Port-forwarding for an idiot

TelePaul

Could someone please xplain, as simply as possible, what port-forwarding is or does? I'm trying to play a playstation 3 game online and the company who make the game announced that enabling 'port forwarding' would improve the abysmal performance.

Please, in laymens terms...use chilidsh analogies, anything you like but could you please explain the pros and cons of doing it? And could you explain the difference between TCP and UDP?

Here's the blurb from the developers site:

"If you are using a router try the following:
-Set port forwarding on your router to your Playstation 3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare uses ports 3658, 3478, 3074, 3075 (UDP) and ports 80, 443, 5223 (TCP).

-Place your Playstation 3 into the DMZ of your router.
-If both fail disconnect your router and try the game. If it works regularly at this point something about your router may not be completely compatible with the specific needs of this game. Check with your router manufacturer for additional steps that may need to be done to resolve the issues you are seeing.

NOTE:If setting port forwarding or DMZ helps your gameplay you may wish to assign your Playstation 3 a static IP address inside your home network, this will help ensure that the configurations you made do not need to be redone."

bertisevil

TelePaul it may help if you were able tell what type of router you are using or even what company, then it may be possible to give a stepwise guide to how to configure the router

kiwidave

This website is useful for help with Port Forwarding, they have guides for different routers, as well as loads of other info.

Here is a link to their explanation of Port Forwarding

http://www.portforward.com/help/portforwarding.htm

I hope it helps

MrVestek

Basically port forwarding works like this. Your router shares your public IP on the internet with the computers in your home. Normally if you were just cabled directly to the modem the PS3 would have no problem opening ports to communicate with the server the game runs on. However when running through a router the server tries to contact your public ip address and when it tries to contact those ports, unless the traffic is directed to the place where it's supposed to go (ie your PS3) the router doesn't know that this connection is meant to be sent to your PS3 and not say... your laptop which is currently connected to the router also.

I'm not sure if I made this clear enough but I did try... plus it's early in the morning and the coffee has yet to kick in :P If you need any further explaination let me know.

*edit*

Gah, to futher my explaination basically port forwarding tells the router something along the lines of 'ok we just got a connection on UDP port 3658, direct this connection to 192.168.1.3 (this for example could be the internal IP address of your PS3) and so on and so forth... that clear it up?

watty

If you have no firewall port forwarding doesn't apply.

This is possible & likely on Cable, Wireless, Dialup, ISDN etc where you have only one PC. However even on dialup a Firewall is recommended for security.

Your PC / Mac can have a built in firewall (then you "allow" ports for an application rather than forward), or an External Router perhaps with DSL modem built in, or 3G card, optionally with WiFi, will always have a Firewall that needs forwarding set up. In this case disable any built in Firewall on PC/Mac as the external one is better security anyway.

TelePaul

Achilles wrote: »

Gah, to futher my explaination basically port forwarding tells the router something along the lines of 'ok we just got a connection on UDP port 3658, direct this connection to 192.168.1.3 (this for example could be the internal IP address of your PS3) and so on and so forth... that clear it up?

Just not sure about UDP or TCP (which is applicable to my situation.)

I seem to remember awhile back on my PC having to 'okay' games like Age of Empires in my Firewall settings, I guess ot's like that. Now I have a Netopia Wireless router, and I'm trying to fill in the gaps here:

"NAT (Games and Other Services)

Port Forwarding:
Range of Ports Forward a range of WAN ports to an IP address on the LAN

OR

Trigger Ports Forward a range of ports to an IP address on the LAN only after specific outbound traffic.

Let's assume I pick the first one, I get the following:

Service Name:
The above name will be saved as this service's description


Global Port Range: X - Y Base Host Port:

Protocol: TCP/UDP


I'm having trouble filling in those blanks.

MrVestek

Port triggering is different than port forwarding though, which one do you need help with?

TelePaul

Achilles wrote: »

Port triggering is different than port forwarding though, which one do you need help with?

Forwarding. But now I need to know do I use TCP or UDP, and what is meant by range and base of ports.

You guys are heroes, I owe ya all a pint.

watty

if you don't know create rules for UDP & TCP
ports is what ever the program wants. Unless there is more than one PC using same application on your lan the WAN and LAN port numbers can be the same.

An application might use one port 5001 or a range 5001-5007
The second entry for Base, i.e. 5001 means the same and 8001 would mean the Internet is 5001-5007 and the PC 8001-8007

The base port is only different for more than one PC on the LAN.

bk

TelePaul wrote: »

Forwarding. But now I need to know do I use TCP or UDP, and what is meant by range and base of ports.

You need to make a separate entry for each of the ports that the game needs:

3658, 3478, 3074, 3075 (UDP) and ports 80, 443, 5223 (TCP).

3658 - UDP
3478 - UDP
3074 - UDP
3075 - UDP

80 - TCP
443 - TCP
5223 - TCP

MrVestek

TelePaul wrote: »

Forwarding. But now I need to know do I use TCP or UDP, and what is meant by range and base of ports.

You guys are heroes, I owe ya all a pint.

Yeah mine's a bulmers thanks!

TelePaul

Okay guys, I've added alot of stuff to the: NAT (Games and Other Services Tabs)

Call of Duty 4 Server
Service Name *Call of Duty 4
Protocol TCP
Global Port Range 80 - 443
Base Host Port 5223


Call of Duty 4 Server (2)
Service Name *Call of Duty 4 (2)
Protocol UDP
Global Port Range 3074 - 3075
Base Host Port 3074


Call of Duty 4 Server (3)
Service Name *Call of Duty 4 (3)
Protocol UDP
Global Port Range 3478 - 3658
Base Host Port 3658


I couldn't see a way to add multiple ports under the one heading if you get me.

MrVestek

TelePaul wrote: »

Okay guys, I've added alot of stuff to the: NAT (Games and Other Services Tabs)

Call of Duty 4 Server
Service Name *Call of Duty 4
Protocol TCP
Global Port Range 80 - 443
Base Host Port 5223


Call of Duty 4 Server (2)
Service Name *Call of Duty 4 (2)
Protocol UDP
Global Port Range 3074 - 3075
Base Host Port 3074


Call of Duty 4 Server (3)
Service Name *Call of Duty 4 (3)
Protocol UDP
Global Port Range 3478 - 3658
Base Host Port 3658


I couldn't see a way to add multiple ports under the one heading if you get me.

Any chance you could post a screenshot so we can get a feel for your router's port forwarding config page? They're all different.

TelePaul

Achilles wrote: »

Any chance you could post a screenshot so we can get a feel for your router's port forwarding config page? They're all different.

I can do that once I figure out how....

TelePaul

Heres' the NAT screen.....

TelePaul

And here's the port forwarding screen

Loveless

I don't know if it's any help to you or not, but I've had to setup Port Forwarding on Eircom Routers before. To get it working I've found that you need to drop the FireWall level down one level to Low or Medium-Low.

To get into the FireWall section, you need to go in the 'Basic Mode' on the left-hand menu. Drop the firewall down one level, and then save the changes.