Firewall Support/I don't have a firewall

[Verio]

I've ready probably about 50 posts now about people having relatively the same issue as mine. I'm going to attempt to provide as much information as possible. Go ahead and be specific, I'm an IT Specialist as my main profession. Just wondering if I missed something.



1. OS version? (eg: Windows 98) XP SP2
2. What firewalls you have? None/Built in on Router. Using a DMZ Host to bypass the built in firewall on the router.
3. How much ram? 2 Gigs
4. Hard Disk space available? 198 Gigs
5. Connection type? (eg: dialup, broadband, cable, etc.) Broadband Cable(Comcast)
6. Modem & router brand name & model numbers? LinkSys WRK54G Firmware Version 1.52
7. Where are you trying to connect from (home, school, work, etc.)? Home
8. What version of LimeWire (LW) & Java do you have? (Go to LW's menu Help>About LW...) Will show both LW & Java version. 4.12.6 Java - 1.5.0_05
9. Who is your ISP provider (Internet Service Provider)? Comcast
10. Do this simple test for us. Using your browser go here: http://www3.limewire.com:6346/ The page should say 'Your test worked!'. What happens when you go there? "Your test worked!"
11. Are you sharing the connection with other computers or p2p sharing programs? If yes, please give details of set up. No.
12. Is this a your 1st try at FW or is this a new problem with an experienced user. First try
13. Do you see a brick wall in front of the blue world icon at the bottom of FW's interface? Yes

[wondering why]

Your Modem/Router has probably got a built in Nat Firewall, which will mean you will have to Port Forward...This link has the instructions for your Router..
http://www.portforward.com/english/r...G/Limewire.htm

[Lord of the Rings]

1. eek! sorry for my response ... but any linksys that has the 54 in its model number potentially has problems. AFAIK there's a firmware issue with those types. See wrt54g note under the UPnP section (2nd section) here: Connection problems? Check here first! (click on link)

2. I presume you have XP firewall right? Did you configure it to allow LW/Gnutella/ If not, see the link above (1st section.)

3. You may be interested in the SP2 patches (self-explanatory): MS & 3rd party patches

4. Which mode are you running LW in?: UPnP or Manual Port Forward or Nothing ... under the LW's menu bar, Tools>Options>Advanced>Firewalls

[Verio]

Just tried that whole setup. Applied the settings to both Limewire and my router. Closed Limewire, and re-opened it. I still have a brickwall, no connection, and am unable to search for downloads.

[Verio]

1. eek! sorry for my response ... but any linksys that has the 54 in its model number potentially has problems. AFAIK there's a firmware issue with those types. See wrt54g note under the UPnP section (2nd section) here: Connection problems? Check here first! (click on link)

I attempted to update the firmware from Linksys's website 10 minutes ago. It fails to update.

2. I presume you have XP firewall right? Did you configure it to allow LW/Gnutella/ If not, see the link above (1st section.)

If you read the answer to question 1 in my post, I do not have a firewall of any kind in use.

3. You may be interested in the SP2 patches (self-explanatory): MS & 3rd party patches
I will try and update my SP2 for patches, but unless it's a 3rd party patch, I am up to date.

4. Which mode are you running LW in?: UPnP or Manual Port Forward or Nothing ... under the LW's menu bar, Tools>Options>Advanced>Firewalls

I /was/ in UPnP, I am now in Manual Port Forwarding.

[wondering why]

2. What firewalls you have? None/Built in on Router. Using a DMZ Host to bypass the built in firewall on the router.

Sorry I didn't see this part (Thanks LOTR)...:wink:

[Lord of the Rings]

Try changing the connection port to one between 49152 - 65535. A good one to try is 64049 for both listening & connection ports. I realise port 6346 proved unblocked but not necessarily shaped or filtered by potentially other sources such as isp.

I am curious why you'd have XP firewall disabled as well as running dmz. Aren't you worried about potential hazards that such security tries to block out? You are leaving your machine wide open for potential attacks. just IMHO

To be honest I'm not sure about how to advise someone using DMZ mode except perhaps they're comparable to dial up users in regards to no consideration of UPnP or Manual Port Forward.

AFAIK Comcast shouldn't give you problems. Are there any other computers networked with yours or using the same linksys device as a router?

Do you find you need to reboot your linksys from time to time or it just simply fails on you?

And are you doubly sure you're running in dmz mode? Did you save your settings for thus?

[Verio]

Yes, my Linksys router needs to be restarted from time to time (2 times a week). I have a computer (no monitor hooked up, using VNC for file sharing), this computer, and 2 wireless computers.

I'm not really concerned with using a DMZ host for my machines, I use port sniffing applications sometimes, and I have nothing really active on my ports.

I'm 100% sure my DMZ host is working because I host a Ventrilo server (using DynDNS) and I need to run it, because for some odd reason the port fowarding in my router does not work.

I've also disabled DynDNS, my port sniffing apps, and Ventrilo. I have no outside applications running except for Limewire.

Even Bittorent works for me



Edit: It seems that immediately after I closed BitTorrent and restarted Limewire, my connection issues have disappeared.

[Lord of the Rings]

Ah lol Good to hear!!! It seems BT was hogging all the bandwidth afai can ascertain since it has that concept of as much that comes down has to also go up (depending on bt app & settings.) I now notice you only answered half of the questions I asked earlier. lol np As long as it's working. I'd tend to suggest your linksys might not be able to handle great traffics & changes. That's very unreliable to have to reboot it once or twice a week. If & only "if" you know what you're doing, then look more closely at that wrt54g link I gave about making adjustments. But make sure if you do any firmware adjustments that they apply to your particular model & not just a similar model.

You may need to quit your BT program from time to time to stop the issues with your linksys. Not to say it won't happen with LW because it potentially will. But just try to measure it out. I hope I'm not being vague or speaking out of my depth.

[Verio]

Thanks for the assistance. It really sucks when you think you have quite a bit of knowledge, 5 years in the industry and 4 years of college behind you, and something simple as this kills you.

Thanks again.