Lions and Tigers and Ports, OH MY!

How to overcome your fear of port forwarding

When I was tasked with creating a tutorial series for configuring server-based software applications, my throat did a big cartoon-gulp—especially when I started reviewing all the problems a user could face when setting up their software. Port forwarding not only sounded like something from a Star Trek episode, but something you needed an engineering genius like Scotty to figure out. But then, bit by bit, it started making sense, and now I’m confident that with a little help, it will make sense for all of you, too.

The most important thing to understand is that the problem isn’t necessarily the software you’re using. It’s probably your router, firewall, IP address, or some combination of these, and it is going to take some time to figure it all out. But if you’re set on streaming video of your attempt to jump your bike over three cars, two buses, a clown and a flock of geese, it’s worth the effort, right?

To help you make your computer accessible to the public Internet for all your gaming, VoIP, business data retrieval, and media streaming needs, we have put together a tutorial page geared at helping you not only make the correct connections, but to fill you in on why it all has to be so complicated in the first place. You can view the tutorial series at http://www.nch.com.au/kb/10046.html.


If you don't want to be left out of all the fun, check out some of our server-based software, and see what kind of solutions you'll find for your business or home. For instance, BroadCam streaming video server allows you to broadcast live or recorded video over your website, and BroadWave streaming audio server lets you stream audio podcasts and more. Or for business, you might be interested in accessing and updating your inventory information stored in Inventoria from multiple locations. Our new tutorial series will help you get these server-based features up and running.

And I promise, you won't need Scotty.