Error: 'Failed to connect to lobby'

From FreeAllegiance Wiki
Revision as of 02:36, 22 May 2008 by Juckto (talk | contribs) (changing categories)
Jump to navigationJump to search

This KB article has been outdated by the most recent release of FreeAllegiance. If you are suffering from this problem please post in the helpline using the template

This error message is shown when the Allegiance server cannot talk with your computer. It is caused because the necessary ports are not open between your computer and the server, preventing the two from communicating properly.

Depending on your setup, the solution to this problem can be simple or complex.

Step 1. Your Computer

  • Make sure you have the latest Windows Updates from http://www.windowsupdate.com. Allegiance has problems on WindowsXP without SP1.
  • Make sure your Windows Firewall has Allegiance and ASGS listed as exceptions. They must get through the Windows Firewall.
  • If you have additional firewalls in use (ZoneAlarm, BlackIce, Norton Internet Security) make sure they allow Allegiance and ASGS through.

Step 2. Devices

  • Allegiance needs to be able to hear ports 2300-2400 in order to play
  • Routers and some Cable/DSL modems block these ports, and need to be configured to let them through
  • Allegiance sends out a signal on port 47624 first before listening to 2300-2400

You must ensure that all devices between your computer and the internet are sending ports 2300-2400 to your computer. If any device blocks these ports, you will be unable to play Allegiance.


Step 2a. Your Router

If your computer uses a dial-up connection to connect directly to the internet using a traditional telephone modem, there is no need to consider this step. Also, if you do not use a router to split your internet connection amongst multiple computers, you can also skip this step.

You will need to add either a Port Triggering rule or a Port Forwarding rule to your router to tell it to open ports 2300-2400 to the computer on which you wish to play Allegiance. Since there are thousands of makes and models of routers out there, it is practically impossible to list all of the steps here. However, here is a list of the basic steps you will need to perform. With the aid of the user manual that came with your Router, and Google, you should hopefully have few problems.

  1. Open your webbrowser
  2. In the address bar, type the address of your Router/Gateway. If you do not know the address of your router, click here to find it
  3. Press Enter
  4. Enter the required username and password expected by your router/gateway. If you have not configured one, it will be your router's default. Consult your router's documentation for details.
  5. Navigate to the page where you can add the Port Triggering or Port Forwarding rule
  6. Enter the rule
    • If your router/gateway doesn't let you add a rule to forward all 101 ports between 2300-2400, then add two rules to forward two ports 2300-2301. See this section on DXPort for more information.
    • Try to add a Port Triggering rule over a Port Forwarding rule. If you can only add a Forwarding rule, forward it to your computer's IP address. Click here to find your computer's IP address.
  7. Save the changes

That's it! Your router is set up! Try to log in now and see if it works!

If you've tried this and it's still giving you problems, there are a few other possibilities

  • Try toggling your router's uPNP setting. (If it's on, turn it off. If it's off, turn it on.)

Step 2b. Your Modem

If your computer uses a dial-up connection to connect directly to the internet using a traditional telephone modem, there is no need to consider this step.

Some cable and DSL modems are actually modem-router hybrids. That means they need to be set up like a router, and have the proper ports forwarded.

If your computer is directly connected to your modem, click here to find out how to get the IP address of your modem, and follow the steps above in 2a.

If your computer is connected to a router and the router is connected to the modem, you will have to look for the "Status" page of your router and read your router's "gateway" address. Your router's gateway is your modem's IP address. Use that address to follow the steps above in 2a.

Are you using Microsoft's "Internet Connection Sharing"?

If so, you may need to edit your ICS machine's .inf file to forward the necessary ports to your other machines. See this Microsoft KB article for details.

Step 3. Your Connection

If you are behind a corporate, college, or university network, there is a strong chance that the ports required by Allegiance are blocked. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about this except for pleading with your administrator to open the ports for you.

Still not working?

Most setups will run fine while ports 2300-2400 are forwarded/triggered to your computer. Unfortunately (and we don't really know why just yet) some computers don't. It's been discovered that forwarding port 80 to the computer solves the problem, and makes those few non-working setups magically work.

By all intents, port 80 is not needed as an incoming port, so shouldn't be required in any forwarding tables.... but for some strange reason, a small percentage of users run into problems when only ports 2300-2400 are forwarded. If you've ensured 2300-2400 are forwarded and are still receiving this error, try forwarding port 80 as well. You might be one of those few.

If you are having problems executing these instructions, or have already tried these suggestions and they did not work, create a new topic in the Helpline Forum post following the Posting Template located in the READ ME FIRST thread.