Trouble with my linksys Router and AIM..

Olorin20 · Post by **Olorin20** » Wed Oct 30, 2002 11:51 pm

I just got a BEFSX41 Linksys router. Now I can surf the web, get e-mail and log onto aim. The only problem I just ran into was I tried to send a file to a friend over aim and it won't work. Is there anything I would need to do in my router settings to get this to work???

Olorin20 · Post by **Olorin20** » Thu Oct 31, 2002 1:37 am

Ok I assume I need to open a port, and the port in aim is 5190 according to what I have found in the program I think? How do I achieve this as I'm a network dummy when it comes to the firmware I have?

BTW Thanks as this form is the best with info and pretty much nice to all us newbies who are clueless!!!

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Thu Oct 31, 2002 7:29 am

For port forwarding, when you log onto your routers web admin page, click on the advanced tab....you'll see a tab forwarding. You'll forward the ports
OUT TCP 4099
IN TCP 5190
to the IP address of your workstation.

For port forwarding to work best, I manually assign a static IP address to the computer you're forwarding to.

Do you know how to change IP properties? Right now you most likely have it set to "obtain automatically" for IP. Give it a static IP of 192.168.1.11, same subnet of 255.255.255.0
Your gateway will be 192.168.1.1
And your DNS server will be 192.168.1.1

If you're running Win9X....under DNS you'll also need a host name, which is just your computers network name under the identification tab....and a domain, which is your ISP's formal domain name. Also you'll have WINS...which you'll leave disabled.

Olorin20 · Post by **Olorin20** » Thu Oct 31, 2002 2:51 pm

I'm running Win Xp and Win2k more specificly win 2k on the machince I'm trying to do this with. Now I also have a field called Lan IP address, but I assume I don't mess with that, and I just put the static IP in the "Specify WAN IP Address" box. Problem is I put all of that info in and then my connection wouldn't work. Yet if I keep it as obtain auto it works. Problem then is under the forwarding after I put in the two ports and check TCP IP I have to fill in the last #'s for the IP. How would I know the numbers if it's dynamic and obtained auto?

If I input all the info in for a static IP do I have to change setting somewhere else like under my tcp properties in my local area connection??

BTW in the forwarding it just has Ext.Port and a blank then the word to then a blank. I assume I put the 4099 in the first box. Then the 5190 in the second box then check under Protocol
TCP, or do I have to make two seperate lines one for incoming and one for outgoing so it would say 4099 to 4099, and I'd have to drop down and make a new entry for incoming?

BDillon21 · Post by **BDillon21** » Thu Oct 31, 2002 4:29 pm

You changed the IP information in the router. StoneCat was saying change the IP info on your Win2k machine and then forward the ports in the router.

To change IP in Win2k,

Right click my network places, go to properties
Right click on LAN connection, go to properties
Double click TCP/IP, then from there you will need to switch it from obtain IP automatically to specify the IP.

Make that machines IP 192.168.1.11
Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1
DNS server: 192.168.1.1
Disable WINS

On the router, under the advanced tab, port forwarding.

Forward the ports StoneCat mentioned to 192.168.1.11

As far as port forwarding goes, don't use the boxes the way you did. That will open a RANGE of ports.

Put the same port number in each box per line.
Open additional ports on a different line.

Only use different port numbers on the same line if you want to open those ports and all of the ports in between.

Olorin20 · Post by **Olorin20** » Thu Oct 31, 2002 10:08 pm

Ok so I changed to a static IP just like you guys said. That fixed THAT problem. Net connection still works and all. Then I tried to do exactly what you told me to open the ports. That all went in fine. Only problem is I still can't send anything over aim.

Old Fart · Post by **Old Fart** » Fri Nov 01, 2002 10:06 am

Olorin, Is your friend using the same ISP as you? If so, you may need to place a static route in your router in order to be able to do file transfer across AIM.

Go to the static routing page of your router, and create a route to his IP address, with a subnet of 255.255.255.255. The first time you type in that last 255 octet, it will throw an error up, clear the error, and put the 255 back in the last octet. Input your default gateway, and set a metric of 2 to start with (your metric might be 3 or 4, depending on the # of router hops between you and he.

Now he will have to do the same on his end with a route pointed back at your IP. This static route will work as long as you both have the same IP addresses you specified in the route. If the IPs change, the static routes must, too.

Olorin20 · Post by **Olorin20** » Fri Nov 01, 2002 2:10 pm

Yea and I'd have to do all of that with every person I wanna send files to? Why does this simple task have to be so hard? Wouldn't you think there would be an easier way.

BDillon21 · Post by **BDillon21** » Fri Nov 01, 2002 3:24 pm

Reading from his previous posts he has his router set to use DHCP. Static routing will not work in his case.

There is also a good chance that since his buddy is on the same ISP, he is set up dynamic as well.

Static routing is typically used in LANs to connect segments, or on multihomed systems.

Chances are, if you have to use static routing on the Internet, something else is probably causing the problem.

Olorin20 · Post by **Olorin20** » Fri Nov 01, 2002 3:35 pm

Thing is before I got this router I had a hub, and everything worked fine, and I just was hoping everything would still work ok.

Old Fart · Post by **Old Fart** » Fri Nov 01, 2002 3:37 pm

"Reading from his previous posts he has his router set to use DHCP. Static routing will not work in his case."

