gaming in aberystwyth uni halls

Written and researched by Sam O'Hara. Thanks to Liam Edwards for use of his Xbox.

Gaming in Aberystwyth Uni Halls

With so many of you seemingly worried about how to get your gaming device online and playing games

on the dastardly Aberystwyth University firewall, I will walk you through what it is you need to do step by

step for each of the major platforms. If you have any issues with the tutorial, let me know via email at

[email protected].

A) i)Please take note of the following:

Port - a bridge that either allows or stops the connection to a certain aspect of any network. Ports can

come in two forms: Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). Each of

these are used for different functions, but each are important to their relevant port. The act of fully

opening up a port is called Port-Forwarding. Ports can controlled by the network administrator to allow

however much data that is being transferred over any port as they wish.

An example, Port 80 is used for the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (or HTTP), which allows you access the

internet in web browsers for you to search the web. It does also allow the use of Peer-to-Peer (or P2P)

connections, which are generally associated with file sharing applications through torrenting, such as

BitTorrent, uTorrent and Limewire.

While HTTP is enabled after you have registered your MAC address, the Port prohibits use of file

sharing, and therefore torrents will NOT work on the Aberystwyth University network. Trying to bypass

this protocol either by a proxy or any other means will most likely get you in trouble with the IT guys,

and could lead to your connection being cut off, meaning no online at all. A full run down of ports which

are and are not allowed on the network can be found at the following link: University Firewall FAQs

Wii - To clarify, because of the need for all UDP ports to be open to allow access to the Nintendo

servers, the Wii unfortunately is NOT playable online. This will be explained a bit later.

LAN on the University Network - As your block in halls will be sharing the same IP address, we

understand that it is possible to play games over a LAN with other people in your block. I have no way of

testing this, but theoretically, it should be possible.

The IP address though is only shared with those on your floor though, so connecting to someone from

the block across or underneath you will not work because they will be assigned under a different IP

address, and you must be on the same IP for LAN play to be possible.

MAC Address Spoofing - For those with PC's that will be wanting to play on more than one gaming

platform (such as Steam, Origin/EA servers, Games for Windows and the Blizzard network), you may be

able to spoof your MAC address even with one network card. While it is not permitted on the university

network, it is possible to do so.

However, unless you are sure of how to do it, I would not recommend spoofing your MAC address. The

network firewall has just enough space for Steam's default ports with Starcraft 2, but not Steam and

World of Warcraft, so it's worth checking out and playing around with and mixing and matching ports for

the games you play most.

If you absolutely must have the extra port available though, then there are tutorials online. I will not be

offering a tutorial.

http://www.inf.aber.ac.uk/advisory/faq/983


ii) What you will come up against

There are a few things that you need to be aware of when looking to add port forwarding to your firewall:

If you are trying to obtain multiple IPs through any of the consoles/PC, which including looking

for certain servers through a browser (like Steam does for Valve games, or EA does for

Battlefield Bad Company 2), the network is not sophisticated enough to realise it's safe and will

think it's being attacked. When this happens, your connection will be blocked completely from

the network to the relevant MAC address for 30 minutes. You will have access again after those

minutes are up.

Your console will have a option showing you the MAC address in the system information. Once

able to connect direct to the network, you will be able to register up to 6 different MAC

addresses to the network. Your console's MAC address will need to be registered for it to allow

port forwarding to take place. Your network disk when you arrive will show you the page for

registering MAC addresses.

The firewall allows for the use of 20 'holes' in your network firewall. You are allowed either a

single port through one hole, or a combination of ten continuous ports for two holes (E.g. Ports

1-10). These will be more than enough for connectivity to the Xbox 360's and PS3's respective

online networks.

The firewall is only reset at about 8:25am every weekday morning. If you want a certain game

(mainly PC) available on the network for the weekend, it has to be done before 8:25am Friday

morning. It will then reset any changes made over the weekend on Monday morning.

