This may be a dumb question.

I noticed an option for "Export host IP as:" in the firewall config.

Whats the purpose of this setting?

ALSO...I changed my ip (fake ip) in this setting and read the header information using Wireshark during a download. The header info actually displays any fake IP i put in. Assuming that Gnutella operates under the same tcp/ip principles, how is communication possible if the host computer doesnt actually know the real ip address and where to send the packets?

Hope that question made sense.
Thanks
Dave

You contact the other side, and since no Gnutella client completely trusts another one (we're friendly, but not naive), the other side doesn't connect back, but simply uses the connection you provide (and tells you, which IP it sees). But as far as I know, noone will connect to you, if you fake the IP, because they should store the faked IP, so you'll only get outgoing connections.

Aside from trust, this behaviour is necessary to find your real IP, when you're behind a router or similar (NAT).

And the question is far from dumb.

Using the IP is useful when you know your external IP yourself, so you can just give the others the true IP, so they don't have to guess it.

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Thanks for the response.
Dave

I'm glad I could help.

Wishes,
Arne

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Erst im Spiel lebt der Mensch.
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