VC- ECHO Help

[cglobal]

Hello,

Before i start, i'd like to state that i have ZERO networking or programming knowledge, hence i know im in for a battle here, but with able support i know i can nail this. I seek to setup my echo to to "Talk" to VC. I have the tutorial ready to follow (http://voxcommando.com/forum/index.php?topic=2761.msg23626#msg23626) but a lot of it is greek and latin to me so help would be appreciated.

I pledge to donate to VC if i can get this squared away to show my appreciation.

First things first,

I need to find a free port on my computer, Kalle, was kind enough to help me with the following command:

netstat -an, i also ran netstat -aenos -p tcp.

I get the following:

Proto      Local Address     Foreign Address     State                                                     PID

TCP         x.x.x.x:xxx         x.x.x.x:xxxx         Established/Listening or Timewait            XXXX

How exactly do i establish which port is free, what state indicates a free port?

2) The second question i have involves a dynamic IP, how do i establish if i have a dedicated/static IP or a dynamic IP that keeps changing, because i believe we need a dedicated IP to make this work? Could you also point me to a potent tutorial to help change to a static IP if indeed my IP is dynamic? (Very Likely).

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[jitterjames]

I can't help you with netstat because I'm not familiar with it, but don't get too hung up on the port number. You can just pick a large uncommon number like 10913 and it will probably be fine.

Same goes for the IP. You probably have a dynamic IP but even if you do it probably only changes very infrequently. It would not be unusual to keep the same IP for a month. So first try to get up and running and just be aware that it may change later. If it suddenly stops working you can investigate the IP to see if it changed. Usually it makes more sense to use a service to get a domain name which points to your dynamic IP rather than getting an actual static IP. If you find that you like using Echo with VoxCommando and your IP is changing enough to be bothersome then you can investigate options for dynamic IP services. Sometimes you can get them for free. I get a free service with my Synology NAS. Or you can buy one. I use dyn.com.

[jitterjames]

I get the following:

Proto      Local Address     Foreign Address     State                                                     PID

TCP         x.x.x.x:xxx         x.x.x.x:xxxx         Established/Listening or Timewait            XXXX

How exactly do i establish which port is free, what state indicates a free port?

I assume you are getting a list with numbers instead of Xs. Just avoid all the ports which would be the numbers after the colon of either the local or foreign addresses.

[cglobal]

I can't help you with netstat because I'm not familiar with it, but don't get too hung up on the port number. You can just pick a large uncommon number like 10913 and it will probably be fine.

Same goes for the IP. You probably have a dynamic IP but even if you do it probably only changes very infrequently. It would not be unusual to keep the same IP for a month. So first try to get up and running and just be aware that it may change later. If it suddenly stops working you can investigate the IP to see if it changed. Usually it makes more sense to use a service to get a domain name which points to your dynamic IP rather than getting an actual static IP. If you find that you like using Echo with VoxCommando and your IP is changing enough to be bothersome then you can investigate options for dynamic IP services. Sometimes you can get them for free. I get a free service with my Synology NAS. Or you can buy one. I use dyn.com.

Thanks so much for the insightful response; ill try and figure out the best way to establish which port to go for.

As for static IP, my ISP is getting me one tomorrow for a very reasonable cost, so that is taken care off.

I assume you are getting a list with numbers instead of Xs. Just avoid all the ports which would be the numbers after the colon of either the local or foreign addresses.

Yes ive replaced the nos with XXXX for security reasons, gotcha on the ports!

Will try this out over weekend and report.

[cglobal]

I assume you are getting a list with numbers instead of Xs. Just avoid all the ports which would be the numbers after the colon of either the local or foreign addresses.

Hello i apologize but im having trouble here. Pardon my ignorance but almost all ports have nos after the colon.

Here are some examples:

Nos (for local and foreign addresses changed for security reasons)

1) Proto: TCP
Local Address: 88.0.0.2:12345
Foreign Address: CGLOBALPC :0
State:Listening

2) Proto: TCP
Local Address: 88.0.0.2:56789
Foreign Address: 88.0.0.1:55221
State:TIME_WAIT

2) Proto: TCP
Local Address: 88.0.0.2:31211
Foreign Address: a99-99-999-99:https
State:CLOSE_WAIT

And then theres just some UPD protocol readings such as:

UDP   0.0.0.0:979               X:X
UDP   0.0.0.0:547               X:X
UDP   0.0.0.0:94789            X:X

I read a few articles too so i did try but i cant seem to guarantee which port is free for sure or cant see to make a safe choice due to lacking knowledge, any help would be highly appreciated.

[jitterjames]

The number after the colon is the port. So you can use almost any port you want but make sure you don't use one of the ones shown by netstat because those are already being used.

So for example, don't use port 12345 or port 56789, or port 55221, or port 31211 etc.

[cglobal]

The number after the colon is the port. So you can use almost any port you want but make sure you don't use one of the ones shown by netstat because those are already being used.

So for example, don't use port 12345 or port 56789, or port 55221, or port 31211 etc.

OK i am now clear on not to use ports shown by netstat, which one should i then use because i dont know how to check on ports that are free or ports besides the one the netstat command or netstat command with its various prefixes lists.

