My original post:

I am behind a router and I'm not quite sure what my external IP is. Will this interfere with people trying to connect? I'm running gnucleus (latest release) and in the last night, I had two completed uploads and two uploads that reported "host unreachable." It's these that worry me. I want to make sure that anybody on the network can access my files (and you should, too!) So, what do I have to do? Change a configuration setting in Gnucleus? Set up port mapping in my router? Both? Or is it working fine now and those "host unreachables" are an unrelated problem?

Thanks!

But then I found this: http://198.77.215.32/gnuforum/viewthread.php?tid=609

So the answer is YES! If you are behind a router using NAT, and you have access to this router (like a home LAN) then please set up port forwarding if you have not already. The way you do this is different for each router but in general what you have to do is make it so that the incoming traffic on port 6346 (or whatever you use) goes to the internal ip of your gnutella machine (which might look something like 192.168.0.25 or 10.0.0.16)

Thanks!

PS: My gnucleus copy seems to have figured out my external IP by itself, maybe yours has done the same but you still need port forwarding (I think.)

The link in the above post is dead. However, there may be enough info here to get things going in both directions. (Before searching and discovering this, I had been going to post this:

" I have downloaded some nice things, and am 'sharing' everything I've downloaded, and more. But no one seems to be uploading. I realize this is not likely a problem with Phex itself. There is a router and switch between my cable modem and my PC. What do I need to do LAN-wise, to make my shared directories accessible to others? Does it have something to do with "Port forwarding?" I really would like to give back to the GNUtella network, and not just take others' resources. Thanks."

I am a little concerned about my ISP detecting Port forwarding. I'm not sure if my contract permits it. Does anyone know about this, or have comments?

I think I read recently that LimeWire is going to fix the site that confirms you can connect to the gnutella network.

Port forwarding shouldn't bother your ISP. Mine told me that using a router is fine with them, but they can't help with the configuration: that's the seller of the router's responsibility. They also confirmed that they don't block 6346, which some providers do.

So--just ask them, and also ask tech support for a tech who uses a filesharing program.

As for other comments--it's easy to be a leech. Sharing is much more satisfying and should be what peer-to-peer is all about.

Thanks. I need to search for a thread about port forwarding, etc. In the meantime, any direct references will be appreciated.

Is the port number an arbitrary choice in router setup? Is there something special about 6346, which I've seen appended to lots of host IPs...? Do I need to use that one, for others' searches to find my files?

Port 6346 is the default, but apparently any will do. I forwarded/mapped both 6347 and 6346 to the internal IP of my machine, and gave the other machines 6348 and so on. If you want the other machines to be able to access gnutella too, this means having to set each machine with a static internal IP and each client has to match the port assigned. Luckily the Linksys router I use came with toll-free support and et voilà also posted about the Linksys set-up. I went through all this a month or so back, but am still not confident here.
Posting your specs would help--especially of your router brand, platform, and versions.
The info about routers is usually vague because there are so many combinations. You probably saw that in the FAQ's. Search for posts by "Blackbird" to see how he posts his specs and for info on the 2Wire. I'm on OS 10.2.6 so don't have much experience with Windows Firewalls and router set-ups.
Hope those names help your searches.

Cheers