Friend can't connect to my Server

[Rhesus]

Hey all, so my friend and I both have separate copies of Il-2 BOS (I also have BoK) and we both tried hosting the test_dogfight mission etc, and we can detect and click to join each others server...but it always says error connecting....we have played many MP games aside from IL-2 and have no issues, I submitted for a Dserver key a few days ago...is that usually the best way to host a server? because doing it through the MP menu (Create a Server) doesn't seem to work...and Yes I"m able to join random MP servers as well (checked just to ensure I didn't have any game client or other issues etc) We both disabled our firewalls etc. Should I wait for my DServer key to try that method or am I missing something here?

[Thad]

Salutations,

 

What you describe is exactly what I and a friend have experienced. We can connect to other multiplay servers and can both see our own servers but cannot join them. I have a Dserver account and still obtain the same results. It's not our firewalls. It seems to be porting problem. I simply have not been able to open the needed ports to play the game on the Deserver. I've tried everything. I've come to suspect that my ISP is blocking the needed ports.

 

Regardless, we just gave up. This should not be so difficult or involving. I'm wondering if the same problem would exist with any coop mission server I put up. I'm skeptical. ?

[4driano]

Really bad to know it.
This kind of multiplayer mode, one to one, should be easily supported in a game like IL-2.
In fact I was hoping to play Flying Circus mainly in this way.

[Thad]

Yes, it sucks.

Such a mode is supported but for whatever reason some simply can't create servers for multiplay use.

 

Have you done everything you know of to open the correct IL2 gaming ports? You may luckier than me.

[Rhesus]

I am looking into the port issue now but I doubt that would be it....I have UpnP enabled and have never had any port issues with any game before?

[Thad]

Port 28100 needs opened to receive downloadable missions.

 

Port 28110 may be needed for forwarding.

 

It's covered on the mission creation manual.

 

Starts on page 325.

IL-2_Sturmovik_Mission_Editor_and_Multiplayer_Server_Manual.rar

[Thad]

Let me know if you find a solution. It might not help me but one never knows. 

[JimTM]

4 hours ago, Thad said:

Port 28100 needs opened to receive downloadable missions.

 

       Look for "Downloader Port" (28100) on pg. 326. Should be TCP.

       Look for "TCP Port" and "UDP Port" (28000) on pg. 331.

 

Port 28110 may be needed for forwarding.

        This port is not covered in the manual Do some people need it?

 

It's covered on the mission creation manual.

 

Starts on page 325.

IL-2_Sturmovik_Mission_Editor_and_Multiplayer_Server_Manual.rar

 

In addition to italic text above, make sure to select the "External" checkbox.

Edited August 4, 2018 by JimTM

[JonRedcorn]

Had the same issue, and with the new router we have opening ports is almost impossible without jumping through 500 other hoops. If it was 5 years ago this wouldn't be an issue. But apparently ISP's are locking that shit up. Wish there was another way as I got my brother to buy the game and we wanted to play in VR together in co-op.

[Thad]

Yes, in my case it is most likely my ISP that is blocking ports. I know port 80 is blocked. I have and can open any port or ports I desire for my router and NONE of them are open afterwards during testing. ?

[JonRedcorn]

23 hours ago, Thad said:

Yes, in my case it is most likely my ISP that is blocking ports. I know port 80 is blocked. I have and can open any port or ports I desire for my router and NONE of them are open afterwards during testing. ?

I don't think my isp is blocking them but they;ve made it now where unless you go through the hoops of setting a static IP address on my PC than the ports will not open. Somehow my IP isn't static yet it's always the fucking same, how that makes any sense is beyond me.

[PoppaCapnurass]

I had the same issue as posted above.

 

Checking the ports were open on my router/modem AND my virus protection Firewall software allowed me to see my friends server. 

 

A lot me reading later I found that in order to host a server you need to contact the developer explaining you want host a server and they will give you another log on with which to host a server. I'll try to find the thread for that ...

[Bananimal]

ISPs don't block ports. They will block attempted port scanning. The ports are local to your router. Also, if port 80 (HTTP) was blocked, you'd not be able to surf the Internet. 

[SAS_Storebror]

3 hours ago, Bananimal said:

ISPs don't block ports. They will block attempted port scanning. The ports are local to your router. Also, if port 80 (HTTP) was blocked, you'd not be able to surf the Internet. 

That's bull, sorry to say.

Of course ISPs block ports (and that's not even necessarily a bad thing).

And of course you'll be able to surf the internet when incoming port 80 connections are blocked.

