Setting up the Linksys router to use port forwarding
These are recommended settings to be used for a Linksys router for a typical home network and Warcraft III. It is not our intention to try and explain how to setup the network itself and it is assumed that the router has already been configured for normal use and is operational. If these settings are incorrect or if you have any problems, you will need to contact Linksys for additional support.
There are two basic network configuration methods to consider:
- DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol).
- Manually setting each computer's IP address.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods. Larger networks will probably want to use the DHCP server method for convenience.
A DHCP server is typically run on the LAN's main server but some routers contain them as well. We are going to discuss a Linksys router with a built-in DHCP Server configuration below.
The router can provide, by using an internal DHCP server, an IP address to each computer from a predefined range when they connect to the network. This is convenient when a new computer is attached as minimal setup will be required by an Administrator. A disadvantage is that if a computer is not connected for an extended period of time, it's "lease" of the IP address it was assigned may be forfeited and another computer could be assigned the address to use. In an environment where the Administrator needs to keep track of which computer is using which IP address, DHCP will make this difficult.
In Warcraft III, each computer can be configured to use a specific
port for communications. This port number can be thought of as an additional address defining a location on the network. If you intend on having a computer on a LAN connect through Battle.net to play games, you will want to specify a different port number for each computer and configure the router with the information it needs to route incoming packets correctly.
Setting the port number in Warcraft III:
- Start the game.
- On the main menu, select
Options.
- Select
Gameplay.
- Input the port number to use for this computer. 6112 is the default and you will need to be sure no two computers on the LAN are using the same one.
Port Forwarding allows incoming packets to be forwarded to the computer they are destined for. If forwarding is not used or available, on a network with a DHCP server providing "internal" IP addresses, Battle.net will only "see" packets coming from a single address and send packets back to that one address. If the default port of 6112 is used for all computers, the router will not know which computer should get the packets from Battle.net and hosting a game will be impossible. By having each computer communicate with a unique port number, Battle.net replies with that information in the packets and the router can easily make sure each computer receives it's intended packets.
More information can be found at the
Linksys support website.
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