VanguardLH <V...@nguard.LH> wrote
> Doesn't stunnel having its on config file were you define the client-
> and server-side ports? Or are you using command-line arguments to
> specify in/out ports?
Thanks for asking as I was mostly warning people as a helpful PSA/FYI.
I don't really know WHY Windows Update screws up the stunnel ports.
All I know is two things.
a. It happens repeatedly after a Windows Update
b. Changing the ports fixes it
However, to try to answer your question, stunnel uses a config file which
is pretty much boilerplate. The only thing you "decide" is the port to use.
Each news server has its own stunnel setup which you get from the admin.
An example is this stunnel setup for the Eternal September news server.
[raybanana]
client = yes
accept =
127.0.0.1:12345
connect =
news.eternal-september.org:563
verifyChain = yes
CAfile = ca-certs.pem
checkHost =
news.eternal-september.org
OCSPaia = yes
The only thing you change in the config is the port ("12345" in this case).
After a Windows Update, I have to change it to "something else".
What that "something else" is, doesn't really seem to matter.
So, for example, I changed it to "54321" and then stunnel worked again.
Until the next Windows Update that is.
Of course, in the newsreader telnet scripts I have to change the port too:
%hostname% = 127.0.0.1
%port% = 12345 (which has to be changed to 54321)
%username% = myusername
%password% = mypassword
> If using a config file, you might want to run SysInternals Procmon, or
> other file monitor, to see what touches stunnel's config file. The
> monitor would have to monitor both before a reboot and afterward if the
> Windows update needed a reboot.
Thanks. The fact both stunnel & adb act up, coupled with the fact it
happens after Tuesdays, kind of tells me it's Windows Update reserving
ports that are already being reserved but Windows Update doesn't care.
Of course, I have no way of knowing if that's really what's happening.
The stunnel ports are usually reserved at startup so it's surprising to me
that Windows Update interferes with those stunnel-startup assigned ports.
> I've only ADB once (for seeing files on the Android phone on my desktop
> PC), so I cannot address how port(s) are assigned to the USB port on the
> desktop PC that is connected via USB cable to the phone.
The Android adb tools are fantastic for mirroring your phone onto your PC.
This is great to make 6 inches of phone about two feet in height onscreen.]
Plus I can use the mouse and keyboard and clipboard with the phone.
The adb connections are pretty reliable most of the time, just like stunnel
is pretty reliable most of the time. It's just messy after Windows Update.
If I were to guess (which isn't something I like to do), I'll guess that
Windows Update (for whatever reason) requires a huge list of ports AFTER
the update (for whatever reason) and it does NOT check to see if they're
being used (otherwise the stunnel-assigned ports would not be affected).
I don't run adb at startup, so it could affect those ports, but I never
have to mess with adb ports as they're usually set by default if I connect
the phone by USB cable or they're determined by the phone if I use Wi-Fi.
So I don't get a choice of adb ports but I do get a choice for stunnel.
Mostly I was just letting others know Windows Update is doing funny stuff.
I do not really understand what's going on, but it has been happening for
quite a long time (maybe a year or so) so I think it's Windows Update.