DSL/Router/Firewall Tutorial for MP Games

[Vajar]

DSL/Router/Firewall Tutorial for MP Games

After some people had posted having problems with setting up their computer to allow for multiplayer games, I figured I'd post a mini-tutorial (good thread to get stickied?)

This isn't a comprehensive tutorial, but I feel it'll be mostly foolproof with images.

It's a tutorial how to set up XP SP2 to open ports for Diablo II games, as well as a brief overview of how to set up a router to forward ports for Diablo II games to your computer.

If you don't have XP SP2 (Windows XP Service Pack 2), skip the first two images.

http://upl.silentwhisper.net/uplfolders/upload4/setup1.JPG

http://upl.silentwhisper.net/uplfolders/upload4/setup2.JPG

http://upl.silentwhisper.net/uplfolders/upload4/setup3.JPG

http://upl.silentwhisper.net/uplfolders/upload1/setup4.JPG

Finally:
go to www.whatismyip.com to get the IP address you need post

You should be set. Note that images 3 and 4 may look drastically different as the options your router provides and the names they call them are not standard and vary wildly - but a little bit of logic and intuition should get you the rest of the way.

Now go make some friends! :buddies:

 

[Condor]

Understand here that I am only posting this site address and link as a helpful 'start', but it is not necessarily the ports you want opened for DII. I am posting this because I remembered during their beta that the helpful guide they put together for newbies to routers was pretty good.

http://www.blizzard.com/support/wow/?id=aww01199p

From there, you can possibly choose your router and use the guide to determine how to forward the port on your computer. While the ports for WOW are different I believe, the idea on how to open/forward a port is the same. Your router may be listed and give you a jump on understanding how to use your router.

Hope the above helps.

Condor

 

[MCCCXXXVII]

Wow! Thanks, guys! I have to go to bed ATM, but tomorrow I'll give this stuff a go.

 

[Drandimere]

If you don't have XP SP2 (Windows XP Service Pack 2), skip the first two images.

This is true... however, you'll still need to turn off your firewall (which is what you are doing in the first two screen shots - in service pack 2 you have "exceptions" that turn off the firewall when the game is playing via MP).

If you don't have service pack 2 you need to turn the firewall off manually. The best way to do it is just go to Network Connections and see if there is a "lock" to the left of the network connection (by default there should be one). Right click and view properties. Go to advance settings and turn off the firewall... you'll get a warning that "this is a bad idea" but you'll need to do it anyway. Click on "apply" settings. When you are not playing MP Diablo you can turn the firewall back on.

 

[inviso]

Remember... Only turn off the Windows firewall if absolutely necessary. If you have SP2, do not turn off the firewall. Follow the instructions given instead and ask questions if you have problems. Turning off your firewall is just begging to be infected with the latest Windoze virus If you have SP1 and can't get the firewall to behave, I would recommend turning it off and replacing it with a third party firewall program.

Also, if you have any problems getting your firewall on your router configured, please post the exact make/model as well as a link to the documentation on the vendor's site that shows how to configure the router. This way, we can see the exact same screen you're seeing and we don't have to go look up docs on your router.. Yeah, I'm basically lazy..

If all else fails, :rant:

Good luck all :wave:

 

[Kremtok]

Thanks for taking the time to put this together, Vajar! Let's give it some time to see if there needs to be any revisions or additions, and then I'll see that it gets stickied.

 

[NSXdreamer]

Remember... Only turn off the Windows firewall if absolutely necessary. If you have SP2, do not turn off the firewall. Follow the instructions given instead and ask questions if you have problems. Turning off your firewall is just begging to be infected with the latest Windoze virus

Meh, I went without firewall for 6 years without getting a single virus, no need to be so paranoid. :flip:

 

[Condor]

Remember... Only turn off the Windows firewall if absolutely necessary. If you have SP2, do not turn off the firewall.

Turning off your firewall is just begging to be infected with the latest Windoze virus

Just so there is a contracting opinion on this, I recommend to ABSOLUTELY turn OFF the firewall that ships with XP SP2. Use your 'hardware' firewall in your router.

There are enough scare tactics out on the Internet, and the media, to make it look like hackers on the Internet are waiting to get into your computer and get your great-grandmother's homemade sugar cookie recipe; it is not true.

Yes, a firewall is a safety precaution, but that does not necessarily mean that the product being shipped with XP SP2 is the way to do it; at least in it's current configuration.

Sometimes too much protection and the locking down of your computer makes it so you can't actually communicate with the ones you are trying to. Don't lock your computer up tighter than a schoolgirl's lunch, allow some means to have those you want in, a way to get in.

And if you are so inclined to use a 'software' program as a firewall instead of your built-in hardware firewall; then maybe choose a program that was written for this purpose, not added as a selling point to an operating system.

Well, that is my 2 cents anyway.

Condor

 

[cryist]

Nice job Vajar, i think a lot of people will be interested in this. I am all for it..

 

[CRG]

Currently, my IP D2 shows is not an internal one (it starts 138.192...), and I tried hosting, and a window came up that windows had blocked part of D2. I'm guessing this was someone trying to join my game.

