For the person who
wants simple explanations and illustrations on how to
solve DCC problems.
One major problem is
that the computer you are attempting to DCC or establish
Identd from, is going on the internet via a wireless
card. If the computer is hard wired to your LAN it
will probably be able to run identd and DCC.
If the computer is running solely on the wireless
connection, chances are it cannot run identd, therefore
cannot DCC.
Other than this .. the majority of the time, the problem
is in how you have the Local Info configured. It's all
about addresses when you DCC. Probably the next
biggest reason is that a Firewall is blocking it. I
have covered a list of those, and other possibilities
that you can work through. Let's start with the
obvious.
Are you
SUDDENLY unable to DCC when you
coming in from a LAN or home network?
If you are coming in on a
LAN, and have always been able to DCC .. and suddenly cannot .. this
section will probably solve your problem. If you are not coming in on
a LAN, you can skip this
section.
When you are on a LAN (home network) the router assigns alternate IP
Addresses to any computer or wireless appliance that connects to it.
You can only DCC from the computer on a LAN or network, that has been
assigned the IP Address that ends in .100. You will not be able
to DCC from any other computer .. ever. Only one computer is assigned
.100 and that is the ONLY computer that will DCC.
Here is how to find
out if your computer (due to a disconnect and reconnect) has been
inadvertently assigned a number, like 192.168.1.101, for example.
1) Start
-> Run -> Type in: CMD
and then enter
2)
You will be at a DOS prompt. Type in:
ipconfig/all and then enter
Look down the list
to find "IP Address"
: See if that number ends in .100
If it does, skip
this section and move down to #1 below, to see if
there is another
reason you
cannot DCC.
If it ends in any
number other than .100 .. you need to perform the
following, to fix it:
a) Turn off any computer or wireless appliance
that is connecting to your router
(printers, etc.). It is one of these items that
has grabbed the .100 IP Address.
b) Turn off your computer
Unplug your modem and wait 10 secs.
Unplug your router and wait 10 secs
Plug in your modem and wait 10 secs
Plug in your router and wait 10 secs.
When you turn
your computer back on, you can check to make sure it has
grabbed
the .100
address back again. If so, you should be good to
go. If not, then something
else is
grabbing that number before your computer does.
Check again to find what
is connecting
to the LAN, that you didn't get turned off.
1) FIND THE IP ADDRESS YOUR INTERNET PROVIDER HAS ASSIGNED TO
YOU
Click
HERE to
go to a website where you will find the IP#, that your Internet Provider
assigned to you.
Look for the numerical address (example) IP-Address: 24.164.150.219
Write this number down.
2)
IS "LOCAL INFO" CORRECTLY CONFIGURED IN mIRC ?
Open up mIRC and then DISCONNECT from the
server (changes should be made while disconnected). Open up mIRC
Options (Alt+O) .. Click on the Connect tab, then the
Local Info tab.
Local Host: Leave empty (mIRC
will fill this in for you)
IP Address:
Type in the Internet IP# from your notes.
On Connect Always Get ..
Untick both Local Host
and IP Address. Both must be Unchecked.
Lookup Method: Check
Server
Click OK, and close.
Fire up mIRC and give DCC a shot. If it is still
not working, perform the next test.
3)
IS mIRC LISTENING FOR DCC's ?
mIRC has to *listen*
for DCC’s on port 59.
Alt+O, click on the DCC
tab, click on the SERVER tab. You do not have to enable
a DCC Server, but make sure that where it says
"Listen on Port" .. that 59 has been entered.
I don't know why, but I found mine had changed.
If it
doesn't say 59 .. change it to 59 and click OK before
you close. Try to DCC .. if it is still not working,
move on to the next possibility.
4)
IS WINDOWS FIREWALL BLOCKING YOU ?
DCC or Identd may be blocked by Windows Firewall
Let's check to see.
Go to START, then Control
Panel, and open the Windows Firewall icon.
If it is ON, turn
it OFF .. Click OK.
