Gateway connection types

Usage and Config
1

(imported topic written by atlauren)

Hi,

I could use some clarification on the connections types for configuring a gateway.

For endpoint connections, are “endpoints” in this context controllers, targets, gateways…? Or all of the above? From the language in the “Configuring endpoint connections” document, I can’t quite figure out who’s trying to connect to whom.

“Endpoint connections configure the gateway to locate other endpoints from which a request has been received. These connections are only needed on the gateways where the targets that you want to connect to are.”

For tunnel connections, what is the distinction between a tunnel connection and an endpoint connection? Also, how does one configure a target for a tunnel? Does the tunnel’s inbound URL go in the “server” field for a managed target?

Thanks for the help,

Andrew

2

(imported comment written by 978-0201616224)

Hi Andrew,

Endpoints are targets and controllers. In a remote control session, the controller connects to a target.

When you have a network of gateways installed, then the connections go via the gateways:

  1. The controller locates and connects to a local gateway and requests a connection to a specific target. The request contains all the IP addresses of that target as recorded in the TRC database.
  2. The local gateway broadcasts this request to the other gateways using the gateway control network, which is made by the control connections configured between gateways.
  3. Each gateway that receives the connection request checks if any IP addresses of the target match with an endpoint connection in that gateway’s configuration. If so, that gateway tries to locate the target.
  4. The gateway that has located the target first establishes a remote control session with that target.

Based on this, you need Inbound connections in gateways that are reachable by the controller. You need Endpoint connections in gateways that can reach targets.

TRC also supports collaboration, which uses a remote control connection between the master controller and the controller of the collaborator. If you use collaboration and the controllers may not always be on the same network where they can connect directly to each other, then you also need gateways with endpoint connections in the locations where you have collaborating controllers.

The tunnel connections are to allow HTTP or HTTPS connections from the target to the server. To configure the target to use a gateway, you configure the ProxyURL field:

ProxyURL = trcgw://address.of.gateway:port

The ServerURL needs to have the correct URL for the server.

HTH,

Chris

3

(imported comment written by atlauren)

Hi Chris,

Thank you, those are wonderfully clear descriptions. IMO the TRC documentation lacks a clear “theory of operation” overview for the entire system, but you’ve filled in a lot of gaps.

Thanks,

Andrew

4

(imported comment written by jgstew)

I find “theory of operation” to be lacking in a lot of the documentation in general.