help on dedicated servers

[MANPREETk]

Before proceeding i'd like to say that i had searched this entire forum

And found out others had this problem too! But the replies given there didnt help me

so im asking this question:

WHY WONT MY SERVER SHOW uP IN THE INTERNET LIST???
I make the server from within the game, set the dedicated option to "internet" and then run it
but it only shows up in local list and none of my friends r able to join it.

Plz help

[Nookie]

1. You got a router, so open up some ports.
2. Youre a noob for starting one trough Quake.
3. Google is your mate, not this unactive forum.

[+JuggerNaut+]

1. You got a router, so open up some ports.
2. Youre a noob for starting one trough Quake.
3. Google is your mate, not this unactive forum.

who's the noob reg'ing on an INactive forum? oh, that's right, you. fag.

[Peenyuh]

who's the noob reg'ing on an INactive forum? oh, that's right, you. fag.

Holy schmokes, Jugg. I don't think I've seen you riled up. I'll remember my grammer and usage, that's fer shur.

Not to side with 1-post-charley, or nuthin, but, everyone on this forum IS sitting on their asses while on the forum. Isn't THAT inactive?

[speaker]

Hi,

Be a bit more constructive! MANPREETk deserves some advice (after all, he has done the homework by searching the forum ). And clearly he has little experience in running a server. It can be quite hard to figure out everything yourself.

@MANPREETk:

OK, so this is how I run my server. It may help you in setting up yours.

I have a separate machine for the server. The server PC does not need a 3D card, and could be an older PC (let's say a 1 GHz Celeron with 512 MB RAM, or even less powerful). Win 2K and XP are good platforms for running the server (I use Win 2000).

Run a _dedicated_ server by using the following command:

quake3.exe +set dedicated 1 +exec "server.cfg"

Put this to a batch file (in the 'quake3' directory) and make a desktop shortcut to start it. The config file 'server.cfg' (in the directory 'baseq3') should contain your unique settings. Should look like this:

==============================================

set sv_hostname "YOUR SERVER'S NAME"
set password "XXXX"
set rconPassword "YYYY"

set timelimit "15"
set fraglimit "20"
set sv_maxclients "6"
set g_gametype "0"
set g_weaponrespawn "20"
set g_spSkill "2"
set bot_minplayers "3"

set m1 "map ztn3dm2; set nextmap vstr m2"
set m2 "map ztn3dm1; set nextmap vstr m3"
set m3 "map q3jvx1; set nextmap vstr m4"
set m4 "map q3_ultrav; set nextmap vstr m5"
set m5 "map q3_elkdm2; set nextmap vstr m6"
set m6 "map fora_rage; set nextmap vstr m7"
set m7 "map n3dm1; set nextmap vstr m8"
set m8 "map qxtourney1; set nextmap vstr m9"
set m9 "map addict; set nextmap vstr m10"
set m10 "map charon3dm9; set nextmap vstr m11"
set m11 "map leaks2; set nextmap vstr m12"
set m12 "map tom_dm1; set nextmap vstr m1"

vstr m1

========================================

This sets the gametype to FFA with 6 players max, with 3 bots initially present. The map 'ztn3dm2' is automatically started, and the other maps listed in the last section of the config are automatically rotated. You should of course insert your server's name and passwords, and adjust the other parameters (time and frag limit, maps rotated, etc.) to your liking.

Install a firewall on the server PC. I suggest 'Look 'n' Stop' (silly name, but a great firewall for our purpose, because it is free and highly configurable). You can find it here:

http://www.LooknStop.com

Configure the firewall to block _all_ TCP packets and allow the following UDP packets to pass:

from local port 27960 to remote ports 1024-65535
from remote ports 1024-65535 to local port 27960

Block _all other_ UDP packets.

Configure your router so that the server machine is in the DMZ zone (i.e. allowed unlimited access to the net both ways).

Make an account at 'dyndns.org' to have a constant URL for your dynamic IP (but I believe that we have discussed this before).

Hope this helps.

[^misantropia^]

It may take a while for a server to show up in the master list. And, as speaker already pointed out, you need to be connectable - i.e. no firewall should be blocking access to your server.

On a somewhat related topic: http://www.quake3world.com/forum/viewto ... =7&t=36136

[MANPREETk]

Thank u guys thank u very much

Just one last thing

Configure the firewall to block _all_ TCP packets and allow the following UDP packets to pass:

from local port 27960 to remote ports 1024-65535
from remote ports 1024-65535 to local port 27960

Block _all other_ UDP packets.

How can i configure the firewall in the way u suggested?

[speaker]

@MANPREETk:

I have put the filtering rules used by my firewall here:

http://menczel.extra.hu/q3_fw.rls

This is a text file, you should save it to your disk. Then open the main window of the firewall and use the button 'Load' to import the rule set from this file. BTW, my firewall (an older version) exports to '.rls' files, while the newest version (2.06) seems to use the extension 'rie'. So maybe you have to rename the file to 'q3_fw.rie' before it can be imported. But try w/o renaming first, maybe it is backward compatible.

[MANPREETk]

Sorry for bothering u too much, speaker, But the server is still not working!

Here is what ive done:

-I made the server config u gave me, and saved it in baseq3

-I added these lines to the q3 shortcut
+set dedicated 2 +exec server.cfg

-I loaded up the file for look'n'stop

Now the main problem is, the server shows up only in locals list,even when i use dedicated 2. And when i enter this server, it shows the following ip:
192.168.1.141
Even if i dnt use the host setting at dyndns, it shud show sum different ip,shudn't it?
Has it got something to do with the default windows firewall???

