Vent Server 3.0.2 on Mac OSX 10.5.4 / 10.4.11

[MacVent]

I finally have my private server up and running, but it took quite a few trips to these and other forums to establish where each issue was occurring. I want to post all of the steps I took, and hopefully Mac users can get a sticky up top like those fancy Windows users

Issue #1: I run Ventrilo_srv and I get an error message in terminal!

Unable to open configuration file 'ventrilo_srv.ini'.
ERROR: Unable to read configuration data. Exiting.
logout

Solution: You must change directories before running the application. Depending on where you installed the server to, you need to type in two commands. The first one looks like this:

cd /applications/ventsrv

Where /applications/ventsrv can be replaced by whatever folder(s) your server files are in. Note, ventsrv is a *folder name* not the *file name*

Once you have changed to the correct directory, you need to run this command:

./ventrilo_srv

This tells terminal to run the actual ventrilo_srv application.

Alternatively, Gargamel has posted an Applescript that will do this for you. Check out his post [URL="http://www.ventrilo.com/forums/showpost.php?p=82619&postcount=14"]Here.[/URL] You will again need to edit the "cd /....." command for your particular installation location.

Issue #2: No one can connect to my server!
If you are hosting your own server, you may need to set up a router and/or firewall to let people connect.

Solution: Enable port forwarding if you are using a router on your network, and configure the Mac OS firewall to allow incoming connections to Ventrilo.

Port Forwarding: Vent requires port 3784 to be open for both TCP and UDP. If you are using a router, you need to manually forward this port to the computer running the server. You will need to know the LAN IP of the computer running the server. You can find this by going to Network Preferences, selecting the appropriate connection (Ethernet, Airport, etc) and write down the IP address listed.

Next, go into your router's setup. You need to find the port forwarding section. Most routers will let you enter a description for the forward (VentTCP and VentUDP for example), will ask which IP you want the port forwarded to, and will ask if you want TCP, UDP, or Both. Some users have had problems with Both, so I recommend setting up two separate port forwards, one for port 3784 TCP and one for port 3784 UDP. That should take care of the router setup.

At this point, run the server and go to [URL="http://www.ventrilo.com/status.php"]http://www.ventrilo.com/status.php[/URL] and enter your external IP (If you don't know it, there is a menu option "My IP" on Ventrilo's website that will tell you) and port 3784. If the website can connect to your server, you're all set. If it is not working, you will need to configure your Mac OS firewall.

Mac OS Firewall: Open System Preferences > Security and click the Firewall tab. In order to run a server you will need to select either "allow all incoming connections" or "set access for specific services and applications."

I recommend "set access for specific services and applications" as allowing all connections could open your computer to attacks. Click the + button below the field and add ventrilo_srv to the list.

Finally, if your router has a built-in firewall, that may need to be disabled as well.