Need Help with playing on Lan

[kotaro01]

Hi guys
I dont know if it's allowed to post that question here but i searched the whole forum and cant find the answers.

Some days ago i installed a personal PT server in VMware workstation. And it worked really well.
But i cant get access to the server from another computer in Lan. Can someone tell how to connect to the server thru other PCs while the server in VMware workstation?
Thanks alot

 

[bobsobol]

Sure. It's a fairly generic question regarding any server software, but it's quite often asked about PT servers, and any other MMO. I'm surprised you couldn't find anything as I know I've answered this question before, and I've seen the same question asked about other servers in other sections and the response is almost the same. I'm sure it's listed on other sites too. ^_^

Anyway. To join the server on the machine you are playing, you usually use the "localhost" IP. To join on a LAN, you use the LAN IP. Across the web you need to employ "port forwarding" in any router you use, and use the IP address of the router, which needs to be determined from an outside source. (you ISP would know, but you can ask google "Whats my IP" or such and find a suitable answer too.

You add an extra layer of complexity with a "virtual network" in VMWare. If the first three numbers in your real computer and your virtual one are not the same, then it it probable that they are not within the same VLAN, and may not be able to communicate in that manner.

There are three main networking modes for VMWare guests.

1. Host only (virtual router and secondary VLAN on a secondary virtual NIC in the host PC ... will never allow other PCs to connect)
2. Virtual NAT (Separate VLAN on the same local network ... if your router can cope with multiple VLANs and the hostmask can be set to support them both, it is possible, but that's not common in "home" networking)
3. Virtual NIC (The virtual machine will allocate a MAC address to it's NIC and communicate in accordance to the rules you define for your LAN like any real PC would, so LAN gaming should be fine)

Changing the configuration after installing will likely also change the IP of the virtual server. While this is necessary to play on a LAN in a virtual machine in many cases, there is no "tool" to change the configuration of the server which is required if the servers IP changes.

You may reinstall the virtual machine once you have confirmed that the first three numbers are the same as any other machine on your LAN* and other machines can access (for example) file shares on it, or you could look for information on configuring the IP of a PT server and ask us if you are unsure of anything.

* That's a simplification which usually holds true. Specifically, a typical home network with have a hostmask like "255.255.255.0" which indicates that any machine using the same first three numbers in it's IP is part of this LAN. If the hostmask is different, then the "range" of IP addresses covered by the LAN will also be different.​

 

[kotaro01]

Thanks alot for ur help
My virtual machine connects well with the real computer but what i want is the others computers in my house can connect with it also. I hav tried many ways but it doesnt work.

 

[cloak]

You could try setting up the Hotuk so that there's the main server and extra login servers for specific LAN PCs. It worked for me on WoW but im not sure it'd do the same thing for you on PT. Basically it looked like this:

MainServer
LAN 1
LAN 2

And the hotuk allows you to assign specific IP's to each server name in the login screen. What the WoW server did because essentially you're directing everything to the same desination was have all the regular players login to main server, but when you used the LAN login it redirected you to main server and bypassed the pain in the lugnut known as the common router.

Weither or not the PT server code allows for this or not, I do not know. Simply because I haven't tested it on a PT server yet. Someone with more extensive knowledge on the Hotuk will be able to elaborate how you would set it up to try this better than I, as when it comes to PT im like a dinosaur in the community right now.

I'm pretty sure Bob will be very knowledgable in this area too. Doesn't hurt to make a backup copy of your Hotuk and start trying it out. Hopefully it works for you, ended a lot of headache for me a while ago.

 

[bobsobol]

I know what you are meaning with WoW, but I really don't think that would work for PT cloak. What you would get is a pouted host computer (because what you want to keep virtual is the SQL server, and that is the part needed by the "Main" server, which must be visible across all LANs) and different LANs operating in different game worlds.

Unless I'm mistake, that's not what we're after at all.

Don't have it installed just now, but I found this image on the net to remind me:-

You want to select "Bridged" from that list of options. Any other will produce the results you describe. (NAT varies, depending on config, and you may not even get that) However, if that is not how the system was when you installed PPT, you will need to reconfigure the hotuk.ini, and registry, at least.

That's the wizard for a new VM (and it changes a little with each version) but you can reconfigure the virtual network adapter of an existing machine to any of these basic options. (or create a more complex setup, actually... but you don't need any more confusion )

 

[kotaro01]

I've already change VM's network to bridging but it still doesnt working. And I really dont know much about the configuration cuz i download this VM server from others. Could u show me how to reconfigure these? The standard IP in this VM server was 192.168.1.2 and hotuk and reg in client is the same too. So i copied the whole client to other computer but still cant connect.

Oh Great I did it. Thanks alot for your helpful advises !!

 

[bobsobol]

Gratz! :

Did you figure out what the missing piece was?

 

[kotaro01]

yes. it's because when i chose Bridging i still give IP address to my virtual machine. It should be an auto obtain IP address ^^

 

[bobsobol]

Ahh yes.

