I'm trying to get a proftp server running on an internal linux pc accessible to the wider internet. The linux pc gets its net access through a windows xp pc with ics, and web browsing etc from linux works fine. I can access the ftp server from any internal pc fine (although i can't log in, wrong login even though im sure its right, but i think thats a different problem), but not through the ip of my windows pc. I have forwarded port 21 from windows to linux pc (I think? anyway to check) and have set the ftp server to masquarde as the external ip, and i don't think i have a firewall on the linux pc but not sure? But it still don't work? When i try to access it i get
through dos ftp i get error messege: ftp: connect :unknown error message.

I'm a bit new to linux so any help, in the simplest terms, would be appreciated.

Thanks

by any chance are u willing to reverse that setup and make the Linux box the gateway? Just curious, how in Windows did you even tell it to forward port 21?

Also, FTP uses another port besides 21 (there is a command port and a data port). Try forwarding ports 20 and 21.

Are you maybe using some firewall on the windows machine? I assume so because you're talking about "forwarding port 21" ?? And doesn't ftp also use port 22 or 23? Maybe if you bring down the fw on the xp and see what happens then?
Anyway, it's better using a linuxbox as router/fw than winxp with ics.

idd, the ports for ftp seem to be: (/etc/services)
ftp-data 20/tcp
ftp 21/tcp

regards,
Lieven

Thanks for the repsonse. I've got someone to test it remotely and it works. Must be a problem testing it locally due to the port forwarding.
Anyway for MS XP ICS port forwarding there is a "Settings" button under the ICS setup boxes on the advanced settings tab of the actual internet connection

Thanks again