The following link will allow you to add ports to the firewall is the following: Aber Firewall Login

After logging in, you will see a screen that shows your registered MAC addresses. Click on the

relevant MAC address, and you will be taken to a screen that looks a bit like this (minus the ports

open in the picture):

To add a port to be forwarded, simply pick the correct protocol, add the port number, and note

what it's for. After that, it will be ready to be unlocked.

https://firewall.aber.ac.uk/login.php


B) HOW TO CONNECT YOUR XBOX 360 TO THE NETWORK

PLEASE NOTE: The Xbox will not connect directly to the network via the Ethernet port. You must set

up a wireless ad-hoc network (or wired via an ethernet cable with two Wi-fi adaptors) with your laptop

that the Xbox will connect to. In order for you to do this, you will need a laptop or PC with a wi-fi

adaptor to broadcast the network. In order to set this up, you must do the following to your computer:

i) Setting up and AD-HOC network from your connection:

1. Open the control panel, and click on Network & Internet, and then on the Network and Sharing

Centre. It should look like this:

2. Click on 'Set up a new connection or network'. It should bring up a menu of options. From here, click

on 'Set up a wireless ad-hoc network':


3. Continue through the menus until you come to the set-up screen. Give it a name, and set it to be saved.

I would recommend keeping the authentication open to allow for the easiest access, but feel free to use

WPA2 and a password if you wish. Then click next:

The ad-hoc network should now be set up for when you want to connect your 360. It should be available

in the network button in the tool tray at the bottom right of the screen:

But to be able to use the internet and allow for access to Xbox Live, you must first enable ICS (Internet

Connection Sharing), register your 360's MAC address to the university network, and open the ports

needed for Xbox Live to play.

To enable ICS, with the connection you are using for the network:

1) Open up the 'Network and Sharing Centre' from the control panel, and click on 'Change Adaptor

Settings'.


2) With the connection to the university network, right click on it and click 'Properties' (you may have to

run it through a user with admin access to see it).

3) From the Properties, click on the 'Sharing' tab, and tick the top box to enable ICS. I would recommend

unticking the second box to ensure you have control over the ICS.


ICS should now be enabled! Now, you must configue your Xbox 360 to allow play on the network.

ii)Finding your Xbox 360's MAC address

1. On your Xbox Dashboard, click on 'System Settings', and then 'Network Settings'. It should then

should you a list of available connections. If you have set your computer up right to allow an ad-hoc

network, you will see an option of the network you have set up.


2. Click on the correct connection, and you should have some configure and testing options. Click

'Configure Network', and go to the 'Additional Settings' tab.


3. From the additional settings tab, Go to 'Advanced Settings'. From here, it will show you the MAC

default.

4. Once you have your MAC address, you need to register it to the university network. You can do so

through this link: LINK

5. Connect to the network on your 360 set-up through your laptop!

http://www.inf.aber.ac.uk/advisory/faq/993


iii) Please note that if you haven't already arrived at the university, the link above may not work until

connected to the network in your halls of residence. I have been able to log onto it though off premises,

so you may be able to do it from home before making the journey, using your home internet connections

on your 360.

Once registered to the server, you must unlock the ports needed for Live. For this, go to the following

link: Aber Firewall Login

Then, on the MAC address of your 360, you must unlock the following ports:

UDP: 88

UDP & TCP: 3074, 53, 1863(For use of Video Kinect)

NOTE: Because Live uses port 80, it is advised to use the auto-connect feature on games that have it

available. Trying to connect to a specific server will likely cause a 30 minute network block. Joining other

friends or playing through previous/other players profiles is an alternative.

https://firewall.aber.ac.uk/login.php


C) HOW TO CONNECT YOUR PLAYSTATION 3 TO THE

NETWORK

PLEASE NOTE: The university has a global ban on port 80, the main port that allows connections to

P2P networks and is the primary port for online gaming on the Playstation 3. This means that you will be

unlikely to be able to play your games online. I have not tested games that allow for dedicated servers,

such as MAG (Massive Action Game), but I believe you will have the same results. You will also need a

second network card on your PC/laptop to allow the connection from your PS3 to the university

network. I understand it will connect via a wireless set up, like Live, which will be explained later.

i) FOR DOUBLE WIRED CONNECTION

The set up would need to look something like this:

You would also need to ensure that the MAC addresses for both network cards are registered for this to

work.

ii) Finding your MAC address -

1. Go to the 'Settings' tab, and then 'System Settings'.


2. Scroll Down and press 'System Information'.

3. From there, it should give you the system information, including the console's MAC address. Take that

information and add it to the registration for MAC addresses. It should now be certified by the network.

Once your MAC address is registered to the network, you must open the following ports for the PS3 to

connect to the network:

TCP: 80 (this stops online play), 443 & 5223

UDP: 3478 & 3479


iii) Logging in

1. Go to your Setting Tab, and scroll to the 'Network Settings'.

2. Go to the 'Internet Connection Settings', and select the setting method 'Custom'.

3. Click for a 'Wired Connection', and 'Manual Settings', and 'Auto-Detect' for Speed and Duplex.


4. For IP Address Setting, choose 'PPPoE'. This is because the network needs to verify that it's your user

acoount (and therefore the MAC address registered to you) that the console is trying to play through.

