Users not shown on Status Page

[tjonesokla]

We are having problems with users who are logged on not showing up on the Status page. We can scan the connected computers with another program and see that they are connected and have a correct IP address but they do not appear on the list of online users. Even refreshing the page several times does not help. They also are not shown on the User Log. Any adjustments we can make?

[alan]

Note that Status page will show the user only after they have logged in FirstSpot (and stay logged in).

As for the user log, FirstSpot will record it after they have logged out.
_________________
~ Patronsoft Limited ~

[tjonesokla]

That is exactly the problem...when users are logged in...they are not shown on the Status page.

[alan]

Have you changed the datasource (DSN)?

If yes, please switch back to the default datasource at this moment (please use the original DSN file, you might need to reinstall if you lost it).
_________________
~ Patronsoft Limited ~

[tjonesokla]

No we have not changed anything from the original download. We have been monitoring this problem and find that some users are shown on the Status page while others are not. We see them connected to the system and assigned a proper IP address (10.20.7.X) but they do not show up on the Status page.

[alan]

Again, getting the IP does not mean that they are logged in. Only after the user types in username/password in the login page, FirstSpot will display the users in the Status page.

If you still have problems, please zip and send us your log files under FirstSpot\log subdirectory for further analysis.
_________________
~ Patronsoft Limited ~

[tjonesokla]

This may be related... we have clients who are not getting the login page. They just go straight through to the internet.

[alan]

Are those client PCs' MAC defined in the client pass-through list? This will explain your issue.
_________________
~ Patronsoft Limited ~

[tjonesokla]

We are not using the MAC passthrough nor Anonymos user or secret functions. Just a straight forward simple install. I have noticed these clients are behind an access point that is bridged to the main backhaul.

[alan]

The other thing to check is to make sure there is no NAT router between client and FirstSpot. As NAT router will only present 1 MAC to FirstSpot, when 1 client is connected behind that NAT router, the rest will just go through FirstSpot without being asked for login.
_________________
~ Patronsoft Limited ~

[tjonesokla]

I have been testing this in client homes and offices. Many times clients report they do not get the login page, but just connect straight to the internet. I have gone to their homes and tested it and found this to be true. Also, I found that I can logout other clients from a different client's home. For example I am in client's 2 home and we connect to the internet and do not receive a login page. I can type logout in the url address box and the logout page appears. I then type in a different client's name and password in the logout page and it says...Logout Successfully. We have no NAT routers. We are using smartBridges equipment with only bridges and access points all set with the DHCP option disabled. This problem is allowing anyone to connect to our service without needing authorization or paying for a membership. Can we fix this? Thanks

[alan]

If you are using v3, the chance that FirstSpot having this kind of obvious problem is quite low since we already have many customers using it.

Again, you need to check what is the exact MAC address that FirstSpot sees. You need to use tools like Ethereal to confirm (instead of just looking at your network setup). A simple test will be to plug several clients in the same switch as FirstSpot Private Network Interface. I am quite sure that FirstSpot will work okay.

Also, it is normal that a client can logout other people's account, as long as he knows his password.
_________________
~ Patronsoft Limited ~

[tjonesokla]

The equipment we use, smartBridges, has a monitor that shows each computer that is connected and we can monitor this by MAC address. Also, we use another program that scans the system to see what computers are connected. These always show more computers connected with an IP address of 10.20.7.X than FirstSpot shows connected. I have gone to many clients homes and watched them connect to the internet through our system without getting the logon page. Perhaps other customers do not know that non-authorized people are connecting to their system and getting free internet service. If they are only checking using the Status page and userlog of FirstSpot then they would not realize they have others connected.

[alan]

Again, you need to use Ethereal to verify from FirstSpot point of view rather than the client side.

Please use the test I described earlier. If the test fails, then it is FirstSpot problem. Otherwise, it is the network setup that causes the problem.
_________________
~ Patronsoft Limited ~

[tjonesokla]

We are beginning another series of test.
FIRST TEST - Tracking IP addresses and MAC addresses
The test showed all the IP Addresses connected to the FirstSpot Server.
IP ADDRESS COMPUTER NAME MAC ADDRESS
10.20.7.37 Perez Family 00:30:1a:bb:y4
10.20.7.82 Gomez Office 00:30:1a:bb:y4
10.20.7.157 Byron 00:30:1a:bb:y4
10.20.7.22 Jones Desktop 00:of:4r:ac:d7
10.20.7.123 Virginia PC 00:e0:3t:dd:2d
10.20.7.74 Jaquar 00:20:1a:e6:ac
10.20.7.168 OGM-office 00:20:1a:e6:ac
10.20.7.199 PCONG 00:20:1a:e6:ac

As you can see there are computers listed with the same MAC Address but clearly with different IP Addresses and Computer Names. On the Status page of FirstSpot it will show the Client Login Name and the MAC Address but no IP Address. I believe this is when a Client logs in it shows the MAC Address of their computer but it does not show the IP Address because there are mulitple IP Addresses assigned to the same MAC Address. We are continuing with other tests.