Server has stopped responding!
 

Before I go into this, let me just say that I've spent two days off and on reading other forum questions on this and so far they've either been so old that they didn't have relevance or they didn't work/apply to me.

My problem is this:

I use the client on my network locally (same subnet). I can log in. I go to create a character which I can do. But, when i try to enter the game, I get kicked saying the server has stopped responding and I will be disconnected (black screen white text dead center). When I check the database, the character is there and created. The server puts info on the screen saying it's moved the character to tutorial b. Eventually, it says that it is disconnecting the client on the server side.

I don't usually go making an account on a forum but I really want to get this to work and I'm at my wits end.

In my config I've set the IP to be the local computer IP. That computer does nothing else except run a plex server. I've disabled the firewall completely on both the server and the client. Every time I get the same result. I've uninstalled / deleted the files and started over. I've changed everything in the config.

Here is where I downloaded the installer at https://github.com/EQEmu/Server/wiki/Windows-Server

Here is my config.


Any and all help appreciated. I'm sure i'm looking over something really stupid here. The machine is at a static .239 private ip set at the dhcp by mac.

Here is a SS of what the server displays after the attempt to log in.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/e81z1h3co3...t_lgn.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/e81z1h3co3...t_lgn.jpg?dl=0

I had a similar issue and fixed it this way. Caveat: I have an unusual router at home.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairpinning

applicable mikrotik configuration (x.x.x.x masks public IP)
I haven't had a login server running in a while, but I'll go ahead and get it set up and disable the hairpin to see if I'm back to the same problem as before. Which was: "HALP! I can't connect to server on same machine through public login. I disconnect after char select/create, but can log in locally with no issue." or something, IIRC.

Sorry. Unable to confirm at the moment without a complete reinstall of the server. Private login server won't get far enough to generate log files for me right now. Likely has to do with my switch to 64 bit.

I haven't played with the json config too much...

Try changing chat/mail server hosts to "192.168.1.239" address.

Also change tcp : ip to "192.168.1.239" as well.

Thanks for all the help.

I do need to change the chat and mail.

Turns out I had something mapped to port 9000 a while back and that was killing the connection. I removed that map and everything started working perfectly. Doh! (OLD setting)

Anyway, now i'm off to try to figure out how to get bots working and mercs working.

Is there a version of MQ2 / EQBC that works with RoF2 client?

Thanks again.

And we're back...

I was able to log in 4 times. total. Now i'm back to the same disconnected screens again.... *sigh*

If you have not done much to the server, I'd recommend just taking the .pl file and putting it in a new folder. It will create the .json file the way it needs to be... Then you can go change server name etc. Any changes you did make you could download to a .SQL file and load them into the new database by command prompt. (Update the .SQL file to show the new database... Find/replace olddb to newdb)

This .pl file will set bots up for you as well. I have had issues trying to use older servers, but the easiest fix has just been taking 5 minutes to use the installer and another 5 minutes to load in the old server database to the new database.

I was able to use a 32bit login server with 64bit world/zone/etc to confirm the issues I was having with logging in were fixed with the hairpin NAT configuration. However, the issue was that I'm unable to get beyond char selection/creation when I have my client set to hit my local login server, not the public login server. With the NAT rules re-enabled on my router, I could login via both login servers from the same machine at the same time.

So I did a complete re-install again. This time i dropped the schemas before the uninstall and then I uninstalled (the apps in installs). This included deleting the entire directory. Then, I re-downloaded the install file again and created a new directory. I then started the process over with the script. I'm on a pretty slow connection so this is a 45min ordeal, minimum. The only other thing this server runs is plex. This is a fresh x64 win 7 pro install (legit).

I eventually got to the log in and character creation screen where I was then disconnected all over again. Several times over. I've tried connecting from multiple clients as well and the same result on both. I have disabled fire walls for now while trying this. I went to the router and put it in "basic" routing only mode disabling some of it's protection features. I tried this both with and without port forwarding (the ranges of 7000-75000 and 9000-9100) to the server.

My next step is going to be connecting Ad Hoc. If that doesn't work, I have no idea what to do after that.

As a troubleshooting step, I tried using a program I wrote a long time ago transferring some files over those same ports while the EQEMU server was stopped. I could transfer files just fine using TCP/IP over some of those ports. When I had the router going with forwarding it was doing both UDP and TCP/IP and it didn't seem to matter whether it was on or off while I was testing.

At risk of exposure, the router i'm using is an RT-AC88U. I've never had any problems with it before and it is fairly new. I have other equipment but it's not in use right now just for the purpose of troubleshooting this.

