connecting problem

[undis 0 / 614]

So I've tried to connect to GFL ZE server after a couple of months of quitting. Now when I try to connect it doesn't let me connect.
It retries for 30 times and then it stops. I have tried resetting my router, restarting pc and steam and such.
If I can get any sort of help it would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[Roy 10,832 / 0]

Hi @undis,

 

Can you try performing a trace route to the server's IPv4 address? You can do this in Windows by executing the following command in Command Prompt:

 

tracert 216.52.148.47

 

Please provide the results afterwards. If you'd like, you may also PM them to me.

 

With that said, are you using a VPN to connect to the website? If not, I will use the IPv4 address you signed in with and do a trace route from the server to your IPv4 address to see what it looks like from the server's end.

 

Thank you.

[undis 0 / 614]

@Roy
Tracing route to c-216-52-148-47.managed-ded.premium-chicago.nfoservers.com [216.52.148.47]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  2     4 ms     4 ms     4 ms  a469-gw.bahnhof.net [46.59.117.97]
  3    17 ms    17 ms    17 ms  lul-rds-dr1.svl-cr1.bahnhof.net [46.59.112.250]
  4    17 ms    17 ms    17 ms  svl-cr1.sto-cr1.bahnhof.net [46.59.112.48]
  5    17 ms    16 ms    16 ms  h-158-174-156-134.NA.cust.bahnhof.se [158.174.156.134]
  6    17 ms    17 ms    17 ms  h-158-174-156-129.NA.cust.bahnhof.se [158.174.156.129]
  7    17 ms    17 ms    18 ms  sto-cr1.sto-cr3.bahnhof.net [46.59.112.163]
  8    18 ms    18 ms    17 ms  s-b5-link.telia.net [62.115.35.122]
  9   137 ms   137 ms   137 ms  s-bb3-link.telia.net [62.115.141.202]
 10   132 ms   131 ms   131 ms  kbn-bb3-link.telia.net [62.115.139.169]
 11   109 ms   114 ms   109 ms  nyk-bb3-link.telia.net [213.155.134.50]
 12   130 ms   130 ms   130 ms  chi-b22-link.telia.net [62.115.118.149]
 13   133 ms   134 ms   133 ms  telia-1.e8.router1.chicago.nfoservers.com [74.91.113.254]
 14   135 ms   135 ms   135 ms  c-216-52-148-47.managed-ded.premium-chicago.nfoservers.com [216.52.148.47]

Trace complete.

And no, I am not using a VPN as of what I know.
I have also tried to join other ZE servers and some doesnt work and some does work sooo...

Edited June 16, 2019 by undis

[Roy 10,832 / 0]

Hey @undis,

 

Per our Discord conversation, I had you try another server running on NFO (in this case, our CS:S Bunny Hop server). You weren't able to connect to this server as well.

 

Therefore, I decided to make a ticket with NFO. I performed a trace route from the CS:GO ZE server to your IPv4 address as well and provided that to NFO.

 

I just find it strange that you're able to ping the server from your home network still. This makes me believe it may not be NFO blocking you, but perhaps your ISP or something on your computer blocking UDP connections to the server. We'll see what NFO has to say, though.

 

Once I receive a reply, I will let you know.

 

Thanks.

[Roy 10,832 / 0]

Hey @undis,

 

Here is the conversation I had with NFO's support:

 

 

There is a small possibility this could be your ISP blocking UDP packets to NFO's IPv4 blocks specifically. Otherwise, chances are, you either have local software (e.g. anti-virus applications) or something on your router is blocking these UDP connections.

 

I would suggest disabling any anti-virus software you currently have running and try connecting to the servers to see if it works. With that said, do you have access to your router's administrator control panel?

 

Thanks.

[undis 0 / 614]

@Roy

I have had my antiviruses disabled for a long time without it ever being enabled, It shouldn't have to do with that then I guess.
Also I do have access to my router's administrator panel. What do I do with it?

[Roy 10,832 / 0]

16 hours ago, undis said:

@Roy

I have had my antiviruses disabled for a long time without it ever being enabled, It shouldn't have to do with that then I guess.
Also I do have access to my router's administrator panel. What do I do with it?

