[omniORB] Localhost endpoint: 3.0.4 vs 4.1.0

[Mike Richmond]

We've recently moved a product from omniORB 3.0.4 to omniORB 4.1.0
and are observing a change in behaviour.

With 3.0.4 we initialised the orb with "-ORBpoa_iiop_name_port
localhost:1234". Using a port scanning utility we can see port 1234
is open on addresses 0.0.0.0, 127.0.0.1 and the machine's IP address
(say 172.1.2.3).

With 4.1.0 we initialise the orb with "endPoint
giop:tcp:localhost:1234". We now see that port 1234 is open on
addresses 0.0.0.0 and 127.0.0.1, but not on 172.1.2.3. Is this
expected behaviour? Do we need a second endPoint to specify
172.1.2.3? Or should we be using "giop:tcp::1234", which seems to
give the 3.0.4 behaviour?

FWIW we have compiled omniORB 4.1.0 with IPv6 disabled.

Mike Richmond
Global Graphics Software Ltd

[Luke Deller]

Hi Mike,

Post by Mike Richmond
We've recently moved a product from omniORB 3.0.4 to omniORB 4.1.0
and are observing a change in behaviour.
With 3.0.4 we initialised the orb with "-ORBpoa_iiop_name_port
localhost:1234". Using a port scanning utility we can see port 1234
is open on addresses 0.0.0.0, 127.0.0.1 and the machine's IP address
(say 172.1.2.3).
With 4.1.0 we initialise the orb with "endpoint
giop:tcp:localhost:1234". We now see that port 1234 is open on
addresses 0.0.0.0 and 127.0.0.1, but not on 172.1.2.3. Is this
expected behaviour? Do we need a second endPoint to specify
172.1.2.3? Or should we be using "giop:tcp::1234", which seems to
give the 3.0.4 behaviour?

I think that "-ORBpoa_iiop_name_port" only affects the IP/hostname published in object references (IORs), not the IP address which omniORB listens on.

You could get the same behaviour in omniORB 4.1.0 using the "endPointPublish" option.

The behaviour you describe for "endpoint giop:tcp:localhost:1234" sounds correct: that option tells omniORB to listen only on 127.0.0.1, which is why you can't connect using the other IP address.

(I see that you're also trying to connect to 0.0.0.0 which is quite unusual. That will connect to a server listening on any IP address belonging to your computer).

Luke.
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[Duncan Grisby]

Post by Mike Richmond
With 3.0.4 we initialised the orb with "-ORBpoa_iiop_name_port
localhost:1234". Using a port scanning utility we can see port 1234
is open on addresses 0.0.0.0, 127.0.0.1 and the machine's IP address
(say 172.1.2.3).

omniORB 3.0.x always listened on all network interfaces. The name is
used purely to choose what to publish in object references.

Post by Mike Richmond
With 4.1.0 we initialise the orb with "endPoint
giop:tcp:localhost:1234". We now see that port 1234 is open on
addresses 0.0.0.0 and 127.0.0.1, but not on 172.1.2.3. Is this
expected behaviour? Do we need a second endPoint to specify
172.1.2.3? Or should we be using "giop:tcp::1234", which seems to
give the 3.0.4 behaviour?

You should use giop:tcp::1234 to tell omniORB to listen on all
interfaces. omniORB 4.x uses the endPoint specification to choose which
interfaces to listen on, as well as what to publish in object references
(by default).

If you want to publish different addresses to the ones you're listening
on, you should use the endPointPublish parameter in omniORB 4.1.

Cheers,

Duncan.