Port forwarding

[trancefied]

can someone please help with this? I'm setting up a Zircon Mir3 server to play with family and friends.
everything works fine on a local network, but when I use public IP on client (Zircon.ini) it won't connect to the server. tried to open port on router and allow in firewall with no luck. attached photos to clarify things.
any leads is very much appreciated.

 

[Jev]

On your own client, use your IPV4 IP (same as server).

Everyone outside of that network will need to have their client pointing towards your public IP

Post moved to Mir 3 Help Section

 

[trancefied]

On your own client, use your IPV4 IP (same as server).

Everyone outside of that network will need to have their client pointing towards your public IP

Post moved to Mir 3 Help Section

still won't connect to server. checked for port and it says closed. not sure if its my ISP or there's something else needs to be done to open port.

 

[Jev]

Looks like you've missed UDP 7000 on windows firewall

 

[trancefied]

Looks like you've missed UDP 7000 on windows firewall

just added rule for both inbound and outbound but port is still closed

 

[mir2pion]

If you test on those websites that offer to test open ports, UDP ports report as closed even when they are patently open, there must be some reason for that but it is beyond my networking knowledge.

Mind you, this testing for open ports has nothing to do with win firewall, it only tests ports on the router WAN (internet facing) side.

Don't know mir3 setup but generally you don't need to touch win firewall unless maybe you have set some higher protection level than normal low level setting.

Like mir2, the server program should have LAN IP of the computer it runs on. Then port forwarding is set on the router, to forward outside requests made on mir3 port(s) to that computer LAN IP.
In your home client, you connect it to that LAN IP if not on the same computer on LAN, if on the same one, maybe you need to use local IP 127.0.0.1 for the client (but doubt it, LAN IP should do it I think).

 

[trancefied]

If you test on those websites that offer to test open ports, UDP ports report as closed even when they are patently open, there must be some reason for that but it is beyond my networking knowledge.

Mind you, this testing for open ports has nothing to do with win firewall, it only tests ports on the router WAN (internet facing) side.

Don't know mir3 setup but generally you don't need to touch win firewall unless maybe you have set some higher protection level than normal low level setting.

Like mir2, the server program should have LAN IP of the computer it runs on. Then port forwarding is set on the router, to forward outside requests made on mir3 port(s) to that computer LAN IP.
In your home client, you connect it to that LAN IP if not on the same computer on LAN, if on the same one, maybe you need to use local IP 127.0.0.1 for the client (but doubt it, LAN IP should do it I think).

I honestly don't know much about networking which is why I'm kind of lost.
using the local IP works fine within the local area network (127.0.0.1 & 192.168.x.x) and the client can connect to the server with 0 issues, but once I set the public IP on client it won't connect to server. I've opened both TCP and UDP in router and allowed both in firewall settings since I'm not sure which one the server uses.
reading the guides and comments in this beautiful forum about setting up a zircon server, I learned that I first must open the port in router settings, allow server program and port in firewall settings (server side), enter the local IP (192.168.x.x) in server program, then give the client the public IP and same port set in server program.
if you or anyone would please check the photos I attached in first comment and see if I've done something wrong.

 

[mir2pion]

once I set the public IP on client it won't connect to server.

Just to make sure, is that client connecting from outside your place (not on your home network computers)? Some routers and or ISPs have problem with 'reflecting' requests back to your LAN
Sometimes pple test server connection as if they were outside LAN, somewhere on the internet and put their public IP into the server's ini configuration.

Here, I think the IP address should be the computer's IP, 192.168.100.203 (I take it, your public, internet IP is 92.x.x.x


You should not use DMZ in your router, that is only for experts who are hosting internet server and give this server public IP address which is different from the one the ISP normally assigns to you (pple purchase extra IPs from their provider for that purpose)

DMZ exposes your computer directly to internet which is highly discouraged, only experts should use it.

There is a section in the router settings called Port Forwarding (not Port Triggering, you want Forwarding).

In port forwarding section, you leave the field 'From' empty (so anyone out there can connect to your server) and in the field 'To' enter in the computer LAN address 192.168.100.203 and input 7000 for both in and out ports.

This means that when a request from outside your LAN comes to your public IP on port 7000 where public IP is like a street address for an apartment building and port 7000 is the number of specific door to an apartment (in your case, 'apartment # 192.168.100.203' in that building - each apartment has many doors, one of them has #7000 on it).
When your friend out there on the internet logs in on his mir3 client to your server, his client sends a request to your public IP and port 7000 (his client has this IP in the ini setting file). This is like knocking on the building entrance door and asking for apartment 192.168.100.203, door # 7000 and the concierge will tell you where to go, except that the building is your Modem/Router which acts as a concierge. Your router consults the Port Forwarding table and figures from it that such a request should be routed to a computer on LAN with private LAN IP 192.168.100.203 on port 7000 (that's why its called 'router', it routes traffic in and out of your local are network (your home LAN).

Your mir3 server running on the computer that was assigned that IP address listens on its computer network card port 7000 and accepts and processes that incoming traffic sent in by the router (your internet gateway). Mir3 server is like a dog constantly watching door #7000 in the apartment 192.168.100.203 (the computer) and barks back at anybody who nocks on it...
-------------------------------------
Disable that DMZ and look for Port Forwarding section in your router settings.

