Configuring a Router for use with a Dedicated Server

Setting up a Static IP Address

Your server should use a static IP address. This will allow other computers to reliably find your server when connecting to the router.

The only way to get an external static IP is to pay for one through your internet service provider. A static IP is important if you plan on having your server run all of the time. Using a static IP makes it easy for return players to find your server. Your current external IP address can be found below:

An internal IP address behaves just like an external IP address with the notable exception of only being visible from behind your router. You must use a static IP internally. Your router will forward ports for incoming connections to a specific IP address. If you have your IP setup dynamically, it will not necessarily forward the ports to your server.

Setting Up a Static IP in Windows XP

1. Go to Start > Run and type in: cmd to open a command prompt.
2. Type into the command prompt: ipconfig/all.You will see something similar to this:

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : MYCOMP
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No 

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-80-F6-6A-21-E0
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.100
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . :  xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
                                     xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

1. Copy down:
   • IP address
   • Subnet mask
   • Default gateway
   • DNS Servers
2. Right-click on My network places and go to Properties.
3. Right-click on Local Area Connection and go to Properties.
4. Select Internet Protocol(TCP/IP) and click on the Properties button.
5. Select the "Use the following IP address" option and fill in the fields with the respective information you copied out of your IPConfig.
6. Click OK and exit the network connection page.

Test your internet connection to ensure that you are still able to access the internet. If not, you probably mistyped one of the fields from the IPconfig. Double-check their values. If you need to get back to the internet immediately, you can do so by going back to your TCP/IP properties and selecting Obtain an IP address automatically.

Setting up the Router

Go to your router manufacturer's website and ensure that you are running the most current Firmware available for the router.

1. Follow the instructions that came with your router to login to it. Typically, this is done by going to either http://192.168.0.1 or http://192.168.1.1 and entering a username and password you have either already specified or can be found in your router's manual. The IP address and login information are different for different routers.
2. Go to port range forwarding or the equivalent for your router and add a new entry:

1. Apply the changes and exit the router setup.
2. If port 27015 does not work, try another port between 27016-27019 or 27021-27032.

Editing the Server.cfg

Next, you must edit your server.cfg file to properly reflect your server's IP address.

1. Open your server.cfg. (Typically C:\hlserver\valve\server.cfg)
2. Add to the top of the file:
   IP <your IP address> port 27015

Note: When you start your server it will report your internal IP address, not your external IP address.

To access the server from behind the same router:

1. Go to Steam > Servers > Favorites and click on Add a Server
2. Enter your internal IP address and port setting in this format: 192.168.1.100:27015
3. Connect to your server from your Favorites menu

Verwante Onderwerpen

• Guide: Setting up a Standalone Dedicated Server
• Guide: Setting up a Steam Source Dedicated Server
• Guide: Setting up a Steam Half-Life Dedicated Server
• Optimizing a Dedicated Server