College Networking Challenge

Kai Beginner Joined: 09 Jan 2008 Posts: 7

My friends and I would like to play Halo3 on our campus network, but we can't simply system link through our LAN. The reason why we can't system link is because each building on our campus is separated by VPNs. In addition to this problem, we are not allowed to use routers in our rooms or our network services will be terminated.

I have access to an Ethernet port that is on the campus DMZ and an extra computer, but I'm not sure if it will be helpful.

I would like to find out if there is a way and how to use Xlink Kai to get around the VPNs, and restore LAN gaming to my campus.

Team XLink Administrator Joined: 04 Jun 2004 Posts: 4371

if theirs a port open on the campus firewall that they would let you use, i see no reason why it wouldn't work ..

try loading kai , clicking on the globe at the top left , than click the magnifying glass , what does network reachable say ?

if you can't use a router can you use a switch ? .. you could use the router as a switch by just plugging the internet into one of the LAN ports instead of the WAN ..

Kai Beginner Joined: 09 Jan 2008 Posts: 7

No switches are permitted either. We used to use routers as a switches, but when a friend of mine got busted for it, we stopped.

If i set up a computer on the DMZ with Xlink Kai, would we be able to connect through it?

Kai Enthusiast Joined: 04 Sep 2006 Posts: 207

Would a hub work? Confused

Kai Beginner Joined: 09 Jan 2008 Posts: 7

Not everyone has hubs, but aren't hubs just a switch?

Team XLink Administrator Joined: 11 Nov 2004 Posts: 5024

The Xbox has to be on the same VLAN as the computer that is running Kai. So you'll need one Kai computer per VLAN. You can either plug the Xbox directly into the dorm network, or get a 2nd network card for the computer and use a crossover cable to connect it directly. This wouldn't be the same as hooking it up on a router/switch, so you'd be safe from the campus LAN police.

Kai Lover Joined: 14 Aug 2007 Posts: 799

ChangeReaction wrote:

Not everyone has hubs, but aren't hubs just a switch?

The Hub and Switch are Somewhat Different read my Definitions as follows

Hub:A hub is typically the least expensive, least intelligent, and least complicated of the two. Its job is very simple: anything that comes in one port is sent out to the others. That's it. Every computer connected to the hub "sees" everything that every other computer on the hub sees. The hub itself is blissfully ignorant of the data being transmitted. For years, simple hubs have been quick and easy ways to connect computers in small networks.

Switch:A switch does essentially what a hub does but more efficiently. By paying attention to the traffic that comes across it, it can "learn" where particular addresses are. For example, if it sees traffic from machine A coming in on port 2, it now knows that machine A is connected to that port and that traffic to machine A needs to only be sent to that port and not any of the others. The net result of using a switch over a hub is that most of the network traffic only goes where it needs to rather than to every port. On busy networks this can make the network significantly faster.

As you see there are Some Differences

Kai Beginner Joined: 09 Jan 2008 Posts: 7

Thanks

Team XLink Clan Manager Joined: 03 Aug 2006 Posts: 1595

(-TU-)Corndog wrote:

ChangeReaction wrote:

Not everyone has hubs, but aren't hubs just a switch?

The Hub and Switch are Somewhat Different read my Definitions as follows

Hub:A hub is typically the least expensive, least intelligent, and least complicated of the two. Its job is very simple: anything that comes in one port is sent out to the others. That's it. Every computer connected to the hub "sees" everything that every other computer on the hub sees. The hub itself is blissfully ignorant of the data being transmitted. For years, simple hubs have been quick and easy ways to connect computers in small networks.

Switch:A switch does essentially what a hub does but more efficiently. By paying attention to the traffic that comes across it, it can "learn" where particular addresses are. For example, if it sees traffic from machine A coming in on port 2, it now knows that machine A is connected to that port and that traffic to machine A needs to only be sent to that port and not any of the others. The net result of using a switch over a hub is that most of the network traffic only goes where it needs to rather than to every port. On busy networks this can make the network significantly faster.

As you see there are Some Differences

Didn't they teach you to cite your sources in school? Poor Leo! Laughing

Source: http://ask-leo.com/whats_the_difference_between_a_hub_a_switch_and_a_router.html

Kai Beginner Joined: 09 Jan 2008 Posts: 7

blah... I get Network Reachable: not yet

Since I'm on a college network, I don't think I can do much about firewalls or port forwarding. Is their anything I can try to get connected?

Team XLink Administrator Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 1702

"Network Reachable: not yet" status usually changes to "Yes" once you go into arena mode and it should be fine. Unless Kai gives you an error where it says you need to port forward... just leave the kai port at 0. If you feel inclined to port forward anyway for some reason ask your college's Network Admins to port forward port 30000(or use an already open port) to your computers ip(if allowed, make the ip static).

Kai Beginner Joined: 09 Jan 2008 Posts: 7

yep, that fixed it

thanks

Kai Beginner Joined: 09 Jan 2008 Posts: 7

Arg... I hate my campus network

So it looked like it was going to work for a little, but it didn't. Now, every once in a while when I load Kai the UI disappears. I saw that it means that I need to do port forwarding, but when the UI doesn't disappear it reaches the network without any problems. Trouble is, even when it says that the network is reachable, I can't seem to connect to my friend through Messenger mode.

Any thoughts on this weirdness?