Comments on: How to setup a proxy for Iran citizens (Virtual Machine Disk Format!)

By: Hackiran

Hackiran — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:58:25 +0000

Hello, I’ve got the same MD5 and SHA1 sums that Ted Thomas has reported on ProxyBox_v0.3.vmdk:
$ md5sum ProxyBox_v0.3.vmdk ; sha1sum ProxyBox_v0.3.vmdk
5b6ad32270fa4e635e14dd70aa0bf4e1 ProxyBox_v0.3.vmdk
dc46619aa37ebfe90e7c816053c3d3c17762f4f8 ProxyBox_v0.3.vmdk

However, my installation of VirtualBox (the one that ships with Ubuntu 9.04 – virtualbox-ose-2.1.4-dfsg-1ubuntu3) doesn’t accept this image:

Could not open the hard disk ‘/home/hackiran/.VirtualBox/HardDisks/ProxyBox_v0.3.vmdk’.
VMDK: incorrect version in sparse extent header in ‘/home/hackiran/.VirtualBox/HardDisks/ProxyBox_v0.3.vmdk’, not a VMDK 1.0 conforming file (VERR_VD_VMDK_UNSUPPORTED_VERSION).
VD: error opening image file ‘/home/hackiran/.VirtualBox/HardDisks/ProxyBox_v0.3.vmdk’ (VERR_VD_VMDK_UNSUPPORTED_VERSION).

Result Code:
NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0×80004005)
Component:
HardDisk2
Interface:
IHardDisk2 {ed6e2525-c2fd-42a4-917a-7a9045ac9e15}
Called function:
IVirtualBox {339abca2-f47a-4302-87f5-7bc324e6bbde}

Seems that the header of the image is invalid. Any idea how to fix the image for VirtualBox?

By: Clueless

Clueless — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:03:08 +0000

I want to help, but I’m really unsure how to do this. I have an available PC at home with ethernet connection that I don’t use for anything. Is there an idiot’s guide for someone who has no clue about proxies and DNS to help set some up?

By: olli

olli — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:10:40 +0000

If one doesn’t have a static IP, use dyndns (http://dyndns.org) or no-ip (http://www.no-ip.com/)

This way you direct an url to your home ip that gets updated from within your computer.

Unless they block all the available domain types (a lot at dyndns)

Check it out!

By: z26o

z26o — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 18:21:52 +0000

Has anyone got this up and gotten a ddos attack? I want to do it, but just want to know what the ramifications will be. Will I be offline for an extended period of time? Can I expect hacks or virus’s on other systems on my network? Just want to get a feel for what to expect. Anyone have any problems out there?

By: green

green — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 07:46:14 +0000

oh and im not using a router or firewall software atm, trying to eliminate all sources of the conflict

By: green

green — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 07:34:19 +0000

Hey sunkid, I got your thing setup and running but I having 2 problems

1) when I run the socat command, it seems to “hang” (as in, I get a bunch of text but then I no longer get a command line). Is this normal?

2) Although I’ve forwarded all the ports, when I use a web proxy checker it says that the proxy is not working. Any help or further instructions would be appreciated.

I’m running vista 64, Ive shut down my antivirus software and im on a wired connection.

By: fjl

fjl — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 01:08:55 +0000

Same example…
http://img14.imageshack.us/i/capturax.png/

By: fjl

fjl — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 01:05:33 +0000

@sunkid

Something is wrong, I get the following error no matter where I have the .ovf and .dmvk files.
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/3244/errorfyb.png
Notice how the extra, incorrect / is being added in? I’ve duplicated this error on a Windows XP machine and a Windows 7 machine having the two files together in multiple directories including the root of my hard disk and the error still persists.

