Webdispatcher to forward requests from internet to intranet?

[Former Member]

We need to direct requests from internet to our content server which is in the intranet (so that the content server images can be seen from the internet).

We have a WAS WebDispatcher in the DMZ. Can we use this WD to provide the connectivity?

For example:

Our content server intranet URL is:

http://contenterv.com:1090/path/image.jpg

Our WebDispatcher URL is:

http://webdisp.com/app_name

http://webdisp.com/app_name should resolve to http://contenterv.com:1090/path/image.jpg

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We tried WD http forwarding but it just forwards the request, does not resolve the name transparently. So the forwarding works but since http://contenterv.com:1090/path/image.jpg is not known in the internet, it fails.

Thanks

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

we had this problem...webdispatcher cannot do this...all WD will do is to just redirect http://webdisp.com/app_name to http://contenterv.com:1090/path/image.jpg (you will still see the CS URL in the address bar).

The answer to this is port forwarding or natting (something like that...dont know the exact terminology, but we got in our network guys to do this and it worked)

So now http://webdisp.com/app_name remains the same in the address bar but you will get the CS image displayed on the page even though the CS in in the intranet

So in short, get your networking guys to do this, SAP cannot help in any way.

[Former Member]

Hi,

A SAP Web Dispatcher is connected to a single SAP message server.

If your web dispatcher is alreday used by an other SAP system, it is not possible to use it for a content server (does this beast have a message server ?).

Redirects are not the solution because of the usual firewalls.

Regards,

Olivier

[Former Member]

/

[Former Member]

Thanks for the input Oliver.

We also have another WD which we just installed. Do you propose we try linking that WD to the content server?

You also said:

> Redirects are not the solution because of the usual firewalls.

Does that mean the WD cannot help in this case and we will have to go for a reverse proxy (such as apache)?

Do let us know.

Thanks a lot.

[Former Member]

Hi again,

>We also have another WD which we just installed. Do you propose we try linking that WD to the content server?

As I said, I don't know the content server. I don't know if it uses an abap stack with a message server.

If yes, you could link the second web dispatcher to the content server. But in that cases this web dispatcher has to listen to a different TCP port than the first web dispatcher.

If you need to use HTTPS standard port (443) for both your needs o nthe same server then yes, the SAP web dispatcher is not the right tool.

Regards,

Olivier

[Former Member]

hi guys,

you need to add parameter in your sapwebdisp.pfl (sap webdispatcher profile) :

icm/HTTP/redirect_0 = PREFIX=/,TO=/path_image

thanks

[Former Member]

/

[Former Member]

Thanks for the input Ghochi.

Now, the link is inaccessible even from the intranet. Any other suggestions?

Regards

[Former Member]

>

> hi guys,
> 
> you need to add parameter in your sapwebdisp.pfl (sap webdispatcher profile) :
> 
> icm/HTTP/redirect_0 = PREFIX=/,TO=/path_image
> 
> thanks

No, this wont work, becuase you need reverse-proxy function rather than URL redirection, because internet user wont be access the intranet server even you give them the URL.

I cannot get you the detailed confguration, but you can refer to web dispatcher cascade configuration. play with the following parameters:

wdisp/server_info_location

wdisp/group_info_location

wdisp/url_map_location

>

> So in short, get your networking guys to do this, SAP cannot help in any way.

it's not ture, web dispatcher can be used reverse proxy, of course you also can use other solution like Apache. However it's not recommened to use NAT, which might breach your network security.

Cheers,

Denny

Edited by: Denny Liao on Jan 28, 2010 11:26 PM

[Former Member]

Hi,

Beginning with release 7.1 it is now possible to use the SAP Webdispatcher for URL rewriting and not only URL redirecting.

Beginning with release 7.2, it is now possible to connect one single web dispatcher to several SAP back office systems.

The SAP Web Dispatcher is now becoming a very powerful network tool.

Regards,

Olivier