Oh yeah, one more thing.
When i loaded up that rules file, the ingame browser stopped working!?!

[speaker]

Hi,

As far as I can see, you did everything correctly, so I have no idea why it does not work. A couple of remarks:

The IP address depends on _where_ you connect from. When you connect from your local network (LAN) you should use the local IP address assigned by the router to your PC (these start with '192.168' and are not valid IP addresses on the net). If someone else connects from the outside, he should use the external IP address of the _router_ (this is what he can get from dyndns.org), then the router will route (surprise! ) the packets to the server PC. But this works only if the server is placed in the DMZ. Did you do the necessary configuration of the router for putting you server in the DMZ?

As for the browser not working: You must understand that the firewall settings I provided blocks EVERYTHING except the port used for transmitting game data between the server and the clients. The browser probably uses a different port (and protocol), so it is blocked. For that matter, any other net services (http, ftp, etc.) are disabled by these settings. This is the most secure setup, and IMO is essential for a machine placed in the DMZ (i.e. having unlimited access). Otherwise you would be hacked in no time. So, these settings are useful only if the PC runs the server and nothing else. You must play on another machine.

The default firewall of the server machine should be disabled if you use Look 'n' Stop (it is superfluous and may even interfere with the proper working of Look 'n' Stop).

More remarks added:

I am not sure, but it may happen that the firewall settings also block the communication between your server and the master server (I don't know if the same port is used or a different one). BTW, why is it necessary that your server is listed in anyone's browser? This is a sure way to get lots of idiots coming to your server and ruining the game by cheating or rude behavior. To run a real public server is a pain in the neck. You have to install lots of anti-cheat programs (Punkbuster & friends) and cope with dissatisfied players complaining all the time. Its not worth the effort. I intentionally do not report my server to any master server, and only my friends are invited to play. They know the URL for connection, so no browser is needed.

[MANPREETk]

But this works only if the server is placed in the DMZ. Did you do the necessary configuration of the router for putting you server in the DMZ?

oops!

Im so sorry to waste ur time!


I dunno how to place my server(or router) in dmz (as u can see i barely hve knowledge about technical issues)

Anyway thank you very much for helping me till now
The server may not be running, but i atleast learnt sum tricks here !

[speaker]

Hey, don't give up yet! What kind of router do you have? Maybe we can figure out how to configure it. What is your local setup? How many machines on your LAN? Can you assign a separate machine for the server? I'm asking this because the other possibility is to run a 'listen server' if you have only one PC. In the 'listen server' setup you play on the same machine which runs the server. It is not as good as a dedicated server, but may work well for 2-3 players (depending on your connection bandwidth and the power of the machine you use).

[MANPREETk]

What kind of router do you have?

Well, all i can see on my router is :

Beetel (an indian telecom company)
450 bxl ( or bxi watever)
adsl2+ modem

How many machines on your LAN?

I think I shud tell u that im a 16 year old who plays q3 for fun.
I just hve a single machine( 2.8 ghz, 512 ram, geforce fx 5500)


I asked bout the server cuz i ws getting bored of playing in foreign servers where always i get pings not less than 300.

India is a boring place if u love playing Quake 3 multiplayer

One more thing to point out.

I lent my q3 to a friend who runs it on an antique(p III)
What surprises me is that his machine can make a dedicated server with no fuss
( He makes a server frm within the game only)

The problem is that he has limited internet usage( about 550 mb download allowed per month)
so he's not always willing to make a server


As of now thats all i can say


--Thanx for listening

[speaker]

Hi,

OK, I will try to get some info on your router (hopefully the Indian company producing it has a WEB page). Router configuration is not a very difficult task. Usually routers have a WEB based interface, you can access it from your browser by opening the URL '192.168.1.1' (or '192.168.2.1', depends on the type of router). You then get a nice graphical interface in which you can adjust router parameters. Some routers require a password for accessing the user interface. The default (factory set) password should be somewhere in the docs of the router.

Your friend's example just shows that you don't really have to have a powerhouse PC for Q3. Your PC should be more than adequate to run a listen server (it seems to be a quite good machine actually).

Do you have some friends around your location (in the same town or close to it) who can join you on your server? The closer they are, the better the ping will be.

See you as soon as I get some info on your router!

=============================

Found the WEB page of the company (Bharti Teletech Ltd., aka Beetel). I could not find the type of router you mentioned (actually, they do not sell routers). Could it be that you actually have the 400BX1 combined ADSL modem + 4-port ethernet switch? Here is a picture of it:



Please, check the type again.

[MANPREETk]

Sorry i cudn't reply earlier ( attending school )

Back to topic:






uh.....thats not the router i hve ( Although mine one IS white )

And yes it does have a 4 port ethernet switch

I shud've mentioned it earlier, its a wi-fi router

I doubled checked the information and just to confirm:

450 BXL
ADSL2+MODEM

Thats exactly wats written on it

Do you have some friends around your location (in the same town or close to it) who can join you on your server? The closer they are, the better the ping will be.

Yes , There r three of us playin q3. We live about 5-8 kms away frm each other
I usually play on their servers( On one server ping time is 80~90, on the other
its usually above 200 )





( Well it doesnt matter if my server is not successful now,
U helped a lot and Thats all i cud've asked for)


Once again I must say:
THANK YOU

[speaker]

Well, I hope that you are going to have some real good games on your friend's server. And if you ever decide that you just _must_ have your own server, let me know (you can find my e-mail in my profile) and I will try to help you to set it up.