Cant Get Moodle to work both internally and externally

[geoffd]

We have had One Connect create a gateway to our system so we can get external access to our new internal moodle. The redirect in our ISA server and the gateway are fine, have spent the last day or so on these, but we keep getting strange problems with Moodle.

Initially our "config.php" file was set to our internal address http://moodle.moodle24 this worked fine internally.

To fit with the redirect we changed this to Redirect initially the site could be seen externally but some of the graphics where not rendering correctly.

Internally the site could not now be accessed as it got the page

"This site can only be accessed via http://moodle24.olchs.lancs.sch.uk/moodle24.”

It then tried to redirect and went round in a loop.

The site is built in windows server 2008 R2 using IIS7, I have no HTTP redirects set, when I set these the site cannot be displayed.

Do we know any way to get the site to work internally and externally? is this a PHP issue and if so what needs adding?

Can two entries be made in config.php?

Any help would be appreciated.

[CyberNerd]

Its not terribly good practice having internal resources available from the internet. A better and more simple way is to create a firewalled vlan called a DMZ where both the web and the internal LAN have access over https. This way if the server is compromised, your internal network is still protected by the firewall.

[glennda]

As Cybernerd says it isn't best practice,

 

As mentioned on twitter. What is sounds like is that you need to setup an internal record for moodle.doamin.blah.blah internally to point to its internal ip rather than its external.

 

Otherwise all traffic is trying to go out to the internet and then back in again which most firewalls do not like!

[CyberNerd]

Here's a diagram of what I mean.

The DMZ ip's and DNS can be internet and internally accessible - you don't need to worry about problems where the internal address and the external address are different because the firewall will NAT to the same place.

 

Edited April 5, 2013 by CyberNerd