IMPORTANCE OF ALLOWING INCOMING CONNECTIONS TO SHAREAZA-LE: Many targets found on P2P networks operate from behind a firewall, which reject by default all incoming connections. Connecting with these targets requires ShareazaLE to send a push requests to the target s server, or ultrapeer, which are then forwarded on to them. When successful, the target computer will attempt to connect with your machine to provide a Host Browse or File Downloads. The only way push connections will succeed is if your computer is able to accept incoming connections, commonly referred to as being port forwarded or not firewalled. If neither computer can accept incoming connections, direct communication will not be possible. Due to the fact that nearly 50% of all P2P clients are firewalled, it is important to configure your machine to accept incoming connections. ALLOWING INCOMING CONNECTIONS There are several ways ShareazaLE can accept incoming connections. The easiest is to get a public IP directly from your ISP and then ensure nothing is blocking P2P traffic to your machine s ShareazaLE port. This can be done in several different ways: 1) Not using a router to share your Internet connection: This depends on how you connecting to your ISP, but usually means plugging your computer directly to your cable or DSL modem, or using a mobile provider card. If you are using a router or MiFi, or are tethering your mobile 3G/4G Internet connection, you will likely need to configure port forwarding. 2) Using a router to share your modem, but configuring the router to forward all traffic to your machine: This is also known as setting your machine as the virtual server, or DMZ machine. This may also be required in cases where your modem has a built-in router. The easiest way to determine this is to look at the back of your modem, and if it has multiple network plugs, it likely has a built-in router. 3) Using UPnP (Universal Plug and Play): If your router supports UPnP you could open in ShareazaLE: Tools-Shareaza Settings -Internet-Connection and check the Enable UPnP connection devices setup checkbox. Click Apply button and restart ShareazaLE. If it still firewalled, something may still be blocking the incoming connections or your router does not support UPnP. 4) Manually set-up port forwarding: Your router receives all incoming connections but you will need to configure the router so incoming connections to ShareazaLE s TCP and UDP ports are forwarded to your machine. This is the most common solution for ShareazaLE connection problems when using a router to share an Internet connection.
SETTING UP PORT PORWARDING Setting up port forwarding can be a very technical process. If you are using your organization s Internet connection, it may require assistance from your IT department. If not, you may still find it helpful to ask someone from your IT department to help set up port forwarding. The Internet site http://portforward.com can be helpful as it contains instructions for setting up port forwarding with many different types of routers. When you visit the home page, you will notice a selection box where you can choose your router s make and model. After making your selection, click the Search button to proceed to the application setup page. And then for the service you want to set up, find and select Shareaza from the page shown below: Follow the site instructions to set up your router. You don t need to download any software from the site, so cancel any such requests that may appear. Also, be sure not to download or select the Static IP Address options as these may conflict with your IT policies or ISP settings. The site may ask you to enter the port used by Shareaza and the private IP of your machine in order to show you screenshots of how to setup your router with the correct numbers. This step is safe to perform.
SHAREAZA-LE CONFIGURATION Upon startup, ShareazaLE will test whether it can receive external connections. If you see a message indicating ShareazaLE is firewalled, this document may help you identify and resolve the issue. Each time you make a change, you can re-test your connection by selecting the menu option Tools-Check Connection Status Some changes may require restarting ShareazaLE (like changing ports or enabling/disabling UPnP). General configuration settings: Open Tools-Shareaza Settings -Connection Ensure the Random port checkbox is unchecked. Select a port number above 1024 and below 65535. The default Shareaza port is 6346. Make sure this same port number is used when configuring port forwarding in your router. Confirm only one rule exists in the router s port forwarding list, and that the IP address receiving the traffic matches your computer s internal IP address. Running ipconfig from a command prompt will display your computer s internal IP address. You should also ensure the IP address is permanently, or statically assigned to your computer. Ensure Can accept incoming connections is set to Yes. Uncheck Ignore private/local IP addresses (useful in some conditions). After confirming that your router supports UPnP, check the Enable UPnP option. If this does not work, you may need to configure your router manually for port forwarding. If this is the case, make sure to uncheck the Enable UPnP connection device setup option.
TROUBLESHOOTING ISP restrictions: Problem: Your Internet service provider may be automatically blocking all incoming connections. ISPs usually do this as a security feature. Solution: Check in your ISP application to see if you can disable this feature, or configure ports to allow incoming connections. Using Parallels or other Virtual Machine (VM) software: Problem: Port forwarding may be configured properly in your router, but traffic is still being blocked from your VM. Solution: This is a common problem, as most VM environments internally use a software-based router to manage the Internet connection with their host machine. The following Gridcop post by Kevin West explains the situation where a Mac user has set up a Windows VM and is experiencing connection problems with ShareazaLE: Your windows machine is effectively now behind a Router called MAC. Your Mac is behind a router. Even though you have port forwarded to your Mac, your Mac via Parallels is issuing an IP to windows. In Parallels settings on the MAC side you need to port forward to the IP address Windows is getting. Another alternative is to set up windows as a bridged connection in the MAC Parallels settings. The other alternative is Boot straight into Windows - BOOTCAMP. Bypass all that Virtual mess. Multiple IP s in your machine: Problem: If your machine uses both a wireless (aircard or integrated wireless) and a wired connection, you could have multiple IP addresses assigned to your machine. In this case, ShareazaLE may be trying to use the wrong one: Solution: Check Tools-Shareaza Settings -Connection. If you have more than one IP, click the Address drop-down pictured above and select the one to use for accessing the Internet. If you are using more than one connection (wired and wireless), de-activate one of the links and select the active one. Also remember to update the Inbound Address if you switch cards again (usually happens when using wired at the office, but later, using a wireless card.
Still not getting downloads You have port forwarding set up correctly, but you can t get downloads from a specific IP. Use the following troubleshooting tips to identify and solve your problem: Issue: The target may not be online, or may be using software to block IP address, commonly referred to as blacklisting. Your ISP may also be a public organization or corporation that use products like PeerGuardian to preventively block incoming P2P traffic. Solution: You may try and residential Internet provider, like Comcast. Issue: Your target s IP address may have dynamically changed. Most IP addresses issued by residential ISPs are dynamic, meaning they can change with some frequency. From time to time, run an IP report in CPS to see if your target has a more current Associated IP. This is even more important when you submit a job for an IP that has numerous associated IP s which geolocate to the same area. If geolocation shows different countries, chances are the IP is a Tor exit node or other type of proxy connection. Solution: Ensure that you are submitting a job for the most current IP and check back frequently if the associated IP s suggest your target s ISP is very dynamic. Issue: http://ipchicken.com reports your IP address starts with: 1., 2., 5., 6., 14., 23., 27., 31., 36., 37., 39., 42., 46., 49., 50., 55., 197., 223.. These IP s blocks were previously reserved by IANA (the internet authority for assigning IP s). They have more recently re-assigned some of these blocks, but some old P2P clients still consider them reserved and discard any connection to addresses within those blocks. Solution: If you have one of these IP s, you won t be able to download from some firewalled clients. You may consider getting a different IP address, which may require you change ISPs (chances are the same ISP will always gave you an affected IP). SUPPORT If after troubleshooting you still have problems setting up allowing incoming connections, please send an email to LESupport@tlo.com to request assistance.