No connection to global server from client computer

Mon Oct 20, 2003 4:39 am by steve62

Having a bit of a dilema. I moved one of the gaming computers upstairs from the dungeon. Clean install of W2K Pro with service pack 4 and all the goodies.
Loaded freelancer. Start game with no problem. Go to multiplayer and then enters servers screen.....says connecting to global serever but doesn't. Ok no problem, I have a server running in the basement anyways (Alberta Top-Gun Freelancers) go back to main menu and then re-enter multi-player, this time select LAN...this has got to work right? Wrong! The server doesn't appear under LAN..... This computer is connected to the same switch as before even the same position on the switch... The server still access the global list and is on that list. This computer access the internet just as before, e-mail, web browsing etc no problem. There is about 25' of cable between the switch and the computer now (before it was 5'. Any ideas are welcome. The main game computers WD HDD thundered in so I can't play on that one until replacement drive arrives.....Geeez, can't even play on my own server!!!! Waaaaaaaaa....

Mon Oct 20, 2003 1:34 pm by Earendil

I had a problem with Win2k and mentioned it a little here. I have been reading around and found one of Win2k's service packs is bad for FL. As for the client side of FL I have had connection problems through my LAN. I get the global server no problem but my server which is on my home LAN I only see it from the global server! Not how I want to play as my Internet pipe is maxxed as it is with all the other players. I found the problem was my firewall, Zonealarm. Even after you "train" it after so much running FL the firewall server (a program seen in the task manager as vsmon.exe) starts really sucking up the CPU (ZA website cites vsmon.exe as suddenly checking every port continuously) and sound gets spotty. If I kill vsmon.exe ZA immediately prompts me to restart it. Once you do the CPU utilization is cool again.

Now what does this have to do with you? I think something in Win2k is firewalling your connection to the global server. Just to play FL you need over a dozen ports open. To connect to the global server itself I think its only a few but that may be enough to prevent your 'puter connecting. My suggestion? Surf around and ask which service pack to install on which FL client works. Or you can run the client computer and start killing services until FL client works. You'll probably spend so much time troubleshooting your Windoze machine that your HDDs will arrive before you find a solution!

Good luck nonetheless.

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Earendil
SysAdmin of Boston Freelancer server

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