Port forwarding fails

[Walt]

Hi everyone,

I recently made an Ark server on linux ubuntu. The server works when I'm playing on LAN but I want to play with my friends. I tried port forwarding but it doesn't seem to work. Can someone help?

What I did:

- Go to the fritzbox site (that's the router I'm using)

- Go to 'permit access' and select my server pc as device

- Add both tcp and udp for the ports: 7777, 7778 and 27015

 

If I'm correct this should be the ports I need to forward for an Ark server.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[NinJake]

When you configured the server properties are you pointing the config file to your ubuntu IP? If your server is not setup with a static IP then you have to ensure the router is looking for the correct IP address as well.

 

Make sure the IP matches the configuration on the server and the router.

Make sure the port you are forwarding is the port required for ARK.

 

When you connect to the server from outside your network, you need to use your external IP address (Provided by your ISP)

 

Example: Your Ubuntu IP is likely something like 192.168.1.10

Your public facing IP can be found by searching "whats my ip" in google. It should not be in the 192.168.x.x range. In this example we'll say it's 123.123.11.22

When you tell your friends the IP address and you verify that port 27015 is what's forwarded, you tell them to connect to 123.123.11.22:27015

[Meic]

You can check if the ports were opened successfully using a service like: https://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/open-ports/

 

Does this show the ports you list above as open or closed?

[Walt]

14 minutes ago, Meic said:

You can check if the ports were opened successfully using a service like: https://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/open-ports/

 

Does this show the ports you list above as open or closed?

It tried it with both my internal and external ip adress and all closed...

[Walt]

18 minutes ago, NinJake said:

When you configured the server properties are you pointing the config file to your ubuntu IP? If your server is not setup with a static IP then you have to ensure the router is looking for the correct IP address as well.

 

Make sure the IP matches the configuration on the server and the router.

Make sure the port you are forwarding is the port required for ARK.

 

When you connect to the server from outside your network, you need to use your external IP address (Provided by your ISP)

 

Example: Your Ubuntu IP is likely something like 192.168.1.10

Your public facing IP can be found by searching "whats my ip" in google. It should not be in the 192.168.x.x range. In this example we'll say it's 123.123.11.22

When you tell your friends the IP address and you verify that port 27015 is what's forwarded, you tell them to connect to 123.123.11.22:27015

I'm sure I have a static IP adress. The ports I have configered are also the good IP adress.

[Walt]

On windows you can change the ports with the 'server_start.bat' file like this:

Quote

start ShooterGameServer.exe TheIsland?listen?SessionName=<server_name>?ServerPassword=<join_password>?ServerAdminPassword=<admin_password>?Port=<port>?QueryPort=<query_port>?MaxPlayers=<max_players>
exit

On linux however the 'server_start.sh' file is this:

Quote

#! /bin/bash
./ShooterGameServer TheIsland?listen?SessionName=<server_name>?ServerPassword=<join_password>?ServerAdminPassword=<admin_password> -server -log

(Yes I changed the things between '<>')

[Walt]

46 minutes ago, Meic said:

- snip -

 

50 minutes ago, NinJake said:

- snip -

I found that there is a difference between ipv4 and ipv6. The ipv4 is the same but ipv6 is different. The problem is that on the server it's something like this '1234:123:12a1:1:1234:12a2:123a:88a7' and on the port forwarding site I only can fill in 4 boxen between the ':' with in the beginning this: ': :'

 

EDIT: nevermind this is ip adress is the same in the port settings

[Mikensan]

When using the website to test if the ports are open, it is important to make sure your ark server is running. If there is no service accepting connections then it will be listed as closed.

 

Look for logging on your fritzbox, have your friend try to connect, then review the logs during that narrow window of time for connection attempts.

[jde3]

Netcat can open a port for you to use to test with.

 

Just netcat -l portnumber. Then run your scan.. if you don't get anything then your natting the wrong host maybe.

[Meic]

@Walt If you say you can play internally on your LAN fine and but the website I suggested is saying the ports are closed. That suggests the problem is at the router and you are right, the port forwarding isn't working as expected.

Are you happy to share a screenshot of the router config page where you are setting up the NAT? We might be able to help from that.

[jde3]

1 hour ago, Meic said:

@Walt If you say you can play internally on your LAN fine and but the website I suggested is saying the ports are closed. That suggests the problem is at the router and you are right, the port forwarding isn't working as expected.

Are you happy to share a screenshot of the router config page where you are setting up the NAT? We might be able to help from that.

A consumer router? good luck. I've written firewalls for 20 years in enterprise and I can't figure them out.. they all take network terminology and have Chinese programmers translate it to "home user'ese"

[jde3]

Really though.. you'll see things like.. "Wireless WAP with built in router and switching hub!" They used lots of words but I DON'T know what that IS how can it be all of them????! (and in reality it's probably Linux with a 2.2 kernel)

[Walt]

@jde3 & @Meic & @Mikensan & @NinJake

[Walt]

@jde3 & @Meic & @Mikensan & @NinJake

First of all thanks for the help!

I did some different things.

- I found that my ipv4 adress from the server is static (always the same) but my ipv6 adress changes. I now only port forwarded for ipv4 is this good or do I need ipv6?

- I tried netcat and used to website http://www.ipfingerprints.com/portscan.php I tried both my server IP adress and the external IP adress.

The results I got are as followed:

             Server IP adress        External IP adress

7777     filtered                        open

7778     filtered                        filtered

27015   filtered                        open

- Also tried to use the setting 'Open this device completely for Internet sharing via IPv4 (exposed host).' but this made no difference

- I am also sure the configuration for IP adresses is correct because the server IP adress get switched to my enternal IP adress

 

Why do I need to use netcat? (It seemed to work though) But can I be that the serverports and the ports are forwarderd are not the same because the site gives all ports closed when I only have the server running.

[jde3]

Exposed host is probably a 1:1 Nat. Not what you want.

 

Your server should respond as open as well, so I think maybe your not testing correctly?

 

I don't know if you need a v6 address as I don't know if you'll have a user that would need access over it.. but that would be the only reason. Most of the US is still on v4 tho parts of Europe and Australia are providing v6 to residential.  NAT and ipv6 is also a touchy topic. (do you have a v6 address for your individual system? or a single for your network?), you might want to skip it unless you know you need it.

 

The reason for the adoption is that ARIN has more address than RIPE or APNIC (yet they have higher population density)

 

ISP sometimes will block random ports for various reasons. I can't imagine why 7778 would be blocked by an ISP but.. its possible.

 

You should be able to nmap to the local ip of the server from a host on the local network subnet AND nmap the remote ip of the server from a host on a remote network.

You wont be able to use a website to test local.

 

One last thing when your messing with firewalls.. don't use upnp or similar protocol. They are by design used to punch holes in your firewall and make you less secure, thats the protocols job to make ppl less secure thats why it exists. so just be sure you shut that off and get your firewall's configuration correct in the first place. (And give a big fat finger to the xbox when it tries to tell you they know better than you)

 

[Walt]

Wait what it is working!!! thanks all for the help

 

[Mikensan]

4 hours ago, Walt said:

Wait what it is working!!! thanks all for the help

 

Please make sure you're not totally open to the world. Head over to https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2 and test "All service ports." If they're all blocked, enjoy your gaming :-)

[jde3]

Good old Steve Gibson...