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SciFinder Scholar Network Information
GeneralThe SciFinder Scholar client communicates with the servers at CAS on a TCP/IP (Internet) connection that uses the Z39.50 application protocol on communications port 210. Port 210 is the standard port for the Z39.50 protocol. The SciFinder Scholar server never initiates a connection to the client. The client initiates all communication with the server, with one exception: When the server has not received a request from the client for 2 minutes, the server sends an application "ping" to the client. If no response is received, the session at the server is terminated. If your firewall has an inactivity timeout, it should be longer than 6 minutes. The SciFinder Scholar client will connect to CAS at one of two "sockets":
Security on your firewall may limit Z39.50/port 210 packets to those two sockets for SciFinder Scholar access.
IP Address AuthenticationSciFinder Scholar incorporates IP address authentication during log on: The source IP address as seen by the SciFinder Scholar server must be in the range of IP addresses that have been supplied to CAS. In general, the SciFinder Scholar client must be run on a computer that is part of the campus network. SciFinder Scholar may, in some cases, be used on a computer located off-campus.
Firewalls and Proxy ServersIf your firewall performs protocol-checking, you may need a Z39.50 proxy or plug-in; contact your firewall vendor for assistance. A generic proxy may also meet your needs. CAS can provide an example of the configuration for a specific brand of UNIX firewall. The SciFinder Scholar client is not proxy-aware (but does support the SOCKS protocol) and simply knows to connect to a certain address on a certain port. It uses as a source port whatever value is given by the operating system. The destination address, destination port, and source port may be overridden in the Site Preferences. Because packet-filtering firewalls are relatively transparent, the connection to the SciFinder Scholar server address will probably succeed if port 210 is open. SciFinder Scholar can be configured in Site Preferences to connect to a proxy firewall instead of to the SciFinder Scholar server. In this case, the firewall is configured with the address of the SciFinder Scholar server. The SciFinder Scholar client connects to the firewall, and then the firewall completes the connection to the server. Some firewalls are able to map ports between the internal and external sides. For example, SciFinder Scholar might connect to port 3000 on the firewall, but the firewall connects to port 210 on the SciFinder Scholar server. For simplicity, we recommend port 210, but the port can be changed in Site Preferences. Creating and Changing Site PreferencesThe Site Administrator Guide contains complete information about Site Preferences and how to change them.
For further assistance, contact CAS Customer Care. Updated 2/26/2010 3:48:00 PM
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