If the mouse-over message on your F2P Server or PC2Me Server icon is Online-Proxied, then the connection will be faster if you open a port in your router and/or firewall for incoming TCP connections (this is also called port forwarding).
Quick Instructions
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The rest of this article has more detailed information.
What do the messages mean?
The message indicates how people are connecting to your server.
| Message | Description |
| Online-Direct | The connection goes directly to your computer; it does not go through the 1stWorks Proxy servers. Your Internet configuration (including firewalls and routers) allow incoming TCP connections that are initiated externally, as well as continuous outgoing TCP connections. |
| Online-Proxied | The connection goes through the 1stWorks Proxy servers. Your Internet connection (including firewalls and routers) allows outgoing TCP connections but blocks incoming TCP connections initiated externally. |
| Online-Tunnelled | They cannot connect. Your firewalls do not allow either incoming or outgoing TCP connections. |
| Signed Out | Your 1stWorks products has not yet connected to the 1stWorks Network. |
Non-Standard Ports
We recommend that you open one of the ports listed in the Quick Instructions, but you can open any port of your choice instead.
- Make sure that that port is not already opened for incoming connections for another program.
- We recommend that you only consider ports numbered over 1000 because usually all the ones under 1000 are in use.
- If you open a port that is not in the xx80 series, such as 8273, add the -pwPORT option to your F2P Server or PC2Me Server startup command line. Follow the directions for the -icode in the Quick Instructions section, but add -pwPORT instead, where PORT is the port number you chose.
For example, if you open port 8273, your commmand line would be:
"C://Program Files/1stWorks/F2P/BIN/F2P.exe" -pw8273
or
"C://Program Files/1stWorks/pc2me/BIN/pc2me.exe" -pw8273
Longer Instructions
In these steps, you configure your router to allow incoming TCP connections (initiated from outside) through a specific port, and to send those connections to a specific IP address. Then, you assign that IP address to your computer, and tell the computer which port to expect the connections to come through.
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We provide general directions, along with some specific examples. For specific instructions, please refer to the documentation and support information provided by your router or firewall vendor.
For specific examples, see: How do I open ports in a D-Link router (D1-704P)? How do I open ports in a LinkSys router? How do I configure ports in a Cayman router? |
The general instructions are:
- Select an IP address for your computer.
Open your router, and select an unused IP address to assign to your computer as a static IP address.
- Do not select an IP address that your router may assign dynamically. Your router should have a setting that controls which IP addresses it assigns dynamically to the computers and other devices that connect to the router. Look for the DHCP or dynamic address setting. It may show you the range, or it may show you the starting IP addrses and tell you how many dynamic address it might assign. Do not select any IP address that might be in this range.
- Do not select one of the 20 lowest possible IP addresses, as these may be used by the router itself for system devices that you don't see. For example, if the main IP address for your router is 192.168.0.1, do not use any IPs in the range 192.168.0.1 through 192.168.0.20.
- Some installations seem to work better if the IP address you choose to assign as a static IP is below the router's dynamic range. If the range starts at 192.168.0.50, for example, you might choose 192.168.0.45.
Background: a router allows multiple computers to access the Internet through the same external IP address. The external IP address is usually assigned by your ISP and it is dynamic (it changes). The router then assigns a different internal IP address to each computer. Usually, these are assigned dynamically, which means they may change. Because you don't want the incoming connections to accidentally go to someone else's computer, you need to assign a static, or unchanging, internal IP address to your computer. The first step is to find one that isn't being used (and isn't going to be used).
- Do not select an IP address that your router may assign dynamically. Your router should have a setting that controls which IP addresses it assigns dynamically to the computers and other devices that connect to the router. Look for the DHCP or dynamic address setting. It may show you the range, or it may show you the starting IP addrses and tell you how many dynamic address it might assign. Do not select any IP address that might be in this range.
- Note the Gateway and DNS Servers used by the router.
Also note the IP address of the Gateway and DNS Servers used by your computer. You'll need these later, when you configure your computer with the static IP.
- Open a Port in your Router.
Configure one port in your router to allow incoming TCP connections and to send those connections to your computer's static IP address. The name for this may vary for each router vendor. For example, Linksys calls it Port Forwarding.
If you can't find instructions from your specific vendor, look in their documentation and support information for information for online gamers. Many online games require open ports, and most vendors include information on how to open ports or the equivalent.
You might search your vendor's site with keywords such as: "open ports" or "online game"; or look for frequently asked questions such as: "can't access Internet", "game doesn't work".
Note: check every component of the path between your computer and the outside Internet to make sure that the incoming TCP connection can get through.
- Assign the selected static IP to your computer
Assign the static internal IP address you selected to your computer according to one of these sets of directions.
Windows XP - How to Assign a Static IP - XP
Windows Vista - How to Assign a Static IP - Vista
- Add the Port Option to the Startup Command Line.
Add an option indicating the port to the startup command line, so that the F2P Server or PC2Me Server knows which port to expect the communications through. Follow the directions in the Quick Instructions, step 2. Restart your computer
Restart your F2P Server or PC2Me Server.
When it starts, the message on the bottom should now say Online-Direct.
NATs- Multiple computers with the same external IP
If you are installing F2P Server or PC2Me Server on multiple computers that share the same Internet connection, repeat the steps above for each computer. Be sure to select a unique IP address and Port number for each.
F2P Server or PC2Me Server supports up to 99 computers that share a single external IP.
Backups
Please write down your settings and save the note in case you need to reinstall at any point.
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Rev. 3/27/09