Heck, nowadays even port 80 isn't all that relevant anymore, the majority of http traffic uses SSL (https) and as such, port 443.

But of course that one could be blocked for incoming connections as well.

 

Add to that, lately some ISPs put their users behind a NAT and in such case, you've got no chance to get any incoming connection to work at all.

 

Mike

Edited February 11, 2019 by SAS_Storebror

[Bananimal]

Not bull. I know better. Block your port 80 and get back to me. Your internet would be partially functional at best only leaving SSL open on 443. You'll also be lucky if you can get back into your router interface on your private LAN once you turn off port 80 as typically local or Intranet runs on HTTP mostly. There's generally no reason to encrypt internal communications. Depending on the router, you may not be able to turn off port 80 for this reason. With all due respect, sounds like to me that you're just rattling off networking buzzwords to sound like you know what you apparently don't. HTTP is still very much prevalent on the net and your internal network. Not everything rides on 443. I also don't believe you know how NAT works.

 

NAT is used primarily on-prem to obfuscate internal IP address as outbound TCP packets leave your perimeter. In this case, your home network. It blocks nothing. It's a translation that takes place. Network Address Translation or NAT. That's to say, if there is any NAT going on, it's your router or firewall doing it. There is no benefit that I am aware of for an ISP to NAT your TCP transmissions. What do they care? The security of your private network is not their concern. Being "behind a NAT" as you say, means nothing. You cannot be behind a NAT. NAT is a configuration setting, not a firewall. Furthermore, if NAT is turned on, you most certainly will be able to send and receive TCP packets in a transparent fashion. You as a user would never know the difference. 

 

NAT in a Nutshell

 

TCP packet moves outbound from your NIC to your router. If NAT is enabled in your router's config, each packet gets wrapped with new header info that includes a new IP address that is entirely different than what was originally included in the packet header from your NIC. All packets from all of your devices on your private network (behind your router) are assigned the same IP on the public side outbound. Obfuscation. All NAT'ed packets leave your router with the same, single IP, and are consumed by the destination devices/hosts in the cloud. These devices/hosts don't give two Willies what the IP address is in the header. The destination device/host sends return packets back to the NAT'ed IP address, which is your router. You router unwraps the IP header from the packet and knows which internal IPs on your network to route the packets to. This keeps devices, hackers, and other bad actors from targeting internal IP addresses on your private network. For this reason, disabling NAT and broadcasting your internal IP schema to the world is a risky endeavor. I have a feeling next you'll be telling me that a Class C IP is routeable over SSL. 

 

HTTP = port 80

HTTPS = port 443

TCP = protocol 

 

The majority of HTTP traffic uses HTTPS?  Not correct. HTTPS and HTTP traffic use TCP as do other ports e.g., IL-2.  

 

Don't take offense to this, but if you're foolish enough to disable NAT on your router thinking it will possibly solve your network connection issues in IL-2, you're opening yourself up to man-in-the-middle attacks. Bad actors would be able to target specific IPs on the private side of your router because you're exposing your internal IP schema to hackers should they intercept your communications, which is very much a reality these days. Specifically over HTTP or other transmissions in the clear like SMTP and FTP..

 

Now the reason I chimed in here is that most of the posts in this thread are significantly off the mark. My suggestion is to enable NAT immediately for security reasons, forward port 28000 TCP and UDP separately in your router config. Then forward port 28100 using the "Both" option for both TCP and UDP if your router has the "both" option. If that doesn't work, try setting TCP and UDP for port 28100 separately like you did for port 28000. NAT is not your problem. 

 

Here's a screen of my router config:

 

Edited February 12, 2019 by Bananimal

[cashing]

On 2/11/2019 at 10:00 AM, SAS_Storebror said:

That's bull, sorry to say.

Of course ISPs block ports (and that's not even necessarily a bad thing).

And of course you'll be able to surf the internet when incoming port 80 connections are blocked.

Heck, nowadays even port 80 isn't all that relevant anymore, the majority of http traffic uses SSL (https) and as such, port 443.

But of course that one could be blocked for incoming connections as well.

 

Add to that, lately some ISPs put their users behind a NAT and in such case, you've got no chance to get any incoming connection to work at all.

 

Mike

 

 

Sorry, but just embarrassing because completely wrong. Read what Bananimal wrote, he obviously has more idea of the topic. 

 

Network Admin

 

[SAS_Storebror]

I duly hope you guys understand what I was talking about at all.

This thread is about people having issues to let others join their hosted game.

In order to do so, they have to be able to handle incoming traffic on the relevant port, in case of IL-2 per default this is 28000/28100.

