How do programs find each other if there are pure p2p connections with no master servers.   I've heard about technologies like STUN TURN, ICE Torrent Tracking and so on  Is there a way to be not dependent on some server for negotiation to find others over the internet?  If not what is the least way to depend on one, lets say for 2 games to connect each other via p2p?
120446
I have questions about the way P2P works -   Do all p2p nodes need a server to connect them to each other ?  (For example, pptp is a p2p connection but it users a vpn server, while bittorrent is also a p2p system but it uses a tracker)  Do bittorrent clients use trackers to find the ips or does the traffic between clients goes through the trackers ?   Lastly - how do bitcoin clients find each other ?  Do they use something like a tracker ? (I have read on the bitcoin site that if we want to help the bitcoin network we can install bitcoin core on our server but the question is that how do they communicate with each other through the Internet.  Surely there needs  be main server to connect them  ? I have heard that there is an IRC server that send the clients the ip addresses for example)
35897
What's the best approach towards determining if I have a rogue DHCP server inside my network?  I'm wondering how most admins approach these kinds of problems.  I found  through searching, and thought about trying it out.  Has anyone had experience with it? (I would like to know before taking the time to compile it and install).  Do you know any useful tools or best-practices towards finding rogue DHCP servers?
20542
Can players on a PC and an Xbox play together in any way? I.e. can Xbox users connect to a (modfied?) PC server, or vice versa?
10348
How does the ping command really work?  Specifically where does the ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) come into picture?   I was asked this question in an interview and I was not able to come up with a scenario when ARP could be used.
17308
My friend had hosted a Minecraft server before and brought it back up today with my help. He and anyone in his LAN can connect. However we have had a few people try to connect, including me, and when we try to connect it gives the message:  Failed to connect to the server Connection timed out: connect  What does this exactly mean? How do we fix this?
4646
What options are there for saving game data in a secure manner? I'm interested in solutions specifically tailored for C++.   I'm looking for something that is fast and easy to use. I'm only concerned about storing simple information such as   Which levels are and are not unlocked The user's score for each level   I'm curious again to know what's out there to use, any good libraries to use that give me nice, secure game data files that the average player can't mess with.   I just found  here which looks very nice, but it would be great to get some opinions on potential other libraries/options out there.
102349
I'm confused how to handle the players in my MMO server (using Socket.IO but I think this should apply to any MMO).  Suppose there are 2 players in my server that are far away from eachother. I will call them A and B in this example.  The server launches. No clients are connected.  A joins and is added to the server's active playerlist.   Every second A gets a list from the server with the active players nearby to update their positions. Since there are none online currently, the list is empty.  B joins, far away from A. The server adds B to the active playerlist. Since A cannot see B yet, the list that A receives from the server is still empty.  B is moving towards A and comes within visual range.  What to do now for A? Send an event to A that B has come within range? How can the server know that A was informed of B being nearby? Does this mean I have to maintain a list on the server which player can see another?   Here's what I was doing before with my previous project: I never told the clients that a player was in range, instead the server just sent a list every second of players that are nearby and let the client do the rest. This way, the client keeps track which unit is added and which is not. Is this the best approach, or am I missing something?
9405
Minecraft's got an "Open to LAN" feature, which can be used to set up a local server when two computers running Minecraft are on the same network. Some young relatives of mine use this to play together whenever they're in the same house, but they'd like to be able to play together from their respective residences.  A server is not optimal because it's a bit complex. I've tried using Tunngle to spoof that the computers are on the same connection to no avail.  How can I convince Minecraft's "Open to LAN" that their two separate computers are on the same network?
2075
As the younger members of our group get older, they are going off to college or {gasp} getting on with their lives.  We still game but are finding it harder to get together as distances increase. Since they all have computers and are tech savvy, what software is available for virtual table top play?    Being a webmaster and database administrator I have access to all the technology I could possibly need.  So be sure to include system requirements.  I just need to know what my options are.  One thing I need to add.  Some of the players will still be at the physical table and 1 or 2 will be remote.  This means I need to accommodate both types in each game session.  Also having the ability to do Non-D&amp;D is a plus as our group plays many different systems.  For me there is only one answer.  I can try each of the systems since I'm webmaster/DBA  and have that kind of a setup, but I will in the end choose one.  (There Can Be Only One!) As a service to the group I will give a full 'review' of what I did to evaluate and what/why I choose a particular solution.  I think that in the end the fantastic answers here will help others regardless of what I do. Isn't that the best thing?
61216
I am trying to come up with what could maybe be a novel algorithm for an application I am writing. Client A has a file fA. Client B has file fB. Each party is untrustworthy and will try to rip off the other party. Client A wants the fB and client B wants fA.  How can I make an algorithm were it is not possible for them to screw the other player.  For example:     A encrypts fA and send the file to B.     B encrypts fB and sends it to A.  Now, both A and B have an encrypted version of the file they want.  How can they both share the decryption key at the same time... or what?   Is this even possible? This is breaking my mind.  Since each client will try to rip the other party, Client A cannot send the file fA to client B and expect client B to send back its file. If client A sends it first "with no guarantees", client B will simply run off with the file.  In real life a person holds the pot in one hand, the other holds the cash in the other. They both trade each hand at the same time. The guy with the cash now ends up with the pot and vice versa. How can I do something similar with computer bits. (client A and B are on a network at different locations).  EDIT: Please note that each party has a hash of the file they are supposed to get. Therefore, the parties cannot send a junk file to the other guy whit-out him knowing. A trusted third party will provide the hash.
89097
I searched around the web, even in the official SCII com forums, but I could not get an exact answer on this question:  "Is LAN with SCII definitely not possible or is there a way to get the PCs inside the LAN connected even through the Battle.NET without connecting the computers via Internet?"  I heard about work-arounds, where you still use battle net but after connecting to the certain players you let the connection run over the local network.
59241
There are many go servers but all of them seem to be for player-player games. I want to play online against a computer. I found some but it is not an actual go. I was not able to find a real go brain online. Are there any at all?   PS: In the end, I registered to KGS and later at WBaduk (but liked KGS much more) and I ended up playing against human players only. I found it much more fun than playing against a computer and since I tried it for the first time (online) I never went back to playing against the computer.
117683
So I am on Minecraft playing on my friends world (Not server). However, they won't go online for no reason. I want to go continue my work on that world and not start brand new on survival again. I've already made a lot of progress and would not like to lose it, can somebody help? I've already tried to get answers but they are either too complicated or for servers like IP.
55493
Is it possible to get people to join your singleplayer world if they are connected to your LAN?
112893
What will Sony do if someone uses my account as primary on another ps4 without my knowledge? Will the account be banned? Or will the other guy that has my account as primary be banned? After how long? I have no credit card on my account so I don't care too much but I want to know.   He uses my account on his ps4 as a primary account. I think to use my digital games as free (Sharing, but without my knowledge).
36986
I love how homebrew makes my life easier! Though, I just realized that I don't really know who is "signing off" the stuff I get installed through it. So, I ask:    Is there a central repo (like Linux distro PPAs)?  Or is it all decentralized (ie. code gets downloaded simultaneously from Github, Source Forge, etc)? What mechanisms are in place to prevent trojan horses from being installed through brew?
50234
I've seen multiple servers where you can connect from any (recent) major version. (Example, 1.9, 1.8 OR 1.7) And they all seem to be able to do it. Alas, a simple google search did not fix the problem. Any ideas? Thanks guys.  (PS: The Minecraft server is running on the latest Spigot for 1.10 as of 6/27/16)