Difficult port routing issue

Greetings! I've been searching for an active forum to ask this question - this one certainly looks like the right place. I think based on a search for netcat in this forum that this is the right section, as well.

My needs are simple: I play an old MS game (Mechwarrior 4 Mercs) in a league (MWL). One of my team-mates just moved to a new location, and does not have permissions on his firewalled router. I run the game server, I just need him to connect as a client. Both platforms are WinXP. He can start the game, see the server list (port 80 - http), but not connect (Direct Play ports - see MS support article here).

I have been trying to find a solution via port redirection. I've played with netcat, cryptcat, nsauditor, and revinetd. I've read all the instructions, I've read the tutorials here on this site (very nice) but they are written for network savvy people...my knowledge base is minimal in this area. Nowhere can I find a specific example of how to do what I need...everything I find about port redirection for some reason references three different computers (?). I can and do tunnel VNC thru PuTTY, and so have a vague idea that it should be similar! AAMOF, I may even be able to use PuTTY, I dunno.

I've gotten nc working between two comps in a basic fashion, read the tutorials here in the tutorials section, read other bits on the web about port redirection. However, getting nc to forward game data from one client to my server, through a non-firewalled port, without disrupting other clients connected to my server, and getting it thru MY firewalled router (I can edit) has escaped me.

Something about binding to the port in front of the service?

In any case, I hope someone here has the know-how to help...thanks!

I'm not familiar with that game... but does the game let you specify the server address and the port? If so, just change the client to connect on a port that is allowed outbound on his firewall (80, 443, 25, 110, etc.) Then on your side, redirect that port on your firewall to the correct port on the server. (if you have that ability)

Just be aware that if his firewall is application aware, it could still block it. The firewall might block the traffic if it sees non HTTP traffic going over port 80, etc.

Or, check out FPipe. It may be what you're looking for.
http://www.foundstone.com/us/resourc...desc/fpipe.htm

Can you post a little more information about your friends setup. You say he has no access to the router, why dosnt he? who's router is it? and are the owners of the router going to be happy with him accescing the net in the way you suggested....im geussing its either a colledge network or a works router...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by phishphreek

I'm not familiar with that game... but does the game let you specify the server address and the port?

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Nope.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by phishphreek

Just be aware that if his firewall is application aware, it could still block it. The firewall might block the traffic if it sees non HTTP traffic going over port 80, etc.

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This is why I was looking at cryptcat - encrypted.

I think generating a tunnel is the way to go - He should be able to open an SSH tunnel to my computer, and this will get all the TCP ports through. I can add him to my firewall so he can get through with SSH on 22. But SSH doesn't work with UDP, and one of the ports is UDP.

Considering that, I should be able to do the same thing with cryptcat, using port 22, and using him to act as a client connecting to my listening cryptcat server.

So how would that cc command line look? That's the tricky part...I haven't been able to figure out.

Might look into using stunnel, but it seems like its alot of work just to play a game.

Hamachi

Works wonders for those pesky games that only allow LAN games to be played too :D

Thanks, Sir Dice, that looks like the best option available so far. However, I haven't been able to get it to work yet. He is reeeeaaaaaly firewalled.

I know the game works with Hamachi, I found that in their forums. I am working through the more complex configurations for troublesome issues. I think I will switch to the Hamachi Forums for more help...looks like they have an active forum.

Thanks again!

What kind of network is this person on? Who is managing this thing? It is a school network? Corporate network? Some net cafe?

It is a university network. He can play other online games (e.g., BF2142) just fine. It's not that the univ doesn't want him to play, it's that MW4 Mercs is ancient by networking standards and does not play well in the modern proxied/NATed/firewalled environment.

I've tried all I can think of with Hamachi, gone through all their forums, troubleshooting steps, readmes, HOW-TOs, etc. It even says in their list of supported games that someone has gotten MW4Mercs to work...and "it was easy". However, my friend swears it's not his PC...he takes this PC home on holiday weekends, and plays from home just fine.

Yes, it is a lot to go through for a game. If this was a new game, and we had a roster of 40 players, it wouldn't matter. However we don't, it's an old game, and we need (yes, I know, "need" is relevant - this is just a game, but it's a fun hobby) every one - and Morph is *good* at the game! :)

I keep wondering if perhaps he should just go ask his network admin for help....think he would get far? I know I've gotten mine (I work at a univ) to add me to his firewall policy IRT some custom software I need for research.