When prompted, you must enter your Aber Uni username and Password.

5. Choose 'Automatic' for DNS setting & MTU, 'Do Not Use' for Proxy Server, and 'Enable' for UPnP.


6. You will be taken to a summary screen and asked to test the connection. If everything has been done

correctly, you should get a connection to the Playstation.

iv) I have not tested this set up. If preparations are correct, and it does not, work, go through with

automatic settings after it finds the wired connection from an auto-detect (in step 3).

I understand you can also set up the same set-up as for Xbox Live through your wireless, but I tried this

last year and had no fortune with it. For setting up the wireless connection, follow step i) in section B) of

this tutorial, and then in the network options, click 'Wireless' instead of 'Wired' for the connection type,

and scan from you Playstation to find your Ad-hoc network set up through your computer.

Remember! You are unable to play online through your Playstation however, but you will be able to

update games, and browse the Playstation Network as usual. You may also have access to features with

dedicated servers (such as Playstation Home), but I cannot guarantee this.


D) HOW TO CONNECT YOUR PC FOR ONLINE GAMING

i) Steam

Set up your firewall settings with this port hole configuration:

It needs a minimum of 16 ports to work, as seen above. For games that are not powered by Steam, you

may need additional ports to allow for those games to work online through Steam (as shown for Call of

Duty: Black Ops in the above picture).

Please note that bringing up a server browser in any Valve online games (such as Counter Strike and Day

of Defeat) will cause your connection to be locked out for 30 minutes. You can also only join servers

within the default Steam ports (I could only connect to between 27015 and 27035). If you wish to find

servers to play on, I suggest using Gametracker.com to find games. To connect, simply copy the IP for

that particular server, and use the following command in the console (bought up with the ` key, next to 1

on the keyboard): connect [Replace with IP address]

ii) Starcraft 2

To allow for online play of Starcraft 2, the following ports must be unlocked:

TCP & UDP: 6112

When bringing up the launcher, any attempts to update will result in a 30 minute network block UNLESS

you make sure that the launcher does not update via P2P. After doing this, the game will update fine, and

allow online play. This can be done by clicking the preferences/option button in the launcher and disable

the Peer to peer option in the network menu.

http://www.gametracker.com/


iii)World of Warcraft

To allow for online play of World of Warcraft, the following ports must be unlocked:

TCP - 3724, 6112, 6113, 6114, and 4000

When bringing up the launcher, any attempts to update will result in a 30 minute network block UNLESS

you make sure that the launcher does not update via P2P. After doing this, the game will update fine, and

allow online play. This can be done by clicking the preferences/option button in the launcher and disable

the Peer to peer option in the network menu.

Ports for other Blizzard games can be found on Blizzard's Support Page. The set up is the same as the

two above.

iv) Battlefield Bad Company 2

This is slightly more tricky to allow for play. You cannot play this through Steam, as it requires too many

ports. A work around is getting your product key, downloading the Bad Company 2 client, and registering

your product key there. You must make sure that the ports for the servers you are wanting to play on are

open in order to not only show the option in the browser (which unlike other games, will not crash your

net connection), but play on them too. The ports forwarded in section A) ii) of this document allows for

a decent selection of servers and I can confirm does work.

Please be aware however that there are many people who have been unable to get the game working on

the network. If the configuration shown does not work, then experimenting with other ports, or using

Gametracker.com may help find some that do work.

Also, the list of ports needed for Battlefield 3 are not yet available at the time of writing this document.

Others:

Call of Duty: Black Ops - TCP & UDP: 3074

Defence of the Ancients - TCP: 6112

League of Legends - Not playable on the University network: [LINK - too many ports needed]

Heroes of Newerth - TBC (Not playable) - [SEE LINK]

Guild Wars - None!

List of ports needed for other games - LINK

And that should be that!

If you would like to know anything else about the network or setting up gaming, what other games are

playable on the network, or would like to request help to set up your 360/PS3/PC after the tutorial was

no good, please message me via Facebook, Twitter (@Spudeh), or via email on [email protected].

Happy Gaming and we hope to see you at freshers fayre!

http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?locale=en_US&articleId=21109

http://www.gametracker.com/

http://support.leagueoflegends.com/entries/20133372-port-forwarding-for-league-of-legends

http://findports.com/document.php?tag=heroes-of-newerth

http://portforward.com/cports.htm

gaming in aberystwyth uni halls

Documents

aber firewall login

relevant mac address

mac addresses

sfo aber

mac address 1

mac address

ip address

system settings