FSHOST not working after all ports are forwarded. Checked with port test program

[alfhak]

Hello!

I have Win 7 pro.
I am little confused why FSHOST not working as it should. I got a new router and I have forward those ports mention on portforward website that should be open.
I checked with port testing program and all ports are open so I manage to do that. I also open ports for FSX and also FS2004 to see that it was not FsHost client program
that had the fault.  I also open ports for TeamSpeak server and client and that seem to work. I have also checked the firewall in Windows and that seem to be open too.
Before the router I had not problem at all to connect and run FSHOST server. My pc was connect direct to Internet without router. Both FSHOSt and FSX on same pc.
My pc is connect to router with cable now! Not sure what more could cause the issue. Tomorrow my friend will see if he can connect to FSHOST or not.

Alf

[alfhak]

Today my friend tried to connect as well and he could not!
I downloaded HSHOST SPY and run it. Looks like my FSHOST server have connection with master service cause my session was listed in the FSHOST SPY window.
I also tried to connect with FSHOST Client to another server listed in FSHOST SPY and it connect.
I don't know if there is any files left over somewhere on my pc with old information that make FSX/FS2004 not connecting to my FS HOST. I removed the FS HOST folder and also
download a new one from FS HOST website but after install, it still have my old information under options in FS HOST.

Any ideas what the issue is!

Alf

[Russell Gilbert]

Hi, sorry to hear you're having trouble with it.

Can you please describe exactly what problem you're seeing, and include any error messages you're getting?

Also, you mentioned you checked it with a port test program. Was that my FSPortTest program, or something else? If something else, please try mine and see what it reports.

FSPortTest:
http://www.chocolatesoftware.com/forum/index.php?topic=737.0

Thanks,
Russell

[alfhak]

Hello and Thanks for reply!
I think the issue is that my ISP only offer Dynamic IP address. If I have understand correct I need static IP address. Static IP address is needed to change the settings in the router.
I think that cause the error. I know the IP address for  Default gateway and DNS server and also the submask. I read information about running FS HOST behind a router and it tells you have to set static IP address. I can't! Then someone try to connect the request is sent to my routers IP address but the router don't know there the FS HOST is so that's why the error message No Session find "pops" up.

Here is an image I took today and I also used your port checker program. it also tells all ports are open as they should. I have used it before and also the Port tester from portforward website. Don't know how to fix it and hope for help.

Alf

[Russell Gilbert]

Hi, thanks for the screenshot.

Ok, a couple of things. First, you have two kinds of IP addresses: external (from your ISP) and internal (from your router). Your external IP from your ISP is usually dynamic, which is fine. The router, and each PC on your home network, each have an internal IP that's sort of like a fake IP that's only valid on your network. So the router has an internal IP, and the PC running FSHost has a different internal IP. The internal IP for the FSHost PC should usually be set as static but it's not strictly necessary. But by setting it to static, you won't have to keep changing the port forwarding each time the FSHost PC's IP address changes.

Please read through this whole section of the FSHost Help page - it has lots of information explaining all this in more details - plus pictures I just added! :-)

Firewalls, Routers, and Port Forwarding

Second, it sounds like you ran my FSPortTest program and everything worked ok. That means you have all the router port forwarding and the firewall setup correctly. Good!

Check to see if someone outside of your home network can connect.

Also check to see if you can connect to your own FSHost session from FSHostClient on the same PC. When you do this however, you sometimes have to enter your external IP (the IP you get from your ISP - it's reported in red text when FSHost starts up) and sometimes you have to enter a special IP that always points back to itself: 127.0.0.1

Let me know what you find.

Thanks,
Russell

[alfhak]

Hello again!

I did a try again but I failed again. What I did was to follow information to set up a static IP address.