 

Later on in the discussion people thought about whether the troubles might be related to their ISP blocking ports.

 

What's been stated here by Bananimal in reply was that if an ISP would block port 80, you would not be able to surf the internet.

That's bull.

Read and understand: We're dealing with incoming ports.

If an ISP blocks port 80 incoming for you, you can still surf the internet. Period.

(Hint: That block is not to keep you from surfing, it's to keep you from violating common T&Cs which usually prohibit (web-)server operation on private subscriptions)

 

Then Bananimal tries to make me look stupid with his lengthy explanation about NAT.

That's completely missing the point of my statement: I've been talking about NAT'ted internet access on ISP level.

When the ISP puts you behind a NAT (read: Carrier Grade NAT) then there's nothing you can do to get incoming connections to work at all. Period.

 

The level of ignorance is what's really embarrassing here...

 

Mike

[Bananimal]

See below.

 

    

 

 

Edited February 13, 2019 by Bananimal

[Bananimal]

See Below

 

 

 

 

Edited February 13, 2019 by Bananimal

[Bananimal]

Alright. Doing some research on what ports ISPs may block. Coming up with a few things. Of interest for this particular ISP is this is port 67 - UDP. I stand corrected and humbled to a degree. 

 

Blocked Internet Ports List

Find out which ports are blocked by Xfinity and Comcast services, and why.

Ports on the internet are like virtual passageways where data can travel. All information on the internet passes through ports to get to and from computers and servers. When a certain port is known to cause vulnerability to the security and privacy of your information, Xfinity blocks it to protect you.

Find the Reasons for Blocking Listed Below

 

Port	Transport	Protocol	Direction Downstream/ Upstream to CPE	Reason for Block	IP Version
0	TCP	N/A	Downstream	Port 0 is a reserved port, which means it should not be used by applications. Network abuse has prompted the need to block this port.	IPv4/IPv6
25	TCP	SMTP	Both	Port 25 is unsecured, and Botnet spammers can use it to send spam. This does not affect Xfinity Connect usage. We recommend learning more about configuring your email settings to Comcast email to use port 587.	IPv4/IPv6
67	UDP	BOOTP, DHCP	Downstream	UDP Port 67, which is used to obtain dynamic Internet Protocol (IP) address information from our dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server, is vulnerable to malicious hacks.	IPv4
135-139	TCP/UDP	NetBios	Both	NetBios services allow file sharing over networks. When improperly configured, ports 135-139 can expose critical system files or give full file system access (run, delete, copy) to any malicious intruder connected to the network.	IPv4/IPv6
161	UDP	SNMP	Both	SNMP is vulnerable to reflected amplification distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.	IPv4/IPv6
445	TCP	MS-DS, SMB	Both	Port 445 is vulnerable to attacks, exploits and malware such as the Sasser and Nimda worms.	IPv4/IPv6
520	UDP	RIP	Both	Port 520 is vulnerable to malicious route updates, which provides several attack possibilities.	IPv4
547	UDP	DHCPv6	Downstream	UDP Port 547, which is used to obtain dynamic Internet Protocol (IP) address information from our dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server, is vulnerable to malicious hacks.	IPv6
1080	TCP	SOCKS	Downstream	Port 1080 is vulnerable to, among others, viruses, worms and DoS attacks.	IPv4/IPv6
1900	UDP	SSDP	Both	Port 1900 is vulnerable to DoS attacks.	IPv4/IPv6

 

 

Hmmmm. I'm looking like a dufus about right now I presume.

 

Worth checking with your ISP.  Many block some ports but it is usually incoming traffic to prevent you from hosting servers and business services on a residential service.  Outgoing traffic is usually allowed for all ports.  In the event they do block se, and  it is usually things like SMTP and VPN's.    I did hear of, but no confirmation, one ISP planning to block all traffic other than o, going  ,  thinking they could prevent allot of malware from using uncommon ports 25, 53, 80, 443.

Edited February 13, 2019 by Bananimal

[Muddyn]

so what i am reading from all this is that if your router does not allow you to forward ports you are basically screwed?

[Nocke]

Out of curiosity: What does it mean to say a port is "vulnerable"?

Wouldn't that just depend only on what application, if any, would be listening on that port? That was at least up to now my laymans thinking.

[Cynic_Al]

On 10/13/2019 at 3:08 PM, Muddyn said:

so what i am reading from all this is that if your router does not allow you to forward ports you are basically screwed?

 

It's true but unlikely to happen in practice, provided you can log-in to your router and navigate its interface.

