• Configuring Routers, Generic Guide

Posted: **Fri Jun 30, 2006 7:07 am**

Configuring Routers For UO EMU Use

Original Author: RoseThorn
Edited By: MuadDib
POL Version: MuadDib
Original Post: http://www.scriptsharing.org/viewtutorial.php?id=155

General Router Setup

Ok, everyone has a problem getting anyone connected to them because of routers, so here ya go.. a step by step for the most common household router: Linksys. If you have another brand, I'm sure you can figure out how to do it following these instructions too. I have a Linksys router and roadrunner cable and two computers, if you know your setup just isn't compatible here, don't try it.

*BEFORE YOU DO ANY OF THIS, WRITE DOWN ALL THE SETTINGS FIRST SO YOU CAN GO BACK TO THEM IF THIS FAILS, I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR BROKEN NETWORKS OR OFFLINE COMPUTERS. WRITE DOWN YOUR CURRENT SETTINGS!!!! COPY THIS ENTIRE POST BEFORE YOU BEGIN SO YOU CAN VIEW IT OFFLINE!!!*

1.) Understand the difference between LAN and WAN ips. LAN = Local Area Network, it's the 192.168.*.* ips your computers and router at your house have, and cannot be accessed from the internet. WAN = Wide Area Network, it's the real ip assigned to you by your internet service provider, the one your players will need to connect to your shard.

2.) Find out how you have LAN configured. You're gonna want to have each computer connected to the router with it's own permanent LAN ip, not dynamic. If you have DHCP enabled on the router, your LAN ip on each comp will change on reboots/resets. Turn it off or you'll be editing it everytime your ip changes locally.

3.) For Win9x/ME users you'll have to figure this out yourself, I don't have it.. but for Win2k (and I think XP) users go to My Computer -> Control Panel -> Network and Dialup Connections. Right click on the "Local Area Connection" icon, go to Properties. Highlight (click once on) Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click the Properties button.

4.) Click "Use the following ip address" and type in 192.168.1.2 (or whatever numbers you want, but make sure you don't use 192.168.1.1 which is the router's default LAN ip). Click in any box for Subnet Mask and it should fill itself in with 255.255.255.0, leave these alone. Default gateway is the ip of your router, 192.168.1.1 by default for Linksys.
Repeat this step for every computer connected to the router, using a different ip (example 192.168.1.2, 192.168.1.3, 192.168.1.4, etc) for the first box for each computer. Subnet Mask and Gateway remain the same for all computers.

5.) Click "Use the following DNS servers" and type in your primary and secondary DNS servers given to you by your isp. I can't tell you what these numbers are, you'll have to know them or ask your isp for them. These numbers will be the same for each computer connected to the router.

6.) Click ok and ok again, and let it reboot if it asks. On Win2k I can usually just disable then enable the network connection to make new settings take effect.

7.) Open internet explorer (or whatever browser you use) and type in http://192.168.1.1 (or whatever your router's LAN ip is). This should open a password screen for your router's config settings. Type in your password. The main screen will give you the option of "Obtain an IP address automatically" or "Specify an IP address". This is up to you and/or your internet service provider. If you have roadrunner cable like myself, it will work either way (dynamic cable), but to specify you have to know your current WAN ip to specify. If you specify (that is: you know your ip and your ISP told you what ip to use) then type it in, type in your DNS servers, and 255.255.255.0 for subnet mask. Leave the rest of that page alone as defaults.

8.) Click the ADVANCED button up top. Click FORWARDING up top. On the left side you will see 2 boxes going down in a row. "Service Port Range". In the first two boxes type in 5003 for both. Select TCP for the protocol. IP Address will be the one you assigned your computer sphere runs on. Example 192.168.1.2. Click APPLY. You may have to enter these settings twice, my router makes me for some weird reason. Second time should save them though.
Remember, the PORT you set up, will be the same port you have configured in /config/servers.cfg and in pol.cfg, of your POL shard.

9.) Close your browser and reboot computer, cable modem, and router if needed until it lets you online. This is where any problems are gonna occur and I can't fix hehe You may have to reboot it all a few times to get online, I usually do. After powering down your cable modem for a minute, rebooting your computer, and re-enabling your network (disable -> enable like from STEP 6), if you still cannot get online, you may have to go back to your original settings and forget everything I just said. Another alternative is to call your router manufacturer and ask for help, Linksys is pretty good for fixing broken networks. You could also call your ISP and ask them for help. Most ISPs do not support routers or local area networks however, and some don't allow them at all.

10.) The next chapter will discuss setting up the POL Server correctly.

Posted: **Fri Jun 30, 2006 7:10 am**

Setting Up POL

Ok you made it this far, you have the router and network configured, now open /config/servers.cfg, and scroll down just a little way...

Here is an example entry from the file:

Code: Select all

GameServer
{
    Name    POL local
    IP      127.0.0.1
    Port    5003
}

Notice the IP. That is the type of entry you want for your own personal use, IF, you are running POL on the same PC that you are running the client on.

Code: Select all

GameServer
{
    Name    POL
    IP      --lan--
    Port    5003
}

The --lan-- instead of an IP, will try to auto-detect your LAN IP Address that POL is running on when it loads. This is an excellent way to keep it running on the server, in case you change the IP for the machine at the router or in the PC's network configuration.

In order to get it set up for your internet IP, you cannot however use --ip-- to autodetect it. Since the router's Internet IP Address is what you want, we will have to do a few things first.

If you have a dynamic WAN ip (one that changes when you reconnect or reboot) you may want to get a dynamic dns host. A good example is at www.dns2go.com. It's a small, free, resource friendly program you run in your system tray that gives you a hostname like myshard.dns2go.com and lets your players use it instead of keeping up with your changing "real" ip. Below is the various Login.cfg types to use, depending on the way of connecting:

Locally, same PC for server AND client:

Code: Select all

Loginserver=localhost,5003

Lan, same network in your house, but different PC for client:

Code: Select all

Loginserver=<network ip for the pc running POL>,5003

Connecting from outside your router, via the internet, to your POL:

Code: Select all

Loginserver=<your inet ip, or dns2go.com type domain name>,5003

Remember, if you do NOT choose the correct server name when connecting with the client, it will crash your client. Be sure you name your server entries so it easy to tell which to use. You can only use the Local Gameserver entry if on the same pc, the Internet gameserver if from the internet, etc.

Be sure to set the PORT in /config/servers.cfg and in /pol.cfg to be the same port you forwarded from your router!