# openCanvas/network issues



## Grimfang (Jul 14, 2008)

So I'm looking to do some oC more, but I can't seem to figure out how to work around my modem. If I try to host a session, it just displays my subnet (I believe is what it is, you know: 192.168.1.1, or something like those). So, I've tried toying with some "Hamachi" VPN thing, but no matter what I do, I can't get past my modem for some reason.

I don't have a router. My windows firewall is off, cus I don't care about security. Any ideas on how to set this up? The friend I was going to open this with is having the same trouble. We're both oC noobs.


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## Eevee (Jul 14, 2008)

If your IP is 192.168.1.1, you have a router, or something functioning as one.  That's your LAN IP, not a subnet mask.

Hamachi is a stupid and completely wrong solution that people only use because they can't be buggered to spend thirty seconds setting up port forwarding.  But whatever you have that's creating a LAN is probably not responding to UPnP, so Hamachi isn't going to work at all.

What exactly is your setup?  Just you, plugged directly into DSL?


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## Runefox (Jul 14, 2008)

I wouldn't call Hamachi stupid, simply because it's more or less a poor man's VPN. Very useful for some situations (like some older networkable games, some IPX stuff, folder sharing, and, yeah, general laziness with port forwarding, but port forwarding is a huge chore to have to set up depending on what it is you're forwarding (port ranges in particular can be a heavy task in certain routers like the ones that ISP's typically provide, with UPnP not really helping much))...

I disagree, however, about Hamachi not responding. It should be able to penetrate a firewall using NAT alone (I've seen it do so), and so as long as you're both connected and joined to the same "network" (see the Hamachi documentation/FAQ), you should be able to connect to each other by the IP it shows next to your names in Hamachi. Also make sure your operating system's firewall (usually Windows Firewall, unless you have another one installed, which I suggest disabling while you do this) isn't blocking anything for the Hamachi "network card" or for the OpenCanvas program itself.

If you can set up your router (which yes you do have if you have that kind of IP address), that would simplify things a lot, however. You'll need to see your router's user manual for the specific information to get into the setup, but it should involve typing in an IP address into your browser's address bar, followed by a username/password prompt. Once you're through to the router, it really depends on the brand and model to know where to go from there. Generally, the section is called "Virtual Server" or "Port Forwarding", and under there, you can specify a port to send to your computer on the LAN. Use that port when connecting via oC.

To find out what your external IP address is (the one the world sees), you can use a site like www.whatismyip.com


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## Grimfang (Jul 14, 2008)

Ok, well.. I read some of what you guys said, and toyed around a bit more. I finally figured out how to do port forwarding on this modem.

The oC is underway. Thanks ^_^


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## Eevee (Jul 15, 2008)

Runefox said:


> I wouldn't call Hamachi stupid, simply because it's more or less a poor man's VPN. Very useful for some situations


I mean for this situation in particular; I've seen several people tack the overhead of Hamachi on an oC session for not much reason.  And then complain that it's slower than usual.



Runefox said:


> It should be able to penetrate a firewall using NAT alone (I've seen it do so)


Impressive!  Nevermind then.


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## Grimfang (Jul 15, 2008)

Eevee said:


> I mean for this situation in particular; I've seen several people tack the overhead of Hamachi on an oC session for not much reason.  And then complain that it's slower than usual.



Ya, it seemed to just create more clutter with networking than necessary, and I couldn't even get Hamachi to work properly. I'm surprised how few _good_ ideas turn up when googling for oC/network issues.


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## Dyluck (Jul 15, 2008)

Dude.

Grim.

We've gotta OC sometime.

Seriously. <3


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## Runefox (Jul 15, 2008)

> I mean for this situation in particular; I've seen several people tack the overhead of Hamachi on an oC session for not much reason. And then complain that it's slower than usual.


Actually, Hamachi now has the ability to turn off encryption and compression so that it's more or less just VPN-encapsulated standard TCP traffic. Right-click on the person you want to change your settings for, and click on "Advanced ..", and you're greeted with this nice menu for fiddling with a bunch of different settings, including compression/encryption. Also remember that once Hamachi has made the connection to your peers, Hamachi's servers are no longer a part of the equation.


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## Eevee (Jul 15, 2008)

Go to http://192.168.1.1/ and you're greeted with this nice menu for not needing Hamachi to punch through your router in the first place.  :V


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## Runefox (Jul 15, 2008)

Most routers offer only a limited number of port forwards (not good for me), and besides, those are permanent until you manually shut them, and then again if your IP on the LAN changes (negated of course by creating a static IP). There are plenty of reasons when this is easier and more secure than that, and one oC session really isn't one of them. It is useful, however, to have a Hamachi network set up for "LAN" gaming (with encryption/compression off), File/Printer sharing (yeah, printers work), etc, and I'm just saying that with the right configuration, there's not much overhead at all if you connect to the same people often.


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