Find open port

[tou25]

Hey

Probably this has been asked a couple of times times... I've looked at numerous guides how to open ports etc. - doesn't help me. I live in a student hall, I have no control over the ports (+ I don't get most of the instruction on how to open them anyway). Downloading is just awfully slow. I'm wondering however, if they have open ports which I could use. I'm not sure what is the most effective way to search for open ports. I really hope I can do something about it?! I'd be grateful!

[tou25]

Try this to get around possible blocked ports.

Thanks for the application! Just installed it, and I suddenly download with like 10x the speed I had before! Does it do that automatically?

[tou25]

Try this to get around possible blocked ports.

Thanks for the application! Just installed it, and I suddenly download with like 10x the speed I had before! Does it do that automatically?

Success is sweet, n'est-ce,pas? If your university was blocking ports this app (VPN) bypasses that.

Hope you don't mind the ads they stick on your web pages. Also, be aware that connections can be lost occasionally. If you like VPN there are several paid services.

It is indeed! I just realized that the connection window (or however it is called) actually opens in Safari, I use Firefox. So I don't have the ads! Can you recommend another commercial application though, just in case the ads start appearing in Firefox as well? Thanks!

[ProtocolGeek]

The only simple way to check for open TCP ports from your machine to the Internet is to use http://www.firebind.com.

This site has a web based client which talks to an Internet-based server which can listen on any TCP port of your choosing, and send a packet of data back and forth from your machine to that given TCP port on the server to see whether the packet can be transmitted successfully or not. If so, then chances are that the port is not blocked by some intervening device like a firewall.

It can check a single port or all 65535 TCP ports.

Since a lot of firewalls block all ports and then only open ports that are needed, it's a great way to find open ports that you can use for your various apps.

- ProtocolGeek

[tou25]

Here's a list of a few. I can't recommend any particular one. You just have to 'do your homework' and make your own choice. In the end I decided that limiting my connections to encrypted peers was good enough for me.

http://filesharefreak.com/2008/10/18/to ... providers/

A question, I just read that Snow Leopard comes with VPN - would that have the same effect as hotshield or any other application?