On your above steps, if my IP is correct (not internal) and I'm not behind a router (dorm LAN), do I need to do the last 2 steps?. I have XP SP2.

Thanks,
crg

 

[Vajar]

ahh, dorm LAN... unfortunately this probably means you cannot host, the ports are most likely blocked at your uni's server - not to mention you have no way of doing port forwarding - hate to break it to ya

of course, you can host games for anyone on the same LAN as you.. but thats pretty useless for here..

 

[NSXdreamer]

Go ask the computer service see if the port is actually blocked. I know my old uni dorm dosen't bother block any port at all. Of course end result is web browsing is slower than dialup. :rant:

 

[chase_encode]

Currently, my IP D2 shows is not an internal one (it starts 138.192...), and I tried hosting, and a window came up that windows had blocked part of D2. I'm guessing this was someone trying to join my game.

On your above steps, if my IP is correct (not internal) and I'm not behind a router (dorm LAN), do I need to do the last 2 steps?. I have XP SP2.

Thanks,
crg

XP complained because D2 was trying to communicate to the outside world, not necessarily because someone was trying to communicate with you.

Router=protection from outside in
XP firewall=protection from inside out

It does seem strange that you have a external IP if you are on a LAN. Doesn't make sense to me. Can someone explain this?

I'de try just the first two steps and see if that works.

Internal IP adress will fall here:
International Network Standard RFC 1918 reserves the following IP address ranges for Intranet (e.g. LAN) use (i.e. they are internal addresses):

10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255
172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255
192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255

edit: I too was writing saying that since it is a uni LAN that he wouldn't have access to the router and whatnot. But again, he looks to have an external IP.

 

[Vajar]

Go ask the computer service see if the port is actually blocked. I know my old uni dorm dosen't bother block any port at all. Of course end result is web browsing is slower than dialup. :rant:

oh, true, you can join games if your ports aren't blocked, so its possible, but you cannot host games unless you set up port forwarding which I'm 100% sure your uni won't do for you

as far as the odd internal IP address, many universities don't conform to the 192.168.x format, I'm not sure why, it may be that it's extremely difficult, but I know that at many uni's internal LAN IP addresses look like normal legitimate IP external addresses

 

[NSXdreamer]

CRG weren't you able to host games a while ago and it works? Also from dorm, unless you've moved since then.

 

[CRG]

CRG weren't you able to host games a while ago and it works? Also from dorm, unless you've moved since then.

I was able to host games last year, from just down the hall (same dorm).

I'll try later, adding D2 to the exceptions list, but for now, I'm going to work on a sorc.

crg

 

[Vajar]

Here's the deal, if you go through another computer (server or router) to reach the internet, the IP address that others use to connect to your computer is actually the IP address of the server - since your computer isn't directly connected. Therefore, if someone connects to the IP address, they connect to the server (not your computer).. this is where port forwarding comes in. The server needs to know the packets coming in for your Diablo II hosted game, are intended for your computer. Port forwarding allows the server to designate a computer for a particular service (on a particular port) so that all traffic for a specific port is forwarded on to another IP address on the LAN (your computer).

Take a router, for example: all traffic coming in to the IP address that connects you to the internet is actually just going to the router - if no connection has been established via outbound traffic, then it doesn't know what LAN computer to send this traffic to. This is why you can surf the web and all packets related to that are sent to your computer and not just held up at the router (because YOU have established the connection). With Diablo II hosted games, you've not established any connection with another person's computer. THEY are making the first connection to the IP address - therefore, the server (or router) has no way of knowing that the connection is really intended for your computer - unless port forwarding directs the traffic specifically to your local computer.

I'm guessing that previously, CRG, your computer was directly connected to the internet instead of going through a server. Your uni may have changed how their dorm internet connection works, by using a localized or central server. Because of this, you're having problems because all people trying to connect to your DII games are getting held up at the server - which doesn't know that its supposed to direct that traffic to your computer and since IT isn't hosting any DII games, it rejects the traffic, resulting in an 'unable to connect'.

Hopefully this sheds some light on the subject for a lot of you - providing I explained it clearly enough.

 

[Vajar]

I think this would be a good thread to get stickied or stuck in the SPF FAQ thread. I think Krem mentioned it would be done, but it seems to have fallen through the cracks with the new trading forums. AE? or, if it needs more formality, I can polish it up - I'm sure a lot of newcomers would really find this tutorial helpful.

 

[AlterEgo]

We haven't forgotten :innocent: I looked at this very thread a couple days back, and was going to PM you to see if your tutorial is final.

Your call Vajar. If you want to polish it up I'll wait for that version and "sticky" that document. If you feel the entire thread is a better resource, I'll stick the whole thing.

 

[Kremtok]

And FYI: I didn't forget about it, either. As I mentioned in my previous post, I was waiting to see if you needed to make any additions or revisons. I'll let AlterEgo take care of this one, since he posted first.

*points at AlterEgo*

haha!