Running a Private Server

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Please ensure you have read the server overview

This guide assumes you will be running a private server on your home network, but some of the issues here may also apply to those running on cloud hosts (eg Amazon EC2)

It is also highly recommended to test your server in public mode first so as to narrow down any subsequent problems in private mode.

Operating a private server behind a home network router

Port forwarding

Normally, people from outside your home network cannot see things inside it. So if you want to operate a Jamulus server at home, you need to open a hole in your router to let Jamulus clients connect to it.

The default port for the current version of the Jamulus software is UDP (not TCP) port 22124.

Here's an example of the port forwarding settings in a Linksys router:

See also portforward.com.

Once you have your router set up, you can get your external (WAN) IP address using Google. Give this address to your friends so they can connect to your server (but see also the note on dynamic DNS below).

Points to note

• If you are running a client on same machine as the server, it's best to connect your client to localhost (or the IP address of the server's machine on your network if it's not the same). Do not connect via the sever's public (WAN) address.

• You do not need to open a port range as shown in the example above as long as you want to start only one instance of the Jamulus server on the same machine.

• If using a different port than the default port (22124) you have to enter the port number after the server name or IP address separated by a colon in the Jamulus client (e. g. jamulus.dyndns.org:22120).

• See also this excellent guide to running a private server by Simon Tomlinson on Facebook.

Dynamic DNS and why you will probably need it

Most domestic Internet connections will change their IP address after a period (hours, days or weeks). To make it easier for people to connect to you, you may therefore also want set up a dynamic DNS address. You can do this on the machine that you are running the Jamulus server on, or preferably your router may support it.

Note also that your home router may also change the IP address of the machine that you are running your server on. In which case you may need either to give that machine a static IP in the router's DHCP configuration, or simply port forward to all the addresses in your LAN.

Troubleshooting

Please ensure you read Server Types, which explains the difference between public and private servers.

Q: Linux: I have created a server but it is joining the Central Server but I don't want it to.

To enable a private server, do not use the --centralserver (-e) option when starting your server command line.

Q: If I don't register on the Server List, how can my band members connect?

Given them your public IP (use Google). Instead of selecting a server in the public list, they should put this address in the "Server Name/Address" field:

Q: As IP for the server, do you use the official IP address or your local IP address ?

You should connect your own Jamulus client to the local IP address of the server since only you can see that. Everyone else needs your public address (see above question).

Q: What port numbers can I use?

Keep the default UDP ports. The actual default port is documented by the command line. At the time of writing this documentation, the port number is 22124.

Q. Is a private server a direct server without contact to the Jamulus Central Server?

Yes. Please see Server Types

Q. Can I convert my private server to being a public one?

Yes. Simply check the "Register..." box and fill out the details. A public server will be immediately available on the public network, but it might take time to appear in the catalog. As of April 2020, one possible reason is that there are already too many public servers in the catalog and your server should have to wait for more room.