** one other thing I've noticed. It appears that it disconnects my client (on the login server) before I even get a chance to hit "ENTER WORLD". I'm not sure why that is, but i'm sure it is important, unless that is how it's supposed to work.

Sorry for the winded post. I know it's long; i'm trying to get this working correctly. Thanks for all the help.

Seeing all sorts of posts about NAT loopback issues with that particular device.
NAT Loopback = Hairpin NAT = NAT Reflection

I looked up a few posts about that and everything I have read post dec 2016 says that they started building that into the firmware so it shouldn't be an issue. There isn't even an option to turn it off anymore. Before I go further in to changing things in my current router i dug up one of the few routers I have lying around that aren't in use (consumer routers).


I tried an old net gear WNR1000 router (changed config addresses, changed IP subnet and address as well). Same problem. On this router, i turned off ALL security and ONLY the server and one client was connected to it with no other traffic and I assigned it it's own channel as well. I also have an old linksys i'll be trying as well as it will have even less security features (which doesn't matter if i'm turning it off anyway). This whole time, no firewalls on the server or client as well. I'm still not at ad-hoc yet. At this point it's either a settings issue or ... What else? All other software is working. Just for fun I threw a minecraft server on there to see if it would work. No issues. :-x

GRRR!!!!

Just to re-iterate. I can get to the character selection. After that, it tells me the server has stopped responding. What else could cause the hand-off to not occur?

Re-post your current config.

Here is my current config:

It just doesn't make any sense as straight forward as this is... 5th reinstall, different router, no security on this router or server now. Same thing... character select then no server respond.

If you're 100% that you don't want to use the public login server, you can:
- Remove the "loginserver1" entry
- Drop the numeric suffix on "loginserver2" (change to "loginserver")
- (legacy does not need to be enabled on a local login server - only the public one for now)

That won't resolve your current issue (or it shouldn't..)


If you're at character select, you've definitely transitioned from login to world server.

Do you have any messages in your zone log files (or any crash files?)

Are you sure that something hasn't re-hijacked ports again?

Ok. So making those changes to the login server killed the login. I'll post below the config but i'm not sure why it doesn't work now to even log in. Syntax looks correct.

I'll go ahead and revert back for now. There are no crash files. I'll post the most recent log file for zone.

I hadn't looked at these files before. There are no crashes though.

As for something else taking those ports, no. Not possible at this time. I still have this server and client on a router all to themselves. They are the only two devices on that network. That router was reset, and all security removed. Both firewall and even the network it's self is open. (i live in the middle of no where :) ).

Here is the fresh-off-the-press most recent attempt to enter the world with a lvl 1 char.

You are using your own local login server, right?

Post the config for that, if you are, please :D

Dropping the extra login shouldn't have killed that.

I posted it on the last post but here it is again. this config kills the login.

Oh, sorry..meant the login.ini file info :D

The only thing I've changed in this is the IP of course. Oh wait, i think i changed localhost to 127.0.0.1 per most other threads I've read. Although it should resolve to that anyway...

I'm pretty sure the xml (and now json) version correctly translates localhost.

I'm not 100% sure on the login.ini version..but, that should work in yours, regardless.


I always tell ppl to use this formatIf you're doing a vm or have other 'advanced' set up criteria, there may be reasons not to do it that way..but, you really want it listening to all network traffic and not just that address.

Ok. You're a genius. I'm not sure why, but that worked. Removing that last octet, for some reason, made the character select transition to a zone in to the world.

Now i'm clueless as to WHY that worked. If i'm directing it to the specific IP I would think that would be better than making an generalization.

I actually don't have any problem using a public login but I want to get things working first.

Anyway, Thanks for the help all!! If something stops working i'll be back (and probably for newb questions on customization too.)

Local network is more of a mask than a specific IP.

As an aside, you can always lock the server to where only certain accounts can login via the public login server. That way you can get everything set up before "going public" without wanting to run into traffic. Alternate login servers have been something people (self included) have struggled with for as long as I can remember.

Interesting. Are you talking about the setting that tells it to create accounts?

As far as the network thing goes, all security back up and back to the main router and it's still working today so that definitely was the fix. That being said, I did think it was weird that it specified "local network=". I just figured it wanted the IP address of the server. I didn't think it literally wanted the NETWORK without the host of the IP. LOL! I guess it was there in black and white.

But honestly, most people won't know that. Most of the people I deal with only know networking as "dude you got wifi?" and that's the extent of their knowledge. Perhaps a better label in the config?

Just my 2cp. Thanks again.