Edit: Stunnel and PuTTY only tunnel and encrypt TCP, not UDP packets. I need both.

Odd.. BF2142 uses both TCP and UDP IIRC. So there must be something else blocking things. And I've got a feeling you're thinking way to complicated ;)

One question I believe hasn't been answered though, are YOU behind a router and/or firewall? Do you have a 192.168.0.0/16, 10.0.0.0/8 or 172.16.0.0/12 address?
If so you need to open and forward those game ports correctly to your computer. Is that set up properly?

http://www.puffinsoft.com/

Not sure if it still works but worth a try

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SirDice

Odd.. BF2142 uses both TCP and UDP IIRC. So there must be something else blocking things. And I've got a feeling you're thinking way to complicated ;)

One question I believe hasn't been answered though, are YOU behind a router and/or firewall? Do you have a 192.168.0.0/16, 10.0.0.0/8 or 172.16.0.0/12 address?
If so you need to open and forward those game ports correctly to your computer. Is that set up properly?

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Yes, I am NATted, 192.168.x.x. Hamachi uses the 5.x.x.x . My router does that automatically. I routinely run a server and two clients behind my firewall, and others on the WAN side also connect with no problem. I have a DLink DI624 router that has a "game mode" automatically senses the game, opens ports. It's weird to watch the firewall open up stuff automagically.

I've tried opening up the same channels for LAN>LAN play, since he is essentially inside my LAN with Hamachi. No worky.

And to address the issue in the post above, I have DX-Port, but I've never needed it because of my router autosensing players inside the lan. However, it is worth a try...nothing else has worked. I guess what you are referring to here is using DX-port with Hamachi?

Forget Hamachi for a minute.. Lets work on your router as I have a feeling it's the culprit.

As this is a somewhat older game the router might not open up ports automagicly? You need to open and forward those game ports yourself in the router if you're hosting a game.

Hmm. Here's my Firewall Rules List after the game starts:
Firewall Rules List
Action Name Source Destination Protocol
Allow MW4MERCS (192.168.0.106:2350) 6 WAN,* LAN,192.168.0.106 UDP,2350-60617
Allow MW4MERCS (192.168.0.106:2300) 1 WAN,* LAN,192.168.0.106 TCP,2300-16072
Allow dplaysvr (255.255.255.255:47624 WAN,* LAN,255.255.255.255 UDP,47624
Allow MW4MERCS (192.168.0.106:1074) 1 WAN,* LAN,192.168.0.106 UDP,1074
Deny Default *,* LAN,* *,*
Allow Default LAN,* *,* *,*


Sorry, can't get tab to act like tab, columns not aligned.

Here are the ports that MS says need to be open:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309128
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/240429/EN-US/

Note that MW4 Mercs uses DX7 ports/functionality.

I just noticed that UDP starts at 2350, not 2300...hmm.

If I look at that list you would need to open up 2300-2400 TCP/UDP and port 47624 TCP. All these ports also need to be forwarded to your computer (192.168.0.106).

Configure your router by hand as it looks like this automatic thing doesn't open up the correct ports.

I will try that. However that doesn't explain why most other folks can connect to my server, nor does it explain why my friend behind the univ firewall cannot connect to ANY open MW4 Mercs server...surely some of them are configured correctly.

I will report back here on how it goes.

Well, it didn't work. Some interesting tidbits:

It is apparently not the "game mode" feature of my router that facilitates the automatic opening of ports by a game. I still do not understand what "game mode" does, exactly. However, I did discover that it was UPnP that automatically enabled ports to be open.

WIth that info, I disabled UPnP, and no ports opened, and nobody could connect. I then opened and forwarded the ports listed in the Microsoft KNowledge Base article...and no one could connect. Hmm.

Restarted UPnp - everyone except my friend could connect.

ADDED the ports that were in the MSKB article, that were different than the ones automatically opened, hoping that they somehow applied to him. No effect, he still can't connect.

So now I have two mysteries...why the published ports don't work, and why he (still) can't connect, any everyone else can.

I have considered that it is his computer, and not his network, that is the problem. He takes his PC home on holidays - connects fine from home. And again he plays BF2142 from school just fine.

An enigma.