Can't Direct Connect to Servers Via Domain

Koda shared this bug 2 years ago
Reported

When direct connecting to servers using their domain name (horizons.gg:27016) it immidietly rejects the request, this issue began after the Mod.io integration.

I believe there is something wrong with the client side DNS resolving, I've had dozens of my players test this and they all get the same "Server not Responding" error instantly after hitting connect.

Replies (8)

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Hello, Jessica!

Sorry to hear you're experiencing this issue. Could you please provide a log from when someone experiences this issue? Please provide any other information that you may think is relevant too :)

You can access your log files by typing %appdata% into your Windows search bar and you will be redirected to the hidden Roaming folder. After that just follow: \Roaming\SpaceEngineers.

Kind Regards

Laura, QA Department

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I never originally attached a log as it shows nothing of use after attempting the connection

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Hello, Jessica!

Thank you for this. Is it also please possible to provide a server log too?

Kind Regards

Laura, QA Department

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I have logs from torch, keen.

However I don't believe these logs will show anything of use as the client never resolves a connection to the server in the first place.

Considering this issue is universal, I believe something would have messed up in the DNS resolver when direct connecting to servers.

When a client inputs a domain rather than IPv4 address it should resolve the host address using code similar to this:

string hostname = 'my.domain.com';
string port = '27016';

IPAddress[] addresslist = Dns.GetHostAddresses(hostname);
private string IP = addresslist[0].ToString() + ':' + port;

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Hello, Jessica!

After speaking internally about your issue, I have been told it is most likely due to a port not being open on the firewall or something similar that is causing this. Can you please double-check this?

Kind Regards

Laura, QA Department

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I have taken another look at the servers and just to be certain I have tested it with some other on 3 separate servers, 1 in a datacenter and 2 in a home network.

The one in the datacenter was best case to test as I only have to open the ports on windows where as the home network also has to go through the router.

All 3 servers are opening any port the SEDS instance needs by using the program option within the firewall, so I can guarantee that all ports are open for the server in the datacenter but with the home network servers I opened the extra valve ports which didn't change anything.


I do have a little extra information that may help with this issue which, if you use valve protocol to connect to the server (the game cannot be running for this to work) then using the domain will work, however if you try using valve protocol whilst the game is running it will not work even if you try using it with the IPv4 address.

Valve Protocol: steam://connect/horizons.gg:27016

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Hello everyone,

I am having the same issue as described by Jessica.

I have setup a server, opened all the correct ports and everyone can connect to it by using the join button in space engineers, as long as they enter the IP it works just as intended.

If however anyone tries using the hostname it does not seem to work.


I am using a sub-domain with A-level DNS rerouting to the correct IPv4 address and port, in this case 27016 (the default port).


When using the steam browser protocol steam://connect/se.myserver.domain:27016 it works, but only when the game has not started yet. This indicates a problem where Space Engineers requires resolved IP addresses the moment the game is started and not when these addresses are actually being resolved.


Looking through discussions on the Space Engineers Steam page, people have had this problem since 2017.


I hope this Issue can be resolved as hosting a public server without a DDNS address or the DDoS protection offered by my Domain provider, is not in my best interest.


Kind Regards

Natrium

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I am also having this issue. I home host a server and I am using a public free domain which has the backend set to a VPS provided by Winstri. The VPS is set to reverse proxy connections using NGinx to my network on port 27016. Unsure if this particular configuration is causing the issue but players are unable to connect using the subdomain address or the VPS IP address, and can only connect via a direct connection to my network.

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sorry Laura K, you are mistaken, this is definitely a keen problem, it has been broken for months, please re-assess what is going on, we used to be able to connect to servers with by host name, it is definitely broken, not user error on configuration.

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Typical Keen saying it's the users at fault and not them. XD

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Same issue here. Tried CNAME / A records.

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I've also had this issue.

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Keen, its been 15 months

you gonna fix this or not?

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Don't expect Keen to fix this for another century, it takes them over 2 years just to respond to bug reports.

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2 months later, i have some more information and a test that anyone including QA can do.