 

There's misleading data in this thread:

 

This kind of multiplayer mode, one to one, should be easily supported in a game like IL-2.

 

That's a hardware issue outside developer control.

 

On 8/5/2018 at 1:44 PM, JonRedcorn said:

I don't think my isp is blocking them but they;ve made it now where unless you go through the hoops of setting a static IP address on my PC than the ports will not open. Somehow my IP isn't static

 

When forwarding ports you specify to which connected machine the port will send data. Some routers identify machines by name, others by their IP address. In the latter case I would expect the router to keep the specified IP constant, however it's always advisable to configure the hosting machine to have a static IP address, as it must be specified in the game server's configuration. I would suggest setting a static IP prior to any port forwarding. Tutorials are available online.

 

It's unlikely that an ISP will block the ports this game uses, but if there is good reason to suspect otherwise you can always attempt to ask for them to be unblocked.

 

Don't give-up unless someone in the know, having familiarised themselves with your system, gives you an explanation as to why it can't be done.

 

Connecting to a remote server (for this game at least) does not require any local port forwarding.

[=JFC=Shloss]

point to note nobody has mentioned  we found it by accident of all things

myself and my pal could see eachothers servers  and pings we joined but on loading completion kicked back tot he game type selection 

we checked re checked our ports firewalls etc 

 

anyways went into the game and looked at settings  to see if we missed anything  ¬¬

settings multiplayer the problem was in there 

youll see two widows one with the ports one above that with available ips,,,,,,type your internal ip in the little box to the right and it fixes it , now we can join eachother 

 

[XallZall]

On 12/27/2019 at 3:03 PM, =JFC=Shloss said:

point to note nobody has mentioned  we found it by accident of all things

myself and my pal could see eachothers servers  and pings we joined but on loading completion kicked back tot he game type selection 

we checked re checked our ports firewalls etc 

 

anyways went into the game and looked at settings  to see if we missed anything  ¬¬

settings multiplayer the problem was in there 

youll see two widows one with the ports one above that with available ips,,,,,,type your internal ip in the little box to the right and it fixes it , now we can join eachother 

 

Thank you so much my friend, I have been having the same issue, I really did not expect that I have to change anything in the in-game settings.

[453=Whiskey-Jack]

On 12/28/2019 at 1:03 AM, =JFC=Shloss said:

point to note nobody has mentioned  we found it by accident of all things

myself and my pal could see eachothers servers  and pings we joined but on loading completion kicked back tot he game type selection 

we checked re checked our ports firewalls etc 

 

anyways went into the game and looked at settings  to see if we missed anything  ¬¬

settings multiplayer the problem was in there 

youll see two widows one with the ports one above that with available ips,,,,,,type your internal ip in the little box to the right and it fixes it , now we can join eachother 

 

Just out of curiosity, you enter your own IP address yes? If someone wants to join a server you created, do they also need to enter a use ip address and does this need to be their or yours? Sorry bit of a noob with this these things 

[JimTM]

56 minutes ago, SplinterPleaseshifter said:

Just out of curiosity, you enter your own IP address yes? If someone wants to join a server you created, do they also need to enter a use ip address and does this need to be their or yours? Sorry bit of a noob with this these things 

 

Enter the IP address of your PC. To find that, do the following:

    1. Type "Cmd" in the Windows search box and press Enter.
        A command window opens.
    2. In the command window, type "ipconfig" and press Enter.
        The "IPv4 Address" line gives the DServer IP address.

 

Everyone should have their own IP address specified. I believe if their is only one IP address under Available IP addresses, you don't need anything in Use IP.

 

[453=Whiskey-Jack]

2 minutes ago, JimTM said:

 

Enter the IP address of your PC. To find that, do the following:

    1. Type "Cmd" in the Windows search box and press Enter.
        A command window opens.
    2. In the command window, type "ipconfig" and press Enter.
        The "IPv4 Address" line gives the DServer IP address.

 

Everyone should have their own IP address specified. I believe if their is only one IP address under Available IP addresses, you don't need anything in Use IP.

 

Yeah did all that. There was already an IP available. Creating the server has not been an issue nor has creating a mission through PWCG. My friends can see the server, but...when they go to join it crashes for them or at least doesn't go to the lobby. I  can however go to the lobby, select a plane and start the mission no problem. 

[chihirobelmo]

Me and my friend had a same issue and finally solved the problem.

We needed to set our local IP (eg:192.168.*.*) to "Use IP" edit field at SETTINGS->MULTIPLAYER.