Getting IP within a Network

Anon

I am building a INTRANET for a school district. This school district has 2 high schools. I am building a test IntraNET with PHP at the one school. The idea is that we take away some of that paperwork.

We are trying to make 2 sides to the IntraNET.

Student Section, and Staff.
Staff will have log-in accounts.

But we also was to give students access to specific things, like a student forum, lunch menu, ect ect ect.

But we are afraid this will be a a distraction.

So we are trying to figure out a way to block the IntraNET in each classroom.

(if they are taking a online test, we dont want them sharing answers over a forum. Just one problem, the admins will let us put more content on, if we can provide a way to block the students)

So the idea was to use our schools IP scheme.

The problem is $REMOTE_ADDR returns either the domain name (computername.domain)

or if its on the other side of the school, it returns a single IP address of one of the school routers (I think).

How can I tell the TRUE IP address of the client?

Is there a way?

Anon

Try using HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR and see if that works.

More info at :
http://www.php.net/manual/en/language.variables.predefined.php

and

http://www.faqts.com/knowledge_base/view.phtml/aid/186

Anon

Interesting dilemna. Well, if you are proxying, then the forwarded_for header should be there but if you are NATting through routers, you will find yourself SOL, especially if it is port mapping. That is one of the beauties/pitfalls of NAT.

REMOTE_ADDR should ALWAYS return an IP, even if it is simply the router the client is NATting through, whereas REMOTE_HOST will return a host name, if available.

If you can get the name of the machine as you indicate, and every machine has a different host name (or hostname.domainname), then MAYBE setup a school DNS system where you can lookup IP addresses, based on the computer name...(unless each room is using the same pool of addresses)....how about defining each classroom as a sub-domain....maybe like this. [computer name].[room number].zone. Then you will need to rely on the REMOTE_HOST name provided for your authentication, so to speak.

All of this depends on exactly how your network is configured. I am only throwing these ideas out in case something sparks as true.

Hope some of this helps. Anyone, feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

Best.

Matthew Pirvul
eAccounts.NETwork