port fowarding

[CuzinVinny]

Hello. I have a pk5000 modem from qwest. I have 4 PC's hooked to it. I use 1 to host  PC game "DFX2". I can have the outside world join expcept for me. Can you get me to join from my computer to the Game server?

Thanks
CuzinVinny

[Shane]

When you try to connect to your own server, make sure you connect with the local IP and not the internet IP.

Some routers don't like reverse nat 
http://www.pcwintech.com/test-for-reverse-nat

Shane

[CuzinVinny]

Thanks for getting back so quickly and Happy New Year to you and your family... I dont know which IP it is trying to connect to..also what is a reverse NAT?

[Shane]

IT explains it on that link I gave you. When you try to connect to your self through your internet IP it is called reverse nat.

Check the games help file, it should give you a way to connect to your self through a local ip

Shane

[CuzinVinny]

Well it seems like everytime I click on the link for the port test it kicks me back to my desk top??? On the port listner. all i got so far was the port listener. I am trying to download the port tester again. Thanks for being patience.

Cuz

[Shane]

Whats going on now?

When you try to download the port tester your browser closes?

Shane

[CuzinVinny]

IfI did this correctly the IP i want to listen is on is the computer I am trying to play on NOT connect to correct? If so i am getting a faided test as it says "port 1979 is off line and cannot be reached"

[Shane]

You want to run the port tester program on the computer the port forwarding rule is pointing to

Shane

[CuzinVinny]

Ok I did it correct and it failed. I used the TCP port fowarding #1979 and it came back failed " port 1979 is off line and cannot be reached"

Cuz

[Shane]

OK, on the machine the port needs to be open, I want you to send me a few screenshots

1. A screen shot of the port tester window. (You can blur out your internet IP) This will show me your local IP.
2. a screen shot of the port forwarding page in the router. This will let me check the port forwarding rule 

Shane

[CuzinVinny]

HUH...OOOOOK  how do i do a screenshot?  and how do I blur out the IP address?

Cuz

[Shane]

hit prtscn button on your keyboard.

Open paint, go to edit and paste 

Then draw some lines over your internet IP to cover it

Then save it, and save it as a jpg (BMP are huge compared to jpg)

Shane

[Shane]

Got your email with the screens

You have the port forwarding rule pointing to 192.168.0.3
But the computer your on is 192.168.0.2

Thats why it is failing, you need to do the test on the computer with the 0.3 IP

Shane

[Evan]

...what is a reverse NAT?

Basically all modern routers that you use in a home allows you use a single IP address that your internet provider gives you (they only give you one due to a limited number) with more than one computer or device.  On one side of the router you get addresses like 192.168.0.2-192.168.0.254 and those are the addresses for each device but on the other side of the router you get a globally *unique* (unique to your home only) address.  The router, using Network Address Translation (NAT), changes those multiple addreses in that single unique address.  When you try to connect using that address (the one you give to poeple to access your server) some routers aren't able to sort that out correctly.   

I put that for you as another way of explaining it in case you can't get to the page Shane linked to.  If you didn't have NAT then you'd have to have to pay for servrice for EVERY device you own and if everyone did that then there literally wouldn't be enough IP addresses to go around (using the current IP address standard).

Hope that helps. 

...and save it as a jpg (BMP are huge compared to jpg)

Plus who uses BMP anyways.   

Evan

[CuzinVinny]

Ok so i need to download the tester on .O3 computer correct?