Server-Side

Check out and buy a Firebox with pfSense here!

Check out and buy the NEW FringeBox 1000/1050 here!

Some users of Ubuntu Server, or Windows 7 x64 (most commonly) have had issues with internet players not being able to connect to their Minecraft Servers. The most interesting fact part of this issue is that LAN players work fine, and the port (25565 by default) is forwarded properly – and even is scanned as open!

I never found a solution online, so apparently this is a problem that still exists and is unsolved. I was dumbfounded when I tried to switch one of my Minecraft servers over to Ubuntu Server x64 from its previous Windows operating system. How could nothing much change in the server software, and have it fall flat on it’s face, seemingly with a crippling bug?

After many hours of working on this issue, I have come to the proper solution. The issue is the server computer’s MTU size on the Ethernet interface. In my case, the Windows box was fine, but the MTU on my new Ubuntu Server needed changed.

I changed the MTU of my Ubuntu Server to 1492 from 1500, and magically it worked. Users were not stuck at “Downloading Terrain” or had their login hang until a “Socket Error” occurred.

To do this fix on a Ubuntu Server (or possibly other linux distro), simply run the command

sudo ifconfig eth0 mtu 1492

(You can subsitute “eth0” for your interface card/number, and the “1492” for whatever MTU size you need to get your connection working. Mine was 1500 and failed, 1492 was the key to get mine working. This may or may not be the same for you.)

Your issue should now be fixed! But that fix won’t survive a reboot! You’ll need to either run that command at boot automatically or manually. To make a fix that activates at boot, you’ll need to edit your /etc/network/interfaces file. To do this run this command:

sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces

Then in the first stanza, for eth0 (or whatever your network interface is), change it to add “mtu 1492″. (In this method, the interface must be set to a static address, but you can find ways to set the MTU of a DHCP interface online elsewhere.)

...
iface eth0 inet static
     address 192.168.0.2
     netmask 255.255.255.0
     gateway 192.168.0.1
     mtu 1492
...

You can now either reboot the system, or restart networking (sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart) and your fix will live on past the shutdown.

For Windows users, the fix is usually a registry edit (there is also a command available to set the MTU of an interface elsewhere):

Start > Run> REGEDIT.exe Go to :  HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces  Select the Interface you want to fix, for example interface value: {111112-2222222-666666-777777} Right Click on Right Side and create a new RegWord type with:

 

  Name: MTU

 Value: 1492

 Type: Decimal  Restart the System

Check out and buy a Firebox with pfSense here!

Check out and buy the NEW FringeBox 1000/1050 here!

_______________

I just received my first Firebox (a x700 model) and I really like where this is going. So far beyond a few delays to the project and still waiting on a shipment, things are going good. I hope to be able to create guides, hardware and mods recommendations, and reconfigured embedded and full installs (think no serial cable required to get started!)

Current plans are use an iPod Mini’s Hatachi 4GB Microdrive as the disk for a full install. New heatsink, 512MB RAM update, and making it quieter. I hope to do plenty of worthwhile modifications to this Firebox and share the experience.

Things learned thus far:

• A 1.2GHz Celeron left inside the Firebox with no working HSF will burn up. Really. Completely fry. Luckily the motherboard is fine and it boots with a PIII. New 1.4GHz Celeron on its way for $9. Probably would have updated this anyways.
• Don’t assume generic RAM you buy for the Firebox off Amazon is a double sided DIMM and will work in the Firebox (Non-Double Sided 512MB sticks show up as 256MB). I hope to make a list of high avaibilty sticks that work.
• The HSF on the firebox is crap, get a new heatsink and fan and also a fan speed controller. Even had my fan worked I would have gotten a new one, way too loud for such poor cooling.
• The rackmount ears hold the cover on the case also. Can’t keep them on for looks if you plan on opening the Firebox up often until you’re ready to put it into production.
• Physwritedisk doesn’t want to work on any Vista/7/Server2008 (32bit or 64bit) for me. I used Ubuntu. Worked like a charm.
• Make sure you’re using a Null Modem serial cable. You’ll kick yourself for assuming something else is wrong and wasting time.