Question : Problem: How do I run a Counter-Strike dedicated server on a router.

I want to run a Counter-Strike dedicated server on my Netgear RT314 router.  I know how to access my router through my browser, but I don't know which ports to leave open.  Please help me.  I would like to know exactly what steps to take to forward these ports.

Answer : Problem: How do I run a Counter-Strike dedicated server on a router.

Monkbit, here is what you do:

Before you start, gather some information. Do this on the computer running the CS server. Get to a dos prompt by going start>run> and typing CMD and then hit . If that doesn't work, try typing COMMAND and then hit .

Now that you are at a command prompt, type "ipconfig" without the quotes.

This should tell you what your IP address is. I suspect it will be 192.168.0.x, where x will probably be 33 or 34.

Now you know what your ip address is, lets get to forwarding the ports to your server.

Go to start>run and type "telnet 192.168.0.1" without the quotes.

You will be prompted for a password. It should be 1234 unless you have changed it. If you have changed it, you should know what it is. Hit the key after typing your password.

You will be at a menu. Type "15" and to get to the port forwarding section.

There will be a column for ip addresses and a column for ports. There will be a line that says "default". You need to type the ip address you found by doing the "ipconfig" earlier. It will be something like 192.168.0.33 or 34.

Once you have typed this in, keep hitting over and over until you are spit back to the main menu.

You have now forwarded these ports to your server. You could have actually used the second line in menu 15 to specify the actual port that CS uses, which is 27015. Be careful though, because if you want your server listed in the list, you have to open more than just 27015. Don't worry, the instructions above will get you server running and listed in the available servers.

Now that you have your infrastructure covered, move on to starting the game and configuring the server options.

The RT314 is not the best router in the world, but this should work for 4-6 people. There is some additional configuration necessary if you want to be one of those 4-6 people.

If you need help with that part, everything you could ever want to know about it is located here:

http://server.counter-strike.net/help/

I hope this helps-

Good luck my friend!