Help for those of you with connectivity issues.

Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2004 8:07 pm

OK, this is a basic draft post designed to help people with configuration issues - its a work in progress, and any input / feedback from you guys would be welcome.

Configuring XBMC for XLink Kai

Assumptions about the hardware setup

Your internet connectivity is provided through a direct connection to your DSL Modem/Router. Both your PC and your XBOX are connected to the DSL Modem/Router.

Your DSL Modem/Router has NAT enabled, firewall disabled (NAT is acting as your firewall).

Assumptions about the software setup

You have built XBMC 18th November 2004 CVS or newer.

NOTE: I strongly recommend you build the November 25th CVS as it contains additional connectivity checks that may help you diagnose configuration issues (see post below).

No software firewalls or network filtering software like ProtoWall.

Configuring your kit

1. Configure your DSL Modem to port forward UDP 30000 to your PC.

2. Install XLink Kai engine and use it's configuration tool to use port 30000, select the Dashboard profile, ensure the engine can be connected to by any IP and will never shutdown.

3. Assign your XBOX a static IP within the same subnet i.e. if your router is 192.168.1.1, and your PC is 192.168.1.2 then assign your XBOX 192.168.1.3. Both your PC and XBOX should then use 192.168.1.1 for Gateway and DNS settings, the subnet mask should be 255.255.255.0.

4. Use XLink Kai Win32 client Diagnostics Mode to check that you're reachable. If you're not then you've got network configuration issues, and should look for help in the main XLink forum.

5. When you load XBMC, you should see the RSS Feed appear on the mainscreen, or if you look at My Weather your should see the weather forecast for the next five days. If either doesn't work, you've got basic Internet connectivity issues; check the settings above.

6. Ensure XBMC's Kai settings contain both your xtag, password, and game directory. Restart XBMC, ensure they've taken hold.

7. Go to XBMC's Kai page within My Programs. If all is well you should see a button that'll toggle you between Friends, Games, and Arenas. If not you'll get a dialog, ensure XLink engine is started (if no XLink systray icon is present then its not started). If the engine is started and you still get can't connect, then you've got engine connectivity issues. Ensure XBMC settings show your XBOX in the same subnet, try and ping XBMC from your PC, and check that XLink engine settings are configured to use the Dashboard profile.

8. Within the arena, you're able to join games and host games. To host games you must click on the host button. You will remain hosting as long as you don't change arenas. Once you're hosting, click Play to start up the game you wish to host, go to the multiplayer/syslink menu and create a game. Hang around for a while and if the game is popular you'll start to see players join.

To join games, simply go to an arena in which there are people hosting (a house icon will appear along side the player name); click Play to start up the associated game (assuming you have it and XLink has added it to their list, if not XBMC prompts you for the game disc - at this point you can use *any* means to start the game). Once the game has loaded go into the multiplayer/syslink menu and search for games.

If you have problems at this point, there is a connectivity issue between the engine and your XBOX; XBMC has told the engine which arena you're in and whether you're hosting or not - XBMC assumes no further responsibilities in helping you 'see' games i.e. its all the job of the Kai engine for here on.

Troubleshooting

Other things you can do to when investigating :

* Restart your DSL Modem/Router - some DSL/router combo products act weirdly after heavy downloading or continous up-time.
* Disable all software firewalls including WinXP SP2 firewall and uninstall software like Protowall (once you get stuff working, gradually enable them and work out what it was that caused the connectivity problem.)

Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 10:53 pm

In the latest CVS I've just added a feature to help with diagnosing network issues :

Basically every 15 secs, XBMC will get network metrics to determine whether you're reachable over the network. Once you're 'reachability' is confirmed you'll get an on-screen popup msg that tells you the name of the orbital server that you're connected to.

If by the time you've launched a game/hit play you haven't been confirmed as reachable you'll be warned, although it won't prevent you from launching into a game.

Note: inherently reachability can only be accurately be determined when you're in 'proximity' of other players. So for the check to PASS either one of you're contacts/friends needs to be online, or you need to be in an arena with at least another player.

If there is enough demand, I will add some extra code so that XBMC remembers whether you we're reachable last time and forgos the reachability check until you re-enable it. But for now reachability checks will stay in as an experiment.

Team XLink Administrator Joined: 04 Jun 2004 Posts: 4371

go to www.teamxlink.co.uk .. in the download section theirs an XBMC setup guide.