By: sunkid

sunkid — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:51:35 +0000

all instructions for the VMDK are here: http://www.exstatic.org/proxybox/

By: sunkid

sunkid — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:19:11 +0000

I have made some progress using the vmdk file on Centos with vmware server. Initially, before trying to install it as an VM in the server via the remote https interface, I tried to mount the vmdk image locally but was unable to do so. After conversion with

vmware-vdiskmanager -r ProxyBox_v0.3.vmdk -t 0 Proxy.vmdk

mounting worked fine using

vmware-mount Proxy.vmdk 1 /mnt/

After unmounting (‘vmware-mount -x’), I configured the VM within vmware server to use this virtual disk as a virtual disk for a new Debian 32bit VM. I also added a NAT network interface and a CD/CD-ROM drive using the default settings. However, during boot, the remote console showed that the /dev/hda1 disk could not be found.

To fix this, I stopped the VM, re-mounted the vmdk and edited /etc/fstab as well as /boot/grub/menu.lst to change all instances of /dev/hda[15] to /dev/sda[15]. After unmounting, the VM booted fine, grabbed an IP address and seems to be running all services (mix, tor, ziproxy, and squid).

Since my VM host is behind a firewall, I will need to research some additional information to make this one available.

Thanks for making this available!!!

By: bendodge

bendodge — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:10:24 +0000

Does this VMDK follow the BPP post guidlines, and if not, what do we need to do to change it?

By: Hugh

Hugh — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:50:53 +0000

Ted:
I don’t have a static address (home DSL), though I do have DynDNS pointing to my box. Is an actual hard ip addr needed, or will my DynDNS url work?

By: flamsmark

flamsmark — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:43:19 +0000

Can you let us know shat the specs on the .vmdk are? What ports does it run on &c?

By: Penguin

Penguin — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:46:48 +0000

Thanks for your response, Ted.

I don’t have a static IP and I think I don’t know enough about this to really help out. I d/l’d the VMDK thing and neither me nor my computer knows what to do with it. This is maybe a little out of my league.

But’s it’s awesome to see so that so many people care and want to do pitch in! I think my faith in humanity has been restored.

By: Ted Thomas

Ted Thomas — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:28:51 +0000

File hashes I have for ProxyBox_v0.3:

MD5: 5B6AD32270FA4E635E14DD70AA0BF4E1
SHA1: DC46619AA37EBFE90E7C816053C3D3C17762F4F8

Please confirm.

Confused:
To run a proxy server others can use, you must have a static IP. That is, your external IP address must not change over time. Normally, unless you make arrangements with your ISP, they will change your external address periodically. You can find your current external IP by going to http://www.IPChicken.com/ on the PC you plan to use. Remember that if you run a proxy that the Iranian govt. discovers, you may lose connectivity for a time because of a DDOS attack from them. (I wouldn’t be surprised if they are hiring hacker botnets to do this right now. This is, after all, a war…)

dg: and Rich:
This appears to be a problem with the order in which the VM checks partitions at startup. See http://www.thekip.nl/2007/12/18/kinit-no-resume-image-fixed/ for details. You will need to know how to open & use a terminal window to fix this. Perhaps the VM author, James, could post on this one…

Penguin: and oriste:
This VM does the same thing as squid (probably uses it, actually); it is just a different way to provide the same relay service.

HTHs,
Ted T.

By: Rich

Rich — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:44:33 +0000

Anyone have this working? I booted it with Sun VirtualBox and it’s stuck at:
kinit: trying to resume from /dev/hda5
kinit: No resume image, doing normal boot…

By: Casey

Casey — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:33:17 +0000

What ports have to be open? Just outbound ping?

By: oriste

oriste — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:34:34 +0000

In the same situation as Penguin. Do you still need my squid running?

By: Penguin

Penguin — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:47:46 +0000

I’m confused. I spent two days getting squid to work. I’m don’t know much about computers. What’s a VPS? I googled it and I still don’t understand. Does Austin still need squid proxies?

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:36:03 +0000

I’ve set up VirtualBox with a Linux/Debian machine and I am using the provided ProxyBox.

After the machine boots, am I supposed to see something in the window?