"After speaking internally about your issue, I have been told it is most likely due to a port not being open on the firewall or something similar that is causing this."

im almost certain this is incorrect, and has absolutely nothing to do with firewall, or port forwarding.

connecting to a server with the ip address and port works absolutely fine when firewall or port forwarding are done correctly, its just failing with the 'hostname' connection, for example, my server, if you click 'direct connect' and connect with 45.13.7.46:27034 you will connect to it without a problem, but if you use weavernet.ddns.net:27034 it wont work, doing a ping on that host name, it will show you its the same ip address, it wont actually ping though, my router is set to not reply to a ping.

so using 'direct connect' and connecting via ip address works, but by host name does not :)

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+1

This seems to be a major oversight if it was working in the past. This means that people hosting servers behind a dynamic public IP address using a DDNS domain have to go through an extra hoop of having to resolve the IP to put it in.

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that server in last post now down... im sure devs can pop up a server that should connect via domain, and discover that it doesnt

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20 months with this many people reporting the issue, and Keen has still done nothing about it. Typical lmao.

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Another data point here, we also cannot connect via hostname. The game only allows IP addresses in the Direct Conenct address field. This would be extremely useful for players to not have to connect to a new IP every time my home ISP decides to hand out a new address. It is absolutely not the server; typing in the new IP address immediately works again. Using hostname for any other server we rotate through works just fine. This is not a port/firewall issue at all.

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Hey everyone,

fresh install of a dedicated server via SteamCMD and same problem.

Connecting via IP Adress and Server list works fine but via domain name doesn't.

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Still present in current release: Client & Server 1.202.117

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+1 can replicate, very frustrating

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I went to the keen software house with this issue without realising this thread had been made. I was directed here. Ive adapted my comment i made on the discord to instead show how this issue is replicatable by showing all the things ive done to try to fix this before i found this is a bug,


Hosting on windows 11 with AMP (cubecoders) ive created a new game but am unable to connect to it using any dynamic dns arrangement but can connect using public IP address and game port 27016.


**ports forwarded; **

- 8766 UDP/TCP

- 27016 UDP/TCP (and have tried just UDP or TCP)


**firewall**

- deactivated firewall on the system for testing

- removed all antivirus for testing


**dynamic dns methods ive tried; **

- duckdns

`name.duckdns.org:27016`

`name.duckdns.org`

adding/searching for games using steam servers at `name.duckdns.org:27016`


(when i direct add the duckdns or domain address thats setup without DNS using cloudflare with a SRV record into the steam servers page steam servers can detect games on these addresses which i can prove is mine by matching the public IP. The steam servers can also detect how many players are on the game at that time but when i press connect the join dialogue appears then vanishes in 0.5 seconds, no in game join error eg server not responding)


**cloudflare **

- A record to point to public ip address DNS off

- A record to point to public ip address DNS on

- A record to point to public ip address then NGINX to route to IP of game machine

- using custom domain

- using custom domain with :27016

- A record with CRV record pointing at public IP address with game port


just for some context, im hosting about 30 other games concurrently using a mixture of cloudflare and duckdns that work with domains so i know the general backbone of my system/s are setup well.

This is a very frustrating issue, how are others getting around it?

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I don't think anyone is getting around it, and as expected Keen is doing nothing about it after nearly 2 years of this issue being reported.

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+1 from me here;

I can confirm that in a closed testing environment with ports open, and a simple DNS server set up, plugging in a domain name and hitting connect does not work. There is no entry in the client log from an attempt to join, not even an error, and the server obviously never gets a connection attempt because the client never actually reaches out.


The direct connect window obviously states "hostname or ip address" and hostname does not work.

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this is STILL an issue and clearly one thats on keens end. what an absolute joke to blame players for an issue thats clearly your own and then just ignore it. typical keen software house response.

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It really is astonishing how people can still support this game. Keen also just cranked out yet another microtransaction instead of prioritizing actually improving and fixing their game first. This bug report has literally been unsolved for 2 years. At some point you have to ask yourself "are they even trying"?

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was planning on making a server but yeah... not doing that anymore this game and company needs to fail it sucks but that's the truth

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Well when you have a blatantly abusive administration (namely their community "ambassador" Dan2D3D and Erin Truitt) and favor your own gatekept community over new players who actually have valid critiques, AND the lack of prioritization of proper things from the developers (releasing new DLCs while the game itself is extremely unoptimized and lackluster), you tend to have the perfect formula for a shitty game.

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Hello. engineers!

Thank you for providing replies to our questions and for sharing additional information about the issue.

This issue has now been reported to our internal system.

Kind Regards,

Keen Software House: QA Department

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Only took you guys two years.

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