This pic has correct setting if that was port forwarding but I think it is related to that first pic where you switched on DMZ, it is a setting for that. If that is so, disable the DMZ and look for port forwarding. Forwarding could be called 'mapping' but I suspect they call it mapping because it is setup for DMZ (that is short for DeMilitarized Zone and even experts wouldn't use it for hosting mir server)

 

[trancefied]

Just to make sure, is that client connecting from outside your place (not on your home network computers)? Some routers and or ISPs have problem with 'reflecting' requests back to your LAN
Sometimes pple test server connection as if they were outside LAN, somewhere on the internet and put their public IP into the server's ini configuration.

Here, I think the IP address should be the computer's IP, 192.168.100.203 (I take it, your public, internet IP is 92.x.x.x
View attachment 34555

You should not use DMZ in your router, that is only for experts who are hosting internet server and give this server public IP address which is different from the one the ISP normally assigns to you (pple purchase extra IPs from their provider for that purpose)

DMZ exposes your computer directly to internet which is highly discouraged, only experts should use it.

There is a section in the router settings called Port Forwarding (not Port Triggering, you want Forwarding).

In port forwarding section, you leave the field 'From' empty (so anyone out there can connect to your server) and in the field 'To' enter in the computer LAN address 192.168.100.203 and input 7000 for both in and out ports.

This means that when a request from outside your LAN comes to your public IP on port 7000 where public IP is like a street address for an apartment building and port 7000 is the number of specific door to an apartment (in your case, 'apartment # 192.168.100.203' in that building - each apartment has many doors, one of them has #7000 on it).
When your friend out there on the internet logs in on his mir3 client to your server, his client sends a request to your public IP and port 7000 (his client has this IP in the ini setting file). This is like knocking on the building entrance door and asking for apartment 192.168.100.203, door # 7000 and the concierge will tell you where to go, except that the building is your Modem/Router which acts as a concierge. Your router consults the Port Forwarding table and figures from it that such a request should be routed to a computer on LAN with private LAN IP 192.168.100.203 on port 7000 (that's why its called 'router', it routes traffic in and out of your local are network (your home LAN).

Your mir3 server running on the computer that was assigned that IP address listens on its computer network card port 7000 and accepts and processes that incoming traffic sent in by the router (your internet gateway). Mir3 server is like a dog constantly watching door #7000 in the apartment 192.168.100.203 (the computer) and barks back at anybody who nocks on it...
-------------------------------------
Disable that DMZ and look for Port Forwarding section in your router settings.

This pic has correct setting if that was port forwarding but I think it is related to that first pic where you switched on DMZ, it is a setting for that. If that is so, disable the DMZ and look for port forwarding. Forwarding could be called 'mapping' but I suspect they call it mapping because it is setup for DMZ (that is short for DeMilitarized Zone and even experts wouldn't use it for hosting mir server)
View attachment 34554

Good day and thank you for the thorough explanation!
Yes I was trying to connect from another connection (different router/ISP).

the public IP in the Zircon File is for the client that I was trying to connect to the server from. I believe using the server's local IP 192.168.100.203 will only work when connecting to server through a local network?

I just turned DMZ off, didn't know its that risky to use it so thanks!
anyway I contacted my ISP and they said something about needing a static IP so it doesn't change every short period.

there's no forwarding option in the router so I suppose its the mapping? should I turn off port trigger?

 

[Tai]

We don't know what router you've got. Why don't you Google "How to port forward on <INSERT ROUTER MODEL HERE>" ?

 

[trancefied]

We don't know what router you've got. Why don't you Google "How to port forward on <INSERT ROUTER MODEL HERE>" ?

sorry it's a Huawei HG8145V5.
I tried to google it, all the guides takes me to Port Mapping. asked here to see maybe someone would notice something that I'm missing in router or server settings.

 

[Tai]

As mentioned by @mir2pion firstly you need to undo everything you've done relating to DMZ, port triggering and Windows Firewall.

All you should need is IPv4 Port Mapping



Change the protocol to TCP/UDP

 

[mir2pion]

I believe using the server's local IP 192.168.100.203 will only work when connecting to server through a local network?

Yes. This type of IP address, one that starts with 192.168.x.x is a private IP address, not a public one. It can only exist behind routers, on pple's home LANs.

I contacted my ISP and they said something about needing a static IP so it doesn't change every short period.

Likely you can ignore it, it doesn't change daily, maybe once in a blue moon is more typical nowadays. For some ISPs, rebooting your modem/router might give you new address but more likely, you will get the same one, for a few weeks or months at minimum. For hosting server for friends, this is not a problem, you just let them know new IP address when they complain they can't connect.

Click on Advanced and there on Forward Rules. The video this is from was not about port forwarding, so I don't know what that section looks like.


This is very similar to your pic above, I guess the protocol should be TCP as Tai marked it above in red, or try both protocols if you have problem making it work.

 

[trancefied]

update
turns out it was blocked by my ISP, all sorted now. thanks everyone!