ports

Submitted by grave_digger on Sun, 09/06/2015 - 13:30
Forums: 
Soulseek General Discussion

I've been using QT for a month or two now, and all of a sudden today, my stupid anti-virus program throws a firewall notice up for Soulseek, and now I can't download. even after disabling the firewall for my whole computer, I still can't. I clicked on the Check Ports button and it says they're closed.

I don't know anything about ports and if that's the problem, but I haven't changed anything on there since I first used the program, and it's been fine every day up until today. how are they all of a sudden closed when I've never touched the parameters? if that is the problem, what am I supposed to change it to and where do I find that information?

oh, also Windows 7.

Submitted by sammy123 on Tue, 09/08/2015 - 12:49.

Hi
have you enabled (in the past) your router to forward the SLSK ports to your IP your client is using? As soon as your PC get's a new internal IP everything SLSK seems blocked. As Win7 have it's own Firewall as well and maybe collateral damage/or rest traces from your old one the points of failure are quite a lot.
SLSK needs as any internal (=behind a firewall) service Port Forwarding to work:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_forwarding
When your router is configured (remember that SLSK needs two Ports open&forwared!) the right way, your Win7 Firewall comes next. Without knowing that's hard to fix. Better ask a knowing friend, as every router is a bit different and depending how you get your IP the forwarding rules differ.
Cheers

Submitted by grave_digger on Tue, 09/08/2015 - 15:50.

In the past I've never had problems with Soulseek, I just opened the program and it worked, I never had to change anything. I also just discovered that SoulseekNS is still working fine, even though it says the ports I'm using on that one are also closed.

I did just notice when this problem came up that I had a different IP address than I've had before. why does it change? I wouldn't have done it, I don't have a clue how. and is it possible to change it again?

I just ran the troubleshooter on my network and it says the DNS server is not responding. I don't know if that's relevant to this at all.

Submitted by sammy123 on Wed, 09/09/2015 - 07:31.

Hi grave_digger
I've seen SLSK working quite well behind closed systems, but some functions seek, Upload, ... will not work as intended (your Router will just drop such (from his point of view) "unwanted" packets. For portforwarding it's necessary (dyn.PF is excluded here, as I've never seen it at home usage) to have a static IP, and then forward the ports to this static IP.
When DNS does not work it might be a problem for SLSK to connect to his server, but it will surely work as you surely use this same network for "normal" interneting and there a DNS is essential. SLSK works with IPs to connect to clients/Peers and therefor shouldn't be relevant.
What Router do U have and do U have any knowledge in it?
Cheers

Submitted by the.old.ent on Tue, 09/08/2015 - 22:09.

Two things control your IP address. Assuming you have a home router, that will assign you a 192.168.x.x range number every so often changing it - if other devices are attached by cable or wifi, they can affect the final x value - it'll be reassigned every few weeks probably.
The other thing is that your ISP will likely do the same thing to your public IP address 83.26.x.x or some such. Again, this will change every so often.

This is called Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) and is normal practice for anything that is not a server.

Submitted by grave_digger on Wed, 09/09/2015 - 10:03.

I don't know what any of that means that you're talking about. I doubt this is ever going to get fixed with my limited knowledge of routers and ports and everything. I know what router I have, it's an ActionTec from Century Link.
so the IP changes randomly and there's nothing I can do but just sit here for maybe weeks without being able to use soulseek until it changes again?

Submitted by sammy123 on Wed, 09/09/2015 - 10:43.

Hi
when you service some service (no matter if it's a forum, SLSK web server or whatever) in the internet BEHIND a firewall/router then you have to know (or knew someone who knows) how to configure a router. The very easy way is to have a router who offers UPnP (SLSK offers such infos for your router). If not you have to configure it with an static IP and man. forwarding the ports.
There's no special way SLSK is doing it, but anything you want to do with offering a service. Simply browsing, email, chat, ... does not need anything your router is offering by default. But putting (wanted) holes into your firewall is your work to do (or UPNP). As Norwegian I've never heard of ActionTec so couldn't tell you the detail, but a computerguy should be able to configure it in less than 5 Minutes.
Cheers

Submitted by grave_digger on Wed, 09/09/2015 - 13:43.

I just figured out the problem... somehow I had accidentally clicked on "Limit download speed to" and it was on 4k/second. I don't know how or when that happened. stupid.

well thanks for the info and sorry to waste your time in the end.. lol

Submitted by sammy123 on Thu, 09/10/2015 - 00:02.

That's good to be published so the next one will have a clue. With that limit in action DL should start (then the speed ratio comes into play and throttles it until death if needed), but brake up. As U wrote DL are not working at all it sounded different. Anyway it works!
Happy Sharing!

P.S.: Nir surely 'd be happy to be get a tip via paypal to pay the forum :-;