SO for e.g. do you mean if the ports listed by using the netstat command are:

88.0.0.2:1xxxx
88.0.0.2:2xxxx
88.0.0.2:3xxxx
88.0.0.2:4xxxx
88.0.0.2:5xxxx
AND a 100 more...

Can i use any random number of my choosing as long as it doesn't show up on the netstat list? Is there a numeric limit? SO what if i use something like 897789?

My confusion stems from the conception that the ports are already defined and one needs to be chosen from a defined list, if indeed the fact is that i could just use any number that pops in my head that isn't listed with netstat, that would clear my confusion (again, my apologies, this is the absolute first time i am networking).

Thanks in advance.

[jitterjames]

You can just pick a large uncommon number like 10913 and it will probably be fine.

Yes you can use any number as long as it is not already being used by something else. I don't know what the maximum value is but you can google it.

[cglobal]

Yes you can use any number as long as it is not already being used by something else. I don't know what the maximum value is but you can google it.

Thank you!

[cglobal]

OK i am now stuck on the port forwarding part:

Service Name: I've entered: VoxCommando
External port range: TCP/UDP
Please specify ports and port ranges split by commas, example: 30, 50 - 60, 65500 - 65510
Use the same port range for Internal port: _________________Would this be the free port i chose to use on my computer?


Internal IP address: For this one it says: XXX.XXX.X._____ So for the last empty box should i again fill in the same unused port i enter above?

Once i am able to understand this, ill then go to the next step, thanks in advance.

[Dave]

Use the same port range for Internal port: _________________Would this be the free port i chose to use on my computer?

Yes!

Internal IP address: For this one it says: XXX.XXX.X._____ So for the last empty box should i again fill in the same unused port i enter above?

No, this should be the internal IP address of the computer running VC. You can find it by going to the command prompt of your computer and entering "ipconfig".

[cglobal]

Yes!
No, this should be the internal IP address of the computer running VC. You can find it by going to the command prompt of your computer and entering "ipconfig".

Thanks so much for the response Dave.

Ok let me try that out and report back asap.

[cglobal]

Ok, i got port forwarding and the TCP plugin setup. I believe i did, since i launched the browser after entering port and checking enable for simple web server and it took me to the Vox Commando mini web server screen.

Now to check from an outside computer or say my cell connected to 4G and not my network, what address should i test with?

The address that opens up as the mini web server? http://XXX.X.X.X:XXXXX/html/index.html?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: JUST TO CONFIRM: I've left "Defaults for Send Single" as they are (In the TCP Plugin), since i do not know if they are to be changed.

Defaults for Send Single:
IP: 0.0.0.0
Port: 12345

EDIT 2:

If the address i need to access is my static ISP Public IP address:port, So: xxx:xxx.xxx.xxx:XXXXX, it isnt accessible through my 4G, nor is it accessible through the same network on my computer where VC is installed for some reason, , not sure what i am doing wrong.

EDIT 3:

I investigated further by going to this site: http://www.ipfingerprints.com/portscan.php and i got the following results:

Host is up.

PORT      STATE    SERVICE

XXXXX/tcp filtered unknown

filtered:
A port is marked as "filtered" when the packets are sent to that port, however packet filtering (e.g., firewall) prevents the packets from reaching that port.

How do i get around the filtering issue?

[jitterjames]

I believe i did, since i launched the browser after entering port and checking enable for simple web server and it took me to the Vox Commando mini web server screen.

That does not mean that port forwarding is set up correctly, only that the simple web server is running.  When you are accessing a service within your local area network (LAN) no port forwarding is needed.  Forwarding is the act of taking a request that comes from the internet (WAN) and forwarding the request to a specific machine and port on your LAN.

You should not really need to do anything special to set up port forwarding though.  Just enable the UPnP port forwarding option in the TCP plugin settings, save settings, and restart VoxCommando.  In most cases this will work, unless the feature that allows this has been disabled on your router for some reason.

Now to check from an outside computer or say my cell connected to 4G and not my network, what address should i test with?

The address that opens up as the mini web server? http://XXX.X.X.X:XXXXX/html/index.html?

You should use the WAN address of your router and the port number that you've selected.  So assuming that you've chosen to use port # 12546 and the WAN address is 203.192.229.110 then test with the following:
http://203.192.229.110:12546/html/index.html

Note that you must test from a machine that is outside your network.  There is no point trying to test this address from another machine that is on your LAN.  If you like you can send me a private message with all your settings and I can test it for you.

EDIT: JUST TO CONFIRM: I've left "Defaults for Send Single" as they are (In the TCP Plugin), since i do not know if they are to be changed.

Those settings are not important.  They have nothing to do with the simple web sever.

I investigated further by going to this site: http://www.ipfingerprints.com/portscan.php and i got the following results:

Host is up.

PORT      STATE    SERVICE

XXXXX/tcp filtered unknown

filtered:
A port is marked as "filtered" when the packets are sent to that port, however packet filtering (e.g., firewall) prevents the packets from reaching that port.

How do i get around the filtering issue?

That doesn't necessarily mean much.  It could be that you have simply set it up incorrectly or are trying to access the wrong address or port.  However, if you think that everything was set up correctly and that your Windows firewall might be interfering then the best way to rule out that possibility is to temporarily disable your Windows firewall completely and test again.

[cglobal]

I just PMd you, thanks.