DCC Chat setup and a router/proxy

Abstract

Once I installed a Linksys Router, I was no longer able to DCC Chat or DCC Send out of my PC on my new LAN. My software is Mirc 5.91. My router/proxy is a Linksys BEFW11S4 - EtherFast Wireless AP + Cable/DSL Router w/ 4-Port Switch. Firmware Revision is 1.37.9b, Jun 21 2001 I have DHCP set up, but it is best if you do not use DHCP.

NOTE: I highly recommend installing a firewall such as Zone Alarm. This should be a mandatory part of your network security. In addition, you should have AntiVirus software installed.

Limits

Your IRC software may not have options to set the DCC port range (for instance, Pirch doesn't). Your router may or may not support the port forwarding. This setup only supports 1 computer, however it is possible to set up ranges for each and every computer in your network.

Setup

The Mirc configuration

First, you must define the range of ports that DCC would use. The more ports defined, the more simultaneous DCC's you'll be able to do. Here is the Mirc options screen in question.

You must set the "First" and "Last" to the ports that you want to enable. The Linksys manual recommends 1024 - 1024, however, the above example appears to work.

The Linksys Configuration

You must use the "Forward" option to forward your packets for the aforementioned TCP ports to the designated machine. In this example, the machine is 192.168.1.101.

Forward ports 1024 to 1030 to the appropriate machine (in this case 192.168.1.101). Once you make this change, the Linksys router will disconnect. Once you reconnect, you should have (in this example) 7 DCC connections available to you.

Last Update: October 19, 2006