewall.

Hmm - if the box was connected to the Internet, it would be simple enough to
fetch its IP address as seen by the outside world by inspecting the
HttpResponse returned from something like: http://www.whatismyip.org/

However, as Bruce has explained, because of the NAT and firewall in the
equation it's going to be pretty much impossible to determine this in this
case...
--
Mark Rae
ASP.NET MVP
http://www.markrae.net

[John Kotuby]

Thanks guys, I was hoping to find the requested public IP address in the
Request object somewhere, but apparently it is not to be found.

However gathering the response from http://www.whatismyip.org/ might just
work after all.

I am running a workstation that is behind a Gateway Firewall device and it
uses NAT. When I click on the whatismyip link above I get the public IP
Address that I must use to connect to my workstation from home via RDP
(using a non-standard Port of course).

So if I am getting the Public IP of a NATed workstation, why wouldn't that
technique work for a NATed Web Server...it's just another box? In fact any
response from another public site can ONLY return the public IP address of a
NATed box. Brilliant!

I am going brain-dead today because I can't even recall how to get the
HttpResponse returned from something like: http://www.whatismyip.org/ in my
code-behind or maybe in the Global.asax itself.

I will resort to hard-coding the IP Address in web.config or global.asax if
necessary, as that is not too difficult, but I see possibly 30 or more
deployments that might need this sort of thing.

Thanks again...you guys are always helpful.
"Mark Rae [MVP]" <ma**@markNOSPA Mrae.netwrote in message
news:uq******** ******@TK2MSFTN GP03.phx.gbl...

"John Kotuby" <jk*******@comc ast.netwrote in message
news:eV******** ******@TK2MSFTN GP03.phx.gbl...

>What I am really looking for is the Public IP Address that is used in the
request to get to the Router that then finds the Server behind the
firewall.

Hmm - if the box was connected to the Internet, it would be simple enough
to fetch its IP address as seen by the outside world by inspecting the
HttpResponse returned from something like: http://www.whatismyip.org/

However, as Bruce has explained, because of the NAT and firewall in the
equation it's going to be pretty much impossible to determine this in this
case...
--
Mark Rae
ASP.NET MVP
http://www.markrae.net

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

"John Kotuby" <jk*******@comc ast.netwrote in message
news:OL******** *******@TK2MSFT NGP05.phx.gbl.. .

I am going brain-dead today because I can't even recall how to get the
HttpResponse returned from something like: http://www.whatismyip.org/ in
my code-behind or maybe in the Global.asax itself.

string strHostIP = String.Empty;
using (WebClient objWebClient = new WebClient())
{
using (StreamReader objStreamReader = new
StreamReader(ob jWebClient.Open Read("http://www.whatismyip. org/")))
{
strHostIP = objStreamReader .ReadToEnd();
objStreamReader .Close();
}
}
--
Mark Rae
ASP.NET MVP
http://www.markrae.net

[John Kotuby]

Well, I think I'm getting closer, but maybe just chasing my tail.
I converted your code example to VB and here is what is ending up in my
Session variable.

Error: blank User-Agent header is not allowed! Please ask the author of your
IP address checking client to specify their client's name in the User-Agent
header

Maybe it's something I failed to do when creating the WebClient?
From the same machine that I am using as the Web Server, still I get just
the correct IP address in my Web Browser and that is ALL that is being sent
back.
Why should the web browser be any different than the WebClient?
Oh well...It's 5 oclock on a Friday. I knew it had to be 5 oclock somehwere!

"Mark Rae [MVP]" <ma**@markNOSPA Mrae.netwrote in message
news:em******** ******@TK2MSFTN GP02.phx.gbl...

"John Kotuby" <jk*******@comc ast.netwrote in message
news:OL******** *******@TK2MSFT NGP05.phx.gbl.. .

>I am going brain-dead today because I can't even recall how to get the
HttpResponse returned from something like: http://www.whatismyip.org/ in
my code-behind or maybe in the Global.asax itself.

string strHostIP = String.Empty;
using (WebClient objWebClient = new WebClient())
{
using (StreamReader objStreamReader = new
StreamReader(ob jWebClient.Open Read("http://www.whatismyip. org/")))
{
strHostIP = objStreamReader .ReadToEnd();
objStreamReader .Close();
}
}
--
Mark Rae
ASP.NET MVP
http://www.markrae.net

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

"John Kotuby" <jk*******@comc ast.netwrote in message
news:el******** ******@TK2MSFTN GP02.phx.gbl...

[top-posting corrected as usual]

I converted your code example to VB

Why on earth did you do that...?

Error: blank User-Agent header is not allowed! Please ask the author of
your IP address checking client to specify their client's name in the
User-Agent header

Use this URL instead: http://www.netikus.net/show_ip.html
--
Mark Rae
ASP.NET MVP
http://www.markrae.net

[Jamal]

Try the following:

Private Sub MyIPaddressButt on_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e
As System.EventArg s) Handles MyIPaddressButt on.Click
Dim strHostIP As String = String.Empty

Using objWebClient As New WebClient()

Using objStreamReader As StreamReader = New
StreamReader(ob jWebClient.Open Read
("http://www.whatismyip. com/automation/n09230945.asp") )

strHostIP = objStreamReader .ReadToEnd()

objStreamReader .Close()

End Using

End Using

End Sub

Jamal

"John Kotuby" <jk*******@comc ast.netwrote in message
news:el******** ******@TK2MSFTN GP02.phx.gbl...

Well, I think I'm getting closer, but maybe just chasing my tail.
I converted your code example to VB and here is what is ending up in my
Session variable.

Error: blank User-Agent header is not allowed! Please ask the author of
your IP address checking client to specify their client's name in the
User-Agent header

Maybe it's something I failed to do when creating the WebClient?
From the same machine that I am using as the Web Server, still I get just
the correct IP address in my Web Browser and that is ALL that is being
sent back.
Why should the web browser be any different than the WebClient?
Oh well...It's 5 oclock on a Friday. I knew it had to be 5 oclock
somehwere!

"Mark Rae [MVP]" <ma**@markNOSPA Mrae.netwrote in message
news:em******** ******@TK2MSFTN GP02.phx.gbl...

>"John Kotuby" <jk*******@comc ast.netwrote in message
news:OL******* ********@TK2MSF TNGP05.phx.gbl. ..

>>I am going brain-dead today because I can't even recall how to get the
HttpRespons e returned from something like: http://www.whatismyip.org/ in
my code-behind or maybe in the Global.asax itself.

string strHostIP = String.Empty;
using (WebClient objWebClient = new WebClient())
{
using (StreamReader objStreamReader = new
StreamReader(o bjWebClient.Ope nRead("http://www.whatismyip. org/")))
{
strHostIP = objStreamReader .ReadToEnd();
objStreamReader .Close();
}
}
--
Mark Rae
ASP.NET MVP
http://www.markrae.net