I thought I understood the directions dennis had posted, but people still cannot join my halo server. I can join other servers, but my friends are unable to enter mine. I went to my firewall and exceptions and added Halo to the programs. I also Opened halo on ports 2303, 2302 for UDP and TCP. But not port 80 because my computer already lets halo update. I know I probably did not need to do all of that, but i thought it was worth a try. So can anyone tell me what else I have to do? Thanks in advance.

You need to not only open the ports but to forward them to your internal IP address. A router is essentially a gateway between two networks. Think of it like a swinging door. Most home routers by default allow traffic outbound but do not allow the door to open inbound.

First you need to determine the IP address of the PC that will run the server. You can find it by opening a command window and typing “IPCONFIG” [enter]. The IP address of the PC will be displayed. Next you need to go into the router setting and forward the ports 2303 and 2302 to your PC’s IP number. This tells the router to open the door inward but just for those ports and only to your PC. If you don’t have your router instructions You can most likely find the settings at http://www.portforward.com/

thank you soo much dennis. Thanks for the link. I have never been able to host a game with other people in it before and now I can.

this should be stickied