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My Windows Server 2008 server has several IP addresses bound to it's network card. How do I configure it so that connections originating from certain programs, on certain ports, or to specific destinations get specified (instead of the default) source addresses?

For example, how could I configure things so that connections to port 80 or 443, or connections from Firefox use a non-default IP?

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  • I have already written a sample project which takes a URL and IP address and browse the address with given IP address. The problem is my project is a simple project which returns HTML as text and it cannot render the page. I need an advanced browser with the same functionality.
    – Xaqron
    Dec 16, 2011 at 16:55
  • At a bare minimum, the answer would depend on your OS. On another note, this sort of question isn't really within the scope of this site - as you've described it it's more of an end-user issue.
    – Aaron
    Dec 16, 2011 at 16:59
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    End users have multihomed servers ?! I've simplified a sophisticated problem here to minimize confusion. I use Windows server 2008 as OS.
    – Xaqron
    Dec 16, 2011 at 17:43
  • @Xaqron I've proposed an edit to your question to make it more Server Fault appropriate. I have no idea if it's sufficient to get the question reopened (or even who/how does that.) If you're interested in writing a FF extension, or something, maybe you could ask about it on another Stack Exchange site?
    – jade
    Dec 16, 2011 at 19:56

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
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IP route selection is done well below the browser itself, so a plugin is highly unlikely to exist.

Depending on your operating system, the IP address your TCP/IP stack selects to put on outgoing packets to random spots on the internet (otherwise known as anything covered by the default route) depends on several things.

  • If the default route gateway is only reachable by a single interface, that's the one that gets used.
  • If a single interface has multiple IP addresses on it, but are on the same subnet, the server will pick one these depending on how the stack was coded:
    • The IP address bound first.
    • The lower IP address.
  • If you have two interfaces with IP addresses that can reach a default route, the selection may be (again, depends on the TCP/IP stack)
    • The interface specified on the routing table for the default route
    • The IP bound to the interface with the smallest ordinal (eth0 not eth1, or Interface 1 not Interface 3 for windows)
    • The interface with the lowest bound IP
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  • Specifying the source address of a socket is easily possible within the Berkeley sockets API (just call bind before calling connect.) I presume it's also possible in WinSock (whose API, IIRC, is basically a Berkeley socket ripoff ^H adaptation.)
    – jade
    Dec 16, 2011 at 19:49
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It depends on the operating system.

Win2003 uses the "Weak Host" method. Win2008 and Win2012 use the "Strong Host" method.

More info:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/networking/archive/2009/04/25/source-ip-address-selection-on-a-multi-homed-windows-computer.aspx

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I don't know of any browser plugins that allow you to edit the routing of a multihomed system, as such functionality would require administrative privilege.

A TCP/IP networked computer determines which interface and/or address to use for all its out-going packets based on the IP routing tables. Under Linux /sbin/route -n will show the routing for a system. The command is similar under MS Windows I believe.

If the IP addresses are on the same subnet, I believe the system will use a default route or IP address (I believe typically the first address bound to the network interface) unless configured otherwise.

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