I have setup my server and clients. My server is running on a CentOS Linux server running in a datacenter. My clients are at my home and work. I don't want to relay traffic through my server, I only want to use it to punch firewall holes using NAT traversal. My bandwidth is expensive at the datacenter which is why I only want to use the server for NAT traversal.

1) How can I determine what method one client is using to communicate with another client? (UDP, TCP or Relay).

2) How can I prevent clients from communicating with each other using the relay method?

Hi gene_wood,

See the comments below:

1) How can I determine what method one client is using to communicate with another client? (UDP, TCP or Relay).

You can specify the connection type from "Connection Options". To determine the final status, you may want to use tcpview to monitor it or check log file.

2) How can I prevent clients from communicating with each other using the relay method?

No, you cannot. If it fails to create P2P, it will finally fall back to relay.

Thanks,
KevinZ - NeoRouter team

Kevin, the connection type in "Connection Options" only allows the user to indicate the method of connection that they prefer, not the type of connection that is currently established and being used between two peers right?

How can I determine what method two peers are using to communicate with each other?

When you say to check the log file, do you mean on the server or on the client?

What should I look for in the log file to determine the method that's being employed to communicate between two peers?

Tell me more about how you would use tcpview to determine the communication method between two peers. I've downloaded installed and run tcpview. I've launched a browser and browsed to a web server running on another peer. When I do so, tcpview shows chrome initiating a connection to the peers NeoRoute internal network IP address.

Hi gene_wood,

1. You are right, user can choose prefered connection type, but it depends on the actual network status if the computers can create P2P connection.

2. Choose the connection type in this order :
fast -> UDP P2P >> TCP P2P >> Relay -> slow

3.From the log file, you can see messages some like "P2P Created Successfully"

4.From tcpview, if no peers created P2P, you will see
NRService.exe:4488 TCP 127.0.0.1:32975 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING
NRService.exe:4488 TCP 127.0.0.1:32975 127.0.0.1:3491 ESTABLISHED
NRService.exe:4488 TCP 172.16.13.202:2470 206.xxx.xx.x:443 ESTABLISHED

By default, nrservice is listening at 32975 for UI or CLI and will create a local tcp connection to it. It also creates a connection to the server. Besides those connections, if your computers can create P2P with others, you will see more UDP or TCP connections.

Thanks,
KevinZ - NeoRouter team

3. So, should I take from this that if I see no occurrences of the string "P2P created successful" that my client is stuck in relay mode?

4. What should I expect to see in TPCView if I do have P2P connections?

3. if you didn't see the message, it falls to relay mode

4. see one of my PCs


NRService.exe:3360 TCP 127.0.0.1:32975 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING
NRService.exe:3360 TCP 127.0.0.1:32975 127.0.0.1:3728 ESTABLISHED
NRService.exe:3360 TCP 192.168.0.114:3730 206.xxx.xx.x:443 ESTABLISHED
NRService.exe:3360 UDP 0.0.0.0:3733 *:*
NRService.exe:3360 UDP 0.0.0.0:3734 *:*

The UDP rows indicate the 2 UDP P2P connections.

Thanks,
KevinZ - NeoRouter team

Thanks Kevin. I ended up being unable to get my two systems to communicate in any form other than relay mode so I gave up on NeoRouter and got Tinc working successfully. For anyone who has similar trouble with relay mode, here's some instructions on setting up Tinc.