Server behind a sticky dynamic IP?

AlphaWolfAlphaWolf Join Date: 2003-01-11 Member: 12175Members
edited December 2012 in Server Discussion
<div class="IPBDescription">Not sure how the server browser finds servers</div>I have a sticky dynamic IP address (rarely changes) where I am thinking of deploying a server (fast, reliable, yet cheap pipe) how practical is it to run a server on such a setup? Namely, say something changed, how does the server browser keep track of that kind of thing? Would I have to manually update the IP address if it changes? I've never actually hosted a game server before, wanting to do this as a fun project, plus giving back to the NS community that has given me free access to servers all these years.

If they allow DNS instead of just an IP, that would be great.
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Comments

  • endarendar Join Date: 2010-07-27 Member: 73256Members, Squad Five Blue
    I don't 100% know since I use static, but I believe that each time your server launches, it informs the master browser of the IP. So as long as you restart your server after every IP change it should be fine. It might cause problems with some external websites that often track your server by IP.
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  • LartzaLartza Join Date: 2012-12-29 Member: 176687Members
    It's fine if your IP changes. It shouldn't change when the server is running, not sure what endar is thinking... and when you do a reboot of the machine and lose your old IP it just grabs the new one, just don't use the -ip switch to manually bind. Also if you create an address for the site... something.no-ip.org for instance it could work easily.

    I haven't tried to use "-ip domain" whether it works. Also sites that track should track you by that domain hopefully unless NS2 does some resolving when it adds your server to the masterlist, changing the domain to your IP. I've yet to try that so not sure! Will try today since I am finalising my server settings.
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  • FuhrerDarqueSydeFuhrerDarqueSyde Join Date: 2004-10-04 Member: 32076Members, Constellation
    well it probably reports by ip and the ip wont resolve to that no-ip domain, i'll reverse to the isp's hostname for that ip but yeah as long as the modem/router/computer are on, it is unlikely you'll lose the lease on that IP address so it shouldn't be an issue.

    example of ip resolution:

    no-ip domain name -> ip
    ip -> isp's ip-specific hostname
    isp's ip-specific hostname -> ip
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  • GuspazGuspaz Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 2862Members, Constellation
    The master server only gets the IP; hostnames never enter into it. If the IP ever does change, the master server would have the incorrect IP until you restarted the server. But the server would likely be empty in that case anyhow, since everybody on your server would have been disconnected by whatever caused the IP to change.

    Simple fix, if you're tech savvy: write a script that periodically checks if the IP has changed, and restarts the server if it has.
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  • AlphaWolfAlphaWolf Join Date: 2003-01-11 Member: 12175Members
    edited December 2012
    One other thing crossed my mind. The server will be inside of a static NAT (meaning it receives all traffic headed to that IP address, and when it acquires a DHCP lease on the inside, it is given a public address that only it uses mapped to its private address. The server itself otherwise has no idea what its public address is, rather it only knows its private address.)

    Does the master server pick up whatever public IP it came from, and then add that to the server list it distributes? Or do I have to tell it what my public IP address is?
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  • VitdomVitdom Join Date: 2012-04-30 Member: 151345Members, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Silver, Reinforced - Gold, Reinforced - Diamond, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow
    edited January 2013
    The server doesn't tell the master list it's own IP. The master server is using the IP(from the received IP-datagram header) which the listing request originated from, and since it is going through a NAT, the master server receives your public IP and not your privately mapped IP. That's because a NAT is expected to work in at least two valid directions, i.e. not fail in one direction and succeed in the other a.k.a translate for purposes of e.g. replies and sustaining connections.
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  • SjarelSjarel Join Date: 2013-09-06 Member: 187913Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    It would be awesome if Unknown Worlds could add the option to use hostnames instead of ip's in it's list.
    Maybe add the option "-dns hostname.xyz.com" so people can see hostnames in their serverlist instead of ip's that (in some cases) change often.
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