To clarify, most home networks run a DHCP server (

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) typically embedded into a router (modem / firewall / "home hub" [I hate that misinformation term; they are not a "hub" at all]) and if you do not "reserve" an IP in the DHCP configuration, the firewall action may well block communication from that IP. (or you could set an IP which is not valid for the LAN range)

If you use DHCP on your LAN (if you don't know, it's probably safe to assume you do) then you should use it. ^_^

[highlight]Note:[/highlight] Remember that reconfiguring the servers IP is a pain, and needs to be done to every client as well (unlike WoW et el, we can't point them at a "hostname" without a flashy launcher like gzuz release... yet) so reserving that IP to the MAC of the server (even if it's virtual) is a very wise move.

DHCP will otherwise "expire" a NICs'* "lease" on a particular IP after a while, and may allocate that IP to another machine (or rather, it's NIC) and will then assign a new IP to the server. :

* NIC = Network Interface Card, though they are rarely a "card" any more.​

 

[kotaro01]

1 more question Bob, cuz i see ur really good at this field. I wanna make it online, but i cant open port 10009, my modem just allow open port 80, 23, 6x.. and from 60k..> i dont remember but none of them include 10009. Should i buy a new modem cuz one of my friend said that may be its too old so it doesnt support to open that port

 

[cloak]

If your router doesn't support allowing you to specify specific ports to open i'd definately consider that option. Here's your temporary answer until Bob reads this. ^^

 

[bobsobol]

cloak is right, it's the "router" which blocks or opens ports. It may be in the same box as the "modem" (the way the NIC is in the same box as the CPU) but the modem doesn't do anything with ports. ^_^

Terminology aside, newer routers are becoming *less* configurable, rather than more so. This is done in the name of "simplifying" and preventing users from doing silly things which greatly risk their security. (manufacturers are bored of supporting users who open ports they don't know what they do and getting massively hacked)

You could try to follow a guide to change the port of PT in the client and server executable... but I have also pointed out that most of them use a "search and replace" method which is very dangerous (can introduce hard to find and infrequently hit bugs) and the "correct" method is not simple at all.

 

[kotaro01]

yah. Thanks for the info bobsobol. Im about to open its sothat my brother can join playing with me when he's abroad. But then i find out an annoying error. The first skill in tier 3 of mechanician ( MA) doesnt work. I tried to use other server.exe and game.exe but it's still there. Can u help me fix this? I dont know if this post go wrong place but because u r having attention in here so... Please help me with that

 

[Gregoo]

You would need a Mechanician Spec. Armor equipped for that skill to work.

 

[bobsobol]

Well, Personal PT is mine, so I tend to stick my ears up. Also... I do manage a corporate network for a living, so I guess I kinda know what I'm doing. (well, not exactly me any-more... my boss "manages" it, or manages me to manage it for him? IDK last place I worked it was just me... now I have an overseer who knows what he's doing, so it's worthwhile suggesting things and then letting him make the decision)

As to the Mech T3 skill, I'm not sure, as I normally get bored playing a character long before I reach T3 these days, and nobody has mentioned such a problem playing PPT before. Are you sure it isn't just a bugged character save you have? (that can happen)

 

[kotaro01]

yes when i creat other char it works. I think it happened when i tried to change some number in CU master ID. Thanks u guys.
Btw can bobsobol show me how to open port for playing online . can u give me ur email or smthing to contact?

 

[bobsobol]

I don't share such contact details here, largely because it is usually quicker and easier for both of us to use RaGEZONE. (I check it far more often than any other contact XD)

As for opening ports, that's a little bit like "how to make a woman orgasm" in that, there is no generic formula, and sitting in during the process is (usually) about the worst move anyone could make. XD (professionally, almost everyone standardises on Cisco managed switches with their standard IOS accessed via telnet or local dumb terminal, or run a gateway server with a BSD / Linux firewall; at home, that solution is impractical for many reasons :\

You can search "Port Forward" "Port Triggering" or "Port Blocking" to find some

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, but when I compare any of them to any of the routers my ISP, or those of my friends and family have issued in the last decade, they wouldn't help much at all. There are forums dedicated to discussion of such issues, but I would either "feel" my way through the process or phone the ISP and complain that their firmware sux. XD

Some people resort to ditching the provided router, and buying their own (if the ISP TOS allows this) just so you can have an interface which is documented and not customised, branded and locked down to whatever the ISP is prepared to support. Maybe ISPs elsewhere in the world do not do that, (otherwise I don't know why the generic guides are written) but here it is very rare to find one which will issue a router / modem which has any branding or model other than the ISPs name and a generic term which doesn't relate to the manufacturers model at all, and the manufacturers won't support the ISPs customisations. :

 

[SunnyZ]

You should do a google search for "Your model/router model name and number" + port forwarding.
Also, either disable windows firewall, or make a new rule on it for the port you want open.
Bare in mind some ISP's (Internet Service Providers) block ports. I had to call up my ISP and witch to them, then I just felt like an idiot as there was as option on the ISP,s login page to open all ports lol.

For a quick way to test if ports are open instead of having to boot up the pt server every single time, you can goto:

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Edit oh lol, Bob ya beat me to it XD