#Dedicated Server Ports

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

slate jewel
#

Hello,
first of all, congratulations on today’s release.

I’m currently running into issues with the dedicated server setup.

From what I can tell, the server tries to establish an outbound HTTP connection. In our setup, this doesn’t work as expected: our game servers don’t have public IPs and are fully relayed/NATed internally.

Additionally, forcing automatic port selection is problematic for larger or more controlled environments. It makes proper port forwarding and firewall configuration difficult, and relying on UPnP/NAT is not an option for us.

Is there any documentation or configuration available that allows:

explicitly defining the ports the server should use
controlling or disabling outbound HTTP connections (if required)

Any clarification on the networking requirements would be appreciated.

slate jewel
#

I tested the Windows dedicated server now in a proper NAT setup with a single public IP and explicit port forwarding, and honestly I am not happy with what I found.

P2pProxyAddress works for selecting the bind IP, but I could not find any way to force a fixed listen port. I tested multiple variants such as -ServerPort=30000, -Port=30000, -port=30000, ?Port=30000, and ?ListenPort=30000, including launching the shipping binary directly. None of them made the server listen on the requested port.

The server keeps choosing a different local listening port on every start. In my tests it used values like 42027, 42113, 43114, 44041, 44274, 44509, etc. This makes controlled hosting extremely difficult, because classic port forwarding depends on stable ports.

I already confirmed that this is not just a firewall or outbound connectivity issue:

HTTPS to the Windrose backend on port 443 works
TURN/STUN-related connectivity also works
P2pProxyAddress correctly binds the server to the VM's internal IP
So the real issue is simple: the dedicated server appears to ignore any attempt to set a fixed port and instead uses dynamic/random ports.

I do not think this is acceptable for professional hosting or datacenter-style environments. This may be fine for home hosting, but it is not fine for providers or controlled NAT setups where we need predictable network behavior.

What I need from you is::

Is there an officially supported way to force a fixed listen port for the dedicated server?
If yes, what is the exact parameter or config key?
If no, is this going to be fixed?
Right now the server is effectively unsuitable for normal hosted deployment with controlled port forwarding, and that is a serious problem.

near galleon
# slate jewel I tested the Windows dedicated server now in a proper NAT setup with a single pu...

Yes, this is a serious issue for professional hosting providers.

When the dedicated server does not allow us to define a fixed listening port and instead chooses a random one on every startup, it breaks normal hosting deployment practices. For specialized anti-DDoS environments like ours, each game server is assigned its own predefined port range. This is required for controlled firewall rules, port forwarding, traffic filtering, and stable attack mitigation.

If the server ignores manually defined ports and uses dynamic or random ports, then the protection layer suffers badly. It becomes much harder to route traffic correctly, maintain predictable filtering policies, and provide reliable protected hosting at scale. This kind of behavior may be acceptable for small home setups, but it is not suitable for commercial game hosting or datacenter environments.

For hosting providers, the ability to explicitly define the server port is not an optional feature, it is a basic requirement.

edgy glacier
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You can't select port right now sadly.

violet spire
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Hey guys. Your feedback is noted. We'll discuss it internally. Thanks for your input and sharing this.

slate jewel
warm meteor
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Try "-UePort=" "-BlPort=" "-BeaconPort=" "-MeshPort=" "-GamePort=" these are the usual suspects for survival games with UE Engine and this setup.

near galleon
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It didn't work.

slate jewel
echo walrus
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Not providing port-binding with your dedi kit is just an absolutely wild choice. I can't connect to my own server at all because these devs thought they'd try to reinvent industry standards. 4 of us in our Discord have already submitted our refunds to Steam. I'm not letting the refund window close while they "discuss internally".

timber helm
abstract flax
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This is an absolute must. Huge oversight on this not having this at launch

trim breach
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Not being able to set a dedicated server port is a huge failure prior to EA. Why even bother with it then?

neat sage
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Agree, same problem with this. Just seems such an odd thing to let slip.

fickle plume
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I am hosting multiple UE based Dedicated Server Games since 2015, all are EA Titles and ALL had fixed Ports for the Server from the Start. Its just the STANDARD and has to fixed as soon as possible. No one who are concerned just a little bit with Security has UPnP Firewalls active.

swift scaffold
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This absolutely needs to be looked at. How many of the "my server keeps crashing" issues are down to the Providers assigning the bare minimum resources to it as per normal.

humble quail
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I'd get upnp/dynamic ports being required for p2p coop but it's absolutely wild that dedicated server software releases without configuration for basic networking control

toxic blade
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Yeah, this needs to be addressed. This breaks security protocols in most professional environments. Hell, it breaks common sense best safety practices. This was a wildly unsafe, ill thought out, idea.

broken oak
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Please add me to the list of those requesting the ability to specify ports, and multiplex servers on the same public IP

fickle plume
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I just oppened Port 3478 TCP/UDP on my dedicated root server and it is working, seems only port 3478 has to be opened. As mentioned in my Post before no UPnP Firewall is active. My Friends and me can connect.

swift scaffold
latent remnant
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Yeah, not having a specified port/port-range is a big failure as far as dedicated servers go. This "UPNP" randomly assigned dynamic port is for hosting games through your steam client, not for an actual dedicated server.

edgy glacier
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Anyone from here up to test beta branch?

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With direct IP connection/port specification to see if it works fine?

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@fickle plume @toxic blade @abstract flax @broken oak @swift scaffold @round chasm @alpine forge @mortal stratus @wet nymph @neat sage @humble quail @keen hawk @jagged dirge @slate jewel @latent remnant @near galleon @trim breach @white stirrup I'm terribly sorry for a very broad ping, we're just trying to prep beta branch for release asap

jagged dirge
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Is this for linux or windows?

abstract flax
warm meteor
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windows. The Server is windows onlien

neat sage
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Absolutely once I get home, about 4hrs from now ish

edgy glacier
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We're still prepping linux native for release, so it's same windows for now

edgy glacier
latent remnant
slate jewel
edgy glacier
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So just to make sure - you guys can test it today? (beta branch will be available in ~1-2 hr)

#

On sorry on slowmode

#

Adding you both to separate channel

broken oak
edgy glacier
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Let me add you as well, thanks

swift scaffold
edgy glacier
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Awesome, let me add ya

near galleon
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@edgy glacier Hi, i am too here right now, and can test, please.

edgy glacier
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Sure, adding you

round chasm
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@edgy glacier If you still need someone to test I'm available
I didn't see the ping earlier because I was playing Windrose! 😂

edgy glacier
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Adding you, thanks

white stirrup
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@edgy glacier Hi! Same, if you need some testing - I would be more than happy to help.

edgy glacier
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Sure, let me add ya

idle sparrow
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👀

quartz beacon
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Ditto to testing @edgy glacier happy to check our infra will handle this right as well 👍

Would love to get my grubby hands on that Linux build too 👀

edgy glacier
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Sure let me add ya

edgy glacier
idle sparrow
keen hawk
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Hi is there any way to say when a alternative to UPnP is available. Is there any need for more Tester? I could help too.