[Commander Zane]

Yep, a problem that I seem to have since the dawn of bloody time, I've never been able to host a server that another person could join for anything. Usually the solution is supposed to be like disabling the firewall, which I've done, but it NEVER WORKS.

This is for UT2004 in particular, does anyone here host their own servers and have they run into this problem before, how would I go about to getting this issue resolved?

[Herra Tohtori]

Aside from opening the firewall, you need to deal with the NAT (network address translation).

Basically, when you make a server, other players see your router (your external IP) but your server is running on your PC (which has internal IP).

When they try to join, they send packets to your router.

If your router does not forward packets arriving to certain port to the same port at your internal IP, the people who want to join never get a response from your server because your router does not do anything to those packages.

So you need to find out what ports to forward, and then do it like your router manual tells you to do. Oh and it doesn't hurt to configure a static internal IP to your PC instead of using the router's DHCP feature.

[Commander Zane]

Would be nice if 1: I ever had a manual for it and 2: I knew what the hell any of that meant.

[BloodEagle]

Start->Program Files->Accessories->Command Prompt

Run the command "ipconfig" without quotation marks. Open a web browser, and enter the Default Gateway address in the address bar. E.g., http://nnn.nnn.n.nnn (where 'n' is the correct number). You should then be able to change your "Port Forwarding" (note: it might be listed under 'NAT' or 'Gaming') options by following the router's menu.

As for port forwarding, you need to forward the correct port number(s) for the game (*edit* note: this usually doesn't need to be a specific number) under both TCP and UDP (note: don't use port triggering, use port forwarding). If this is done properly, you shouldn't need to disable your firewall, which is always a  very bad idea.

[Commander Zane]

Run the command "ipconfig" without quotation marks. Open a web browser, and enter the Default Gateway address in the address bar. E.g., http://nnn.nnn.n.nnn (where 'n' is the correct number). You should then be able to change your "Port Forwarding" (note: it might be listed under 'NAT' or 'Gaming') options by following the router's menu.

Holy heart failure Batman!
I actually got somewhere with that.

But then after getting there I ended up lost again.

[Fury]

Assuming you have a broadband connection such as ADSL or cable modem, go pick up your broadband modem and read what brand and model it is. Then go to manufacturer's site and download manual for it. Read the manual. Once done, you should know how to access the modem and reconfigure it as needed.

More detailed instructions how to change firewall and NAT settings can be found here;
http://www.portforward.com/english/routers/port_forwarding/routerindex.htm
You won't get far without knowing how to access your modem however, so read the manual first.

If you use a software firewall, you need to reconfigure it to allow both incoming and outcoming connections for the game executable you run. Closing software firewall often results in networking to both directions being blocked regardless of firewall rules. Some firewalls only block incoming connections. This behavior is by design and its purpose is to prevent your computer becoming vulnerable if the firewall is closed by user error or malware.

[Commander Zane]

Well seems like they don't have manuals for Embarq's EQ-660R modem...
I checked out the link you posted, did what it said...or tried to anyway, it's too confusing for me, and I'm still not getting any positive results.

[Fury]

Quick googling revealed that Embarq EQ-660R is same as Zyxel EQ-660R which again doesn't seem to be one of Zyxel's retail models.

Anyhow, by default Zyxel listens on IP http://192.168.2.1 and uses admin as username and 1234 as password. If those won't work, then your ISP has more than likely preconfigured your modem and don't want you to mess with its settings. You can call up to your ISP tech support and ask if they can give you correct IP-address, username and password.

If you can get in, you can look into the guides here: http://www.portforward.com/english/routers/port_forwarding/ZyXEL/EQ-660R/EQ-660Rindex.htm
If you get stuck, explain what you were doing and where up to the point you got stuck.

It'd be best to see if the modem is configured to act as a bridge or router before calling ISP in the case you cannot access the modem. If it acts as a router, your computer will get an IP-address starting with 192.168 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0. While it is always possible the modem is configured to use different IP-address ranges, 192.168 is used almost always. You can see your computer's IP-address by opening command prompt and typing ipconfig.

If the IP-address and subnet mask is different, then the modem is quite likely just a bridge. In this case its firewall and NAT features are disabled and any computers connected to the modem are directly connected to the internet. In which case you should never be without a software firewall, not with ethernet cable connected.

[Herra Tohtori]

Would be nice if 1: I ever had a manual for it and 2: I knew what the hell any of that meant.

And I thought I was explaining it as clearly as I could...

[CP5670]

Hamachi is a good way to get around this, especially if you're playing different games with the same people. I used to waste a lot of time configuring various network settings to get older games working online, but haven't needed to do that since I started using Hamachi.

[General Battuta]

Hamachi is great.

[Commander Zane]

I'm going to give that a try, how do I go about joining the network I'm connected to?
Er...I'm saying how do I find out the password to the network I'm using since it was auto-aquired.

[BloodEagle]

Tech support is your best bet, if you don't have the manual.