Cross-Network Connectivity Using NowTunnel for Multi-Site Network Access
Overview of NowTunnel
NowTunnel enables port forwarding, NAT traversal, and proxy services by running client applications across different networks. It supports deployment via software, virtual machines, or hardware devices and accommodates protocols including TCP, UDP, and proxy types such as SOCKS5, HTTP, and HTTPS.
Example 1:
Listen Protocol: Proxy (SOCKS5/HTTP/HTTPS)
Bind Address: 192.168.1.1
Port: 8871
Relay Node: Shanghai/EDGE
Remote Host: None
# curl --proxy socks5://192.168.1.1:8871 http://myip.ipip.net
# The IP shown will reflect the location of the Shanghai EDGE node
Example 2:
Listen Protocol: TCP
Bind Address: 192.168.1.1
Port: 9501
Relay Node: Shanghai/EDGE
Target Service: 3.3.3.3:9502
# telnet 192.168.1.1 9501
# All TCP traffic from port 9501 will be forwarded through the Shanghai EDGE to 3.3.3.3:9502
Example 3:
Listen Protocol: UDP
Bind Address: 192.168.1.1
Port: 9601
Relay Node: Shanghai/EDGE
Remote Host: 3.3.3.3
Remote Port: 9602
# echo "TEST" | nc -4u 192.168.1.1 9601
# UDP packets sent to 192.168.1.1:9601 are routed to 3.3.3.3:9602 via the relay
Installation
The NowTunnel binary is statically compiled and requires no additional environment setup.
cd /usr/local/
wget -qO- https://download.nowtunnel.com/nowtunnel-linux-x86_64.tar.gz | tar -xz -C /usr/local/ && \
chmod +x /usr/local/nowtunnel/nowtunnel && \
chmod +x /usr/local/nowtunnel/nowtunnel-bash.sh && \
chmod 755 /usr/local/nowtunnel/cache && \
chmod 755 /usr/local/nowtunnel/log
# Launch the service
/bin/bash nowtunnel-bash.sh
Configuration
Access the NowTunnel web interface and navigate to Tunnel Instances > Node List. Add a new node to generate its corresponding license.key file.
Download the generated license key for use during client configuration. Each client must have its unique license key to connect.
Open the management console at http://127.0.0.1:9501. Successful access confirms that the application is running correctly.
- For VM-based deployments: http://172.16.21.137:9501
- For Linux/WSL/Docker setups: http://[server-ip]:9501
- Default credentials: admin / nowtunnel
Upload the downloaded license.key into the web UI to authenticate the node.
Once authenticated, system status can be viewed under the Genarel Information section.
Navigate to Forwarding Rules within the relevant tunnel instance to configure routing behavior.
As an example, set up a proxy where traffic enters via test1's port 8871 and exits through test2.
After configuring the listening port on test1, restart the node (approximately 15 seconds). Once restatred, verify connectivity using browser proxy settings or command-line tools.
With this setup complete, traffic entering A (test1) on port 8871 using proxy protocols will exit B (test2).
curl --proxy socks5://127.0.0.1:8871 http://myip.ipip.net
curl --proxy http://127.0.0.1:8871 http://myip.ipip.net
# Output should show the public IP associated with test2