"In Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7:

    Go to Start / Control Panel.
    In WIndows XP, click "Network and Internet Connections" and then "Network connections".
    In Vista and Windows 7, click "Network and Internet" and then "Network and Sharing Center". In Vista, then click "Manage network connections". In Windows 7, click "Change adapter settings".
    Right click your internet connection. Yours might be called "Local Area Connection" or "Wireless Network Connection". From the drop-down list, select "Properties".
    In XP, select "Internet Protocol TCP/IP" and then click Properties.
    In Vista and Windows 7, select "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" and then click Properties.
    Select "Use the following IP address" for a static IP. (If you need to change it back to dynamic addressing later, set this to "Obtain an IP address automatically.)
    Enter the static IP address you want to use on this PC. The IP address must be at least one greater than the router's IP address, and it must not be the same as any other computer on your local network. So for example, if your router's IP address is 192.168.1.1, you might set your PC's address to 192.168.1.2 or 192.168.1.3. Routers are usually configured to reserve addresses above 100 (as the last number in the IP) for dynamic IPs, so the range from 2 to 99 is usually ok to use for static IPs.
    The "Subnet mask" is usually filled in automatically, but if not, set it to 255.255.255.0
    For the "Default gateway", enter your router's IP address found above. Enter the router's IP address again for the "Preferred DNS server" and leave the "Alternate DNS server" blank.
    Click OK twice to save."

I manage to do this and also checked with IPconfig the new values are there.
After that I tried to use FS Host client to connect to FS HOST and still no session. I tried both external IP and and Internal IP addresses. No luck.

Next thing I did was going into my router and don't know if I should do this or not but I did change it to static IP address and put in the same values there as mention above according to my new IP config. After that I tried again and still no luck.
What happened then I tried to go out on Internet was my router told me there was a conflict with IP addresses and had to set new IP address for my router.

I still don't understand but looks I still don't do it right!
Any clue what I do wrong and not get FS HOST to work!

Alf K

[alfhak]

I made another try today and don't get it to work.
I set the internal static IP address in my PC. Thats ok.
I checked that I had all ports portforward still in the router.
Checked again with your Port tester. That is ok.
Except that I did not do anything more in my router.

Next question do I have to do something more in my router?
As mention earlier then I changed from Dynamic IP address to Static IP address in my router it failed, cause then I tried to go out on Internet
I got warnings about conflict with IP addresses so my router had to made it new. So I guess I should not change from Dynamic IP to Static IP
inside my router.

Alf

[Russell Gilbert]

Hi Alf,

You don't need to change anything related to the IP address in the router - it needs to stay as dynamic, because that's the IP address you're getting from your ISP. The only static IP is the one on your FSHost PC, and that's not even really necessary for what we're trying to fix here - but it's ok if you've already gotten that part working.

It sounds like you got all the port forwarding working as well, because you said that my FSPortTest program is reporting that all ports are open.

I think you have everything setup correctly now. It sounds like the only thing not working is that you can't connect from FSHostClient to FSHost.

Some questions:

1. I'm assuming FSHostClient and FSHost are both on the same PC? They should be.

2. Did you try entering 127.0.0.1 as the IP address when connecting FSHostClient to FSHost? That's the special IP address that always points back to your own machine.

3. Have you tried getting someone else (not at your home) to connect to your FSHost? They should use your external IP address, the one you get from your ISP. You can find out what that is by going to whatismyip.com.

Thanks,
Russell

[alfhak]

Some questions:

1. I'm assuming FSHostClient and FSHost are both on the same PC? They should be. All on same pc. Checked ok.

2. Did you try entering 127.0.0.1 as the IP address when connecting FSHostClient to FSHost? That's the special IP address that always points back to your own machine.
Checked. Failed to work.

3. Have you tried getting someone else (not at your home) to connect to your FSHost? They should use your external IP address, the one you get from your ISP. You can find out what that is by going to whatismyip.com. I have checked with my friend in Germany before and he could not connect either.
Will ask him again to try to connect.

Today I to turn off the Firewall in the router to see if it would work but still same result. No connection. I also run FSX on same PC!

Alf

Edit: 21/11 20
My friend in Germany tried to connect today and he could not. No session!

Alf