Software communications across subnets (Games, etc.)
-
I couldn't find this topic addressed elsewhere so I'm hoping someone here has already figured this out.
I have a pfsense box with:
WAN: RE0
4 x LAN: EM0 - 3I have several boxes hardwired into EM0 and EM1, and another router being used as an AP wired into EM2. The subnets are 192.168.1.0 /24, .2.0/24, and .3.0/24. My question: how do I play a game across the subnets? For instance, if I host a LAN game on .1.0 how can the other networked devices on .2.0 and .3.0 access it? I've been testing with Starcraft using UDP, which is how the original Starcraft connected LAN games.
Should I create firewall rules that forward the traffic from Starcraft ports between subnets? Or is bridging the subnets the answer? I could not find a decent answer on whether networking bridging will help or not.
Also, I've just been using Starcraft as an example but I want any games or applications I use to work seamlessly with the other devices on the LAN as well.
A few things I know: I could ignore this whole problem by plugging my desktop into the router I'm using as an AP. However I'd rather have my desktop and wireless devices on different subnets while still talking with each other.
I'm clueless and way off base, so thanks in advance.
-
If pfSense is the gateway for all these networks, then everything should be ready to go automatically unless I'm missing something. Make sure you have firewall rules that allow traffic to pass on the extra interfaces. I don't think they have any by default, so you would have to add them. I have a little Virtualbox pfSense lab with one of my test routers having a WAN, LAN and DMZ. I just had to add the Allow Any firewall rule for the DMZ and both internal subnets (10.10.0.0/16 and 172.16.1.0/24) could talk just fine.
-
A lot of games that have a "LAN" mode expect all devices to be on the same subnet.
-
This is a month old topic, but perhaps this will help someone. If you are having problems connecting between the subnets and you have firewall rules that allow to pass between the interfaces, my guess is that your game assumes you are in the same subnet. Broadcast packets will not cross subnet boundaries. Instead, you should bridge all of your interfaces and assign the bridge as the LAN interface so that it can all be in the same subnet. This will make the pfSense act as a switch on those physical interfaces. Broadcast packets will pass and the game will be visible on all of the bridged interfaces.
