login server code

[LeftRoad]

After seeing another post about someone wanting the login server code (that didn't search the boards first) I thought I'd bump this with a twist...

I have successfully connected an external user using minilogin over VPN (OpenVPN.net). Not sure how many can successfully connect this way but I did find some strange things by doing this.

1. If you have routers on both sides make sure you change your IP schema on the server side (to make life easier on others). You don't want both routers having 192.168.1.1, it won't work. Change the third octet to 192.168.2.1 or something.

2. Need to have a separate computer on the server LAN set up as a bridge server to host communications properly. I tried playing on the same machine I was using to bridge and it confused things. XP does bridging really easy. I have been trying to configure a Linux machine and have all the bridging setup but haven't had a chance to test it yet.

3. DSL, something they do causes my brother's connection to the server to drop (LD) after being in anywhere from immediately to about 20 min. Most of the time it dropped right away. I've had problems with users having DSL at home trying to connect with a mainframe app at work. As near as I could figure there was some inherent DSL firewall causing the problems, but only resolved it in one case. The user contacted their ISP and was given a shortcut workaround to allow them to connect. Still haven't confirmed or corrected this.

4. A second user had broadband (Road Runner, which we are on) and he connected fine. Played for over 2 hours with no issues. So that was 2 internal LAN users and one VPN client.

There is hope and this is a viable alternative to getting the minilogin code (which won't happen). The instructions for OpenVPN are pretty good but Linux took some serious digging before I was successful getting the thing running (still not tested though). Having the code would be easier but then everyone that knew about your server would try getting in. If you just want to play with a handful of friends around the world then a secure VPN will let them do that, then only they will be able to get in.