You'd want to look for firewall settings within your router. With that said, it may be worth calling your ISP if you have a router/modem from them (they should have more experience with the router's interface plus features). With that said, it'd be good to confirm your ISP isn't blocking UDP connections to NFO's IPv4 blocks (unlikely, but still a possibility).

 

Thanks!

[Roy 10,832 / 0]

I ended up doing a 45 -  60 minute screen-share with @undis via Teamviewer after work.

 

Applications Installed

• HLSW - A tool to monitor and query game servers for different types of engines/packet types (e.g. in this case, the Source Engine).
• OpenVPN - A popular VPN tool used to connect to OpenVPN servers.
• Wireshark - A packet capturing application for Windows.

 

What I've Done

Added The Servers To HLSW

I added the CS:GO ZE and CS:S BHop servers to HLSW and both were timing out as usual.

 

Tried Other NFO Servers

I tried adding other NFO servers from multiple locations (Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, New York City, and Frankfurt). Unfortunately, all but one timed out while all them replied back in my HLSW (confirming the servers were indeed online). It appears whatever is blocking CS:GO ZE is also blocking 99% of NFO's servers globally.

 

Inspected The Router Settings

I took a look at the router's admin settings (specifically in Advanced and Filter/Firewall settings). I tried altering some UDP/TCP settings that would make the firewall less restrictive. However, no luck. I also tried checking the firewall logs and adding the CS:GO ZE to a white-list for the firewall. Still no luck.

 

Disabling Window's Firewall

I disabled Window's firewall to confirm this wasn't the issue. It was highly unlikely, but worth a try.

 

Routing Traffic Through OpenVPN Test Server

I had an OpenVPN test server setup which is located in New Jersey, US. I setup a test client for the user, installed the config on their system (along with the OpenVPN GUI application), and I connected them to the OpenVPN server. This specific server-side config makes it so the traffic routes through the OpenVPN server. This means his network traffic goes from his home network -> The OpenVPN server -> The destination server. When this was done, CS:GO ZE and CS:S BHop both replied to UDP packets in HLSW after this was completed. This (most likely) indicated that it is indeed their router or ISP blocking UDP connections and not something locally.

 

Ran A Wireshark Packet Capture

To further confirm this is indeed the router or ISP blocking the specific traffic, I ran a packet capture in Wireshark for the main interface. There was a small possibility OpenVPN's connection only worked due to it being on a separate TAP network interface (maybe the software on the computer was only filtering traffic on the main network interface and didn't touch the OpenVPN interface).

 

As far as I'm aware, if traffic was being filtered on the main interface via local software, it'd at least show as being replied to on the main network interface via Wireshark (this would be similar to tcpdump in Linux). This was not the case and further proves it is indeed the router or ISP (the traffic from the CS:GO ZE server is not even hitting the user's computer via Wireshark at all).

 

I also selected the specific traffic to the CS:GO ZE server and saved it as a packet capture file (.pcap).

 

Conclusion

To conclude, the issue was not resolved as I believe it's either the router or ISP blocking these type of connections. I wasn't able to find anything within the router settings that would do this, though.

 

My next suggestion would be to contact your ISP and provide the packet capture. If possible, have them try to test a similar UDP query on their end to see if their systems are blocking the traffic. If your ISP provided your router, they should also have more experience with its interface and features. Therefore, they'll be able to better assist you if it is indeed the router blocking the UDP connections.

 

In the meantime, I kept the OpenVPN user setup and you may play CS:GO Zombie Escape and other NFO servers through there. HOWEVER, please disconnect from the OpenVPN when you're done and this will not be a permanent solution since the server currently charges against bandwidth (I might setup another OpenVPN server with a hosting provider that has unlimited bandwidth, but I'd need to ensure it isn't against their TOS or w/e). Since you're in Europe and the server is in New Jersey (closer to Europe), you more than likely won't see that big of a ping difference (as you've already noted to me in Discord). This is because it routes you from Europe -> New Jersey, US -> Chicago, US which is more (linear?) in my opinion and doesn't involve going way off track.

 

I hope this helps and please let me know how it goes with talking with your ISP!

 

Thanks.