I run DHCP inside my home network behind a linksys with reservation lease times set to about 7 days. The static routing I described is the only way to connect the machines in question, and works well between my machines and a couple of freinds who use my service and also game online and share images and files with me through AIM. This is also required if you need to use PC Anywhere under the same circumstances

Tell me again why static routing will not work. I'd like to hear your learned opinion on how something I use heavily on a daily basis "will not work".

Olorin, do a little research. There is quite a bit of difference in a hub and a router

Kinda like saying "I used to have a shovel, and now I have a bulldozer"

Olorin20 · Post by **Olorin20** » Fri Nov 01, 2002 3:58 pm

Oh I know there is and I'm super happy with my router. This is the ONLY problem I've had with the router too! So I'm 95% happy. If I can fix this then I'll be 100% happy.

BDillon21 · Post by **BDillon21** » Fri Nov 01, 2002 4:51 pm

Old Fart,

I was referring to his router being a DHCP client. If he added a static route to his buddy, then when his lease expired, his static route would be null.

I never said static routing would not work, but perhaps an unecessary means to ail a different problem.

Static routing should not be used for the Internet because the better portion of the Internet (users) are dynamic, thus making static routing very hard.

Static routing is used to link static segments.

If you are unable to connect to clients via pcAnywhere or other software then you have a different problem. It does not matter if you are on the same ISP, same subnet or whatever. If a node on the Internet is able to connect to the Internet then it will be in it's routers routing table.

I know we have discussed this before and you have stated that you know why it should theoretically work. Only thing is, this is not a theory, this is how TCP/IP traffic finds its way about the Internet.

Olorin20 · Post by **Olorin20** » Sat Nov 02, 2002 1:15 pm

So if that is all the case what am I suppse to try next then! LOL

BDillon21 · Post by **BDillon21** » Sat Nov 02, 2002 3:15 pm

I have spent a little time researching this and I haven't came up with anything. I read somewhere to enable port triggering so you may want to try that.

Everywhere I read it says AIM uses port 5190 but can be other ports as well. You could try a packet sniffer or a firewall program and see if there are any other ports AIM is using to connect with, thought I doubt it.

It seems that it's not really the router, or AIMs fault, however. It looks like AIM users behind a Linksys router can connect to other AIM users without a NAT router just fine as long as ports 5190 and 4199 are forwarded. Those same people cannot connect to another AIM user behind another Linksys router. Even putting your machine in a DMZ will not cure this.

I have read somewhere that perhaps UPNP can help. Let me see if I can find more info on this.

One more thing I heard works is to ditch the router and use Wingate to share your Internet connection. I can't confirm this myself though.

Old Fart · Post by **Old Fart** » Mon Nov 04, 2002 8:26 am

"Ditch your router and use Wingate"

Hehe, BDillon, I thought your posts might be thinly veiled humor, but you removed all doubt with that statement.

KuRe · Post by **KuRe** » Tue Nov 05, 2002 6:20 pm

I believe you can't do anything with that... ever since I got a router, I also have been unable to send things over aim/icq/etc. I guess its just one of the cons of using a router.

You can just attatch the file you want sent to an email msg...

BDillon21 · Post by **BDillon21** » Tue Nov 05, 2002 10:48 pm

Hehe, BDillon, I thought your posts might be thinly veiled humor, but you removed all doubt with that statement.

Nope, no humor involved in that at all (at least not intentionally.)
After looking in to a little it seems as though getting two clients with routers to connect to each other via AIM is impossible.

I read in a couple of posts that you can use Wingate and it works flawlessly, though you would be downgrading your network (at least in my opinion.)

Just giving him options is all. It would be up to him which is more important, having the router or file sharing with AIM.

Any other ideas?

We could try throwing in a static route on a dynamic based network (that was humor.)

KuRe · Post by **KuRe** » Tue Nov 05, 2002 10:54 pm

Now now you 2... lets keep the posts mostly on helping him...

anyways, not being able to send files through AIM isn't THAT bad... as I said before, you can use other things such as... email

Old Fart · Post by **Old Fart** » Wed Nov 06, 2002 8:36 am

kure, bdillon, you even try my suggestion before dismissing it?

it works

regardless of whether the ends of the connection are statically or dynamically assigned. For the session in question, it wont be changing - ever heard of a lease?

Just because you can't understand something, that doesn't make it untrue.

If you are looking for a solution, and are using Linksys routers at both ends of the connection, It works.

BDillon21 · Post by **BDillon21** » Wed Nov 06, 2002 3:03 pm

I don't need to try your suggestion Old Fart. Regardless if it does work or not it's only a temporary fix and not a solution to the problem.

What happens when a week later he wants to transfer more files? Set up another static route? Seems like a lot of work to keep going through over and over again.

As for not understanding, well you're wrong. I do understand it, use it, and implement at times on our STATIC LAN at the office where it works well and needs no babysitting.

Sorry we see things different bro, I just cracks me up to see someone recommend a static route to someone with dynamic IPs.

KuRe · Post by **KuRe** » Wed Nov 06, 2002 5:25 pm

From reading your suggestion old fart, I find that your solution is too much of a hassle and not worth the time. Sometimes friends don't even WANT to tell you their IP address even though you'll see it anyways when you send a file to them - making it even more difficult.

BDillon21 · Post by **BDillon21** » Wed Nov 06, 2002 7:48 pm

Really, throughout all of this, that was the only point I was trying to make about static routing.

Never really meant to start a flame war out of it.

Only point I want to make is that static routing would need updated on either end each time their lease expired, which seems like a lot of hassle, and can even be intimidating to a novice.