Gateway Architecture and Prerequisites
This tutorial demonstrates the installation and configuration of SolarWinds Serv-U Gateway as a reverse proxy for an existing Managed File Transfer deployment. The demonstration uses a simple one-to-one architecture with a core Serv-U server at 192.168.5.71 handling SFTP on port 2222 and web transfers on port 8092, while the gateway is deployed at 192.168.5.59 with corresponding services on ports 2221 and 8091. Prerequisites include an existing Serv-U deployment with configured domains, users, and listeners, current software versions, and a separate machine for the gateway installation—fulfilled here using a Windows Server 2008 R2 virtual machine in Oracle VirtualBox.
Installation and Configuration Process
The gateway installation process is straightforward, requiring only a few minutes to complete through the standard Windows installer. Post-installation verification uses netstat commands to confirm the gateway service is listening on port 1180 for management connections. Configuration is managed entirely through the core Serv-U management console rather than on the gateway machine itself. Administrators add the gateway at the system level by specifying the private IP address for Serv-U-to-gateway communication, the management port (default 1180), and the public-facing IP address that clients will use for file transfer connections. The gateway automatically enters a 30-day trial mode upon installation, providing a window for production license activation.
Listener Configuration and Testing
After adding the gateway to the Serv-U system configuration, administrators must create corresponding listeners within their domain that bind to the gateway's IP address. The demonstration shows adding SFTP and web transfer listeners on the gateway's IP, which immediately become available for client connections. Testing confirms that clients connecting to the gateway IP addresses (5.59:2221 for SFTP and 5.59:8091 for web transfers) successfully authenticate and access the same resources as direct connections to the core Serv-U server, validating that the reverse proxy configuration is functioning correctly. The gateway transparently forwards authenticated sessions to the backend Serv-U server while presenting a unified external interface.
