Page MenuHomeFeedback Tracker
Create Task
Maniphest T165139

Unable to join Dedicated Server inside the same LAN
Assigned, NormalPublic
Actions

Description

You are currently not able to play on servers you've hosted inside your LAN on some routers.
The server can't be joined with a local IP-address (server not found), and while you may see the server in the server browser, joining it gives you the blank loading screen.

This issue does not affect people joining outside your LAN.

Based on Arma Discord's #reforger_servers, the issue is quite common and causes a lot of confusion among server admins.

Details

Severity
Minor
Resolution
Open
Reproducibility
Always
Operating System
Windows 10 x64
Category
General
Steps To Reproduce
  1. Use a router similar to Asus RT-AC1200G+ that does not support hairpinning.
  2. Host a dedicated server (Take config from here and map gameHostRegisterBindAddress to be your public IP).
  3. Port forward correctly with the router.
  4. Observe how others can join your server but you can't.
Additional Information
  • Reproduced on Windows Server, Linux (Ubuntu Server), Windows 10 and Windows 11.
  • Steam or SteamCMD binary makes no difference.
  • If you route your public IP to the server's local IP you can get direct join to attempt joining, but it still fails.
  • Identical HW/SW setup works fine with Arma 3, 2 and previous.
  • Whether the DS is running on the same computer as the client or on a physically separate computer does not matter.

Event Timeline

barf added a subscriber: barf.May 21 2022, 8:52 AM

Hair pinning would be preferable from a security perspective

Just an FYI this feature in Arma 3 introduced a privacy risk because it disclosed RFC1918 address to public (who had no need to know this address)

Geez changed the task status from New to Assigned.May 23 2022, 1:50 PM
Mister_Pete added a comment.Jun 29 2022, 12:36 AM

I'm also facing this issue. My router does not expose any settings such as SNAT ip masquerading that would allow me to work around this.

I can either:
A) register the external ip in the reforger server settings in which case my local client can not connect but external clients can join.

or

B) not register the external ip in the reforger server settings in which case my client machine in the same LAN can join successfully but external clients can not join.

So obviously this is a big issue for anyone that would like to host a server and also play on it.

Raunhofer added a comment.EditedJul 20 2022, 9:17 PM

I just installed a new x86-based router with pfsense set. Surprisingly I still can't join the server, even after setting NAT reflection (hairpinning). Split DNS didn't help either.

  • The Reforger-server is joinable outside my network.
  • My other game servers are joinable inside my network (like Arma 3).
  • The server can be found from the server browser inside the LAN and direct connect finds the server (with a public IP) but fails to join.
  • I'm using LinuxGSM reforger-server. gameHostBindAddress is empty and gameHostRegisterBindAddress has the public IP set.

Some other reforger admins are running pfsense without this issue, so I'm a bit clueless what's going on.

My network setup is pretty much the simplest possible: A dedicated native Ubuntu Server machine with the Reforger server running and a gaming PC with Windows 10&11 <-> Dedicated PFSENSE machine <-> Internet.

Edit.
I just solved this issue for pfSense routers. You need to enable: "Enable NAT Reflection for 1:1 NAT" and "Enable automatic outbound NAT for Reflection". Your NAT reflection for the server must be Pure NAT.

© Bohemia Interactive a.s. Bohemia Interactive® is a registered trademark of Bohemia Interactive a.s. All rights reserved. · Privacy Policy · Terms and Conditions