Now
try to DCC. If it
works, you know that Windows Firewall was blocking you.
If you do not have a
Personal Firewall, then you will want to go back and
turn Windows Firewall back on. You
are going to have to configure Windows Firewall so that
it will allow DCC to pass through it. Here is an
excellent source which explains how to do this.
http://www.mishscript.de/ircguide/appb1.html
5)
IS YOUR SOFTWARE FIREWALL BLOCKING DCC ?
Your Software
Firewall could be blocking you
Probably the most popular
Software Firewalls are Zone Alarm, Norton Internet
Security and McAfee Internet Security Suite.
If you are running a Software Firewall, test to see if
it is blocking you. It’s
never a good idea to turn off your Firewall, but it’s
the only way I know how to test for this problem. You
may want to disable or turn off your Firewall and then
try to DCC. If it works, you know that it was your
Software Firewall that was blocking it.
*Note: Zone Alarm corrupts periodically for some
reason. When that happens your DCC
may suddenly stop working. Try the test
above. If the problem is in ZA .. I recommend
you do a clean uninstall .. their forum is:
HERE
Turn
your Firewall back on. If you are using a
different Router you will need to read the instructions
that came with your Router, or read the FAQ their
Website, or call Tech Support of the Manufacturer.
Tell them you
need to give mIRC permission to set Identd (port 113), and DCC
(which means *act* as a server).
6)
ARE YOU USING A HARDWARE FIREWALL ?
The Hardware
Firewall on your Router may be blocking DCC
To test it:
a) Turn off your computer.
b) Unplug your router.
c) Unplug
your Modem.
d) Remove the Internet connection from your
Router and plug it into your Modem (bypassing
the
Router).
e) Plug your Modem back in.
f) Turn your computer
back on.
Try to DCC. If DCC works, then you
know the Hardware Firewall on your Router was blocking
it. Turn your computer back off, put everything back
the way it was and restart your computer.
The solution
is to set up Port Forwarding on your Router. If
you are using a Linksys Wireless Router, you are in
luck. I have written some instructions on how to
enable Port Forwarding. Click
HERE
Note: If you have 3 computers you may only be
giving permission for 3 computers on your router
firewall. If a friend comes over with a laptop and uses
your wifi to check his email .. it means you now have 4
computers. Your dns addy could move to that fourth
DNS addy, and this could be why you cannot DCC. You need
to give permission to a fourth DNS.
If you are using a different Router you will need to
read the instructions that came with your Router, read
the FAQ at their Website, or call Tech Support. ou
need to set up Port Forwarding.
|
The port ranges
need to be in a very high numbered range. Do not pick port numbers below
1024 (i.e. 1 to 1023), as this could cause major problems with other
protocols (FTP, HTTP, SSH, SMB/CIFS, NFS, and hundreds of others). Stick to
port numbers above 40000, and do not exceed 65534. For example you could
use 47000 to 47010, or 50000 to 50010.
How many Ports?
Ten Ports are sufficient unless you will be sending
and receiving more than 10 DCC’s at a time. |
7) DOES YOUR VIRUS PROTECTION THINK THAT DCC IS A
VIRUS/WORM ?
This is not likely, but
you might want to check to be sure.
Are you getting any
messages that it finds a Worm or something when you try
to DCC? It’s never a good idea to disable or turn
off your Virus Protection and I won't advise it here.
Sometimes an Anti Virus program will register a "false
positive".
If this is your problem,
you will need to contact
the maker of your Virus Protection to find out how to
allow DCC.
8) STILL UNABLE
TO DCC?
Is mIRC confused?
Type on ..
/localinfo –u in any mIRC window, and enter.
This will make sure mIRC
is not confused about what your address is.
If
you have worked your way through this list and are still
not able to DCC, I recommend you join #mirc and
talk to some of the friendly people in there. They
may be able to think of some things I missed.
I wish you great success!
Sincerely,
CometBaby |
