This is Just Stupid...

[Questwizard88]

Just talked with cox through chat about even running a small game server to play DooM II with my friends from school. This is pretty bad. Basically I'd have to pay extra every month and upgrade to a freaking Business account before I'd even be allowed to play a game of DooM II with my friends without being in violation of the usage policies... That's pretty bad in my opinion. What do you think of this? I can't believe they'd go THAT low.


Cox Communications Chat Transcript

angie > Welcome to Cox High Speed Internet Service Online Technical Support.
Questwizard > Hello
angie > I understand you want to know if you can run an small server.
angie > Is that correct?
Questwizard > Right
Questwizard > It would only be for like 4 people or so.
angie > Unforunately the servers can not be run in a residential account.
Questwizard > Really? Not even to play a game of DooM II with my friends from school?
angie > The port to run a server is blocked.
angie > Through the link below you can find information about the blocked ports:
angie > http://support.cox.com/sdccommon/asp/contentredirect.asp?sprt_cid=643ad749-1a58-4824-9d1c-8cd5579e132a
angie > Were you able to open the link?
Questwizard > Nope
angie > I will send you a transcript of this chat so you can access the link later.
Questwizard > ok
Questwizard > Thanks
Questwizard > All I needed to know
angie > You are welcome. Is there anything else I can help you with today?
Questwizard > Nope. that's it
angie > Thank you for choosing Cox Communications as your friend in the Digital Age.

Email sent at: 12:24:42 PM, 10/26/2006

[Radium]

Seems they only block the ports listed on that page. You should be able to run a server through port 8080, for example. You just cannot run a server on the following ports...

25
80
135
136-139
445
1433
1434
1900

[Questwizard88]

I've read a lot of reports that 8080 is blocked out, just not listed too. I've practically confirmed it too. Can't even use the remote config on the router unless I change the port from 8080. (apparently it also has somethin to do with http). also, i used to have a small online game i had started working on running on 7234, and a webserver for transferring small files from home to school and back on 7233. Several months ago, both ports just stopped getting incoming connections on me, and haven't worked since. I'm also suprised that 50000 still works (Its my BitTorrent port) Its pretty odd that I haven't gotten bandwidth complaints from that. (I've only used around 60gb down and about 25gb up in the past month. That's the total of what they say is acceptable for about ten months...)

[Modus Ponens]

Well, can you drop Cox? Is there an alternative?

[Radium]

Perhaps your school has blocked the port(s)? Either that or do you have a firewall that is blocking them at home?

[AtmaWeapon]

"The port to run a server" lol

Every server with a specific purpose has a special port. Looking over the list of well-known port numbers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_TCP_and_UDP_port_numbers), they are particularly interested in blocking: SMTP servers HTTP Servers Blaster Worm and its variants (the 130 or so range) Active Directory servers SQL Servers SSDP serversAll of these types of servers represent usage that is usually desired by commercial entities running web sites (or support the spread of worms), which is why you need corporate service to run them.

Running a game server won't get you booted, your tech support was likely a call-center lackey that had a copy->paste response script for "Customer wants to operate an enterprise server" and didn't pay attention to the fact it was a game server.

Game on.

[MottZilla]

Ya man, just change the port to one that's open, or get an ISP that isn't so shitty that they complain about bandwidth.

[Beldaran]

I hate cocks too.