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A client is said to be Unreachable when, for one reason or another, the client can not accept incoming connections. If the client can accept incoming connections the client is referred to as Reachable.
With eDonkey other clients need to be able to connect to you. If you are Unreachable you will be able to download from Reachable clients, but you will not be able to download from another Unreachable client. This means that many possible sources for downloads are not available to those who are Unreachable.
Why am I Unreachable?
The most common causes of being Unreachable are; having the Windows XP Firewall on but not configured, using a connection sharing router or running a software firewall.
Testing your connection
Occasionally Unreachable status can be assigned, even though the client is having no problems accepting incoming connections. This test web page was created on a Reachable server to test your client. While eDonkey is running visit the Connection Tester, enter the TCP port shown in Options -> Network, and click test. It will attempt to connect to your eDonkey client. If it returns an error a firewall, gateway, router (or possibly something else) is blocking your connecting to eDonkey. This could result in one of two things:
A) You will receive Unreachable while connected to eDonkey, and may not be able to achieve full transfer speeds.
B) You will be unable to connect to the eDonkey network.
To attempt to resolve this issue:
Most people connect to the internet in one of three ways
- Their computer connects to a modem (dial up, DSL, or cable) which connects to the internet
- Their computer connects to a router (either via a wire, or wireless) which connects to the modem that connects the internet
- Their computer connects to a network, which somehow connects to the internet (like in offices or dorm rooms), everything beyond
that wire is unknown and out of reach
1. Direct Connections
In these cases, generally a firewall is the most frequent problem. Firewalls do not need to be disabled for eDonkey to get Reachable status, they just need to be configured. For more information on how to configure your firewall software, see the links on the left side, or check the documentation that came with the firewall. Windows XP users should note that Windows XP has a firewall built in, you can also find configuration information for it on the left.
Occasionally for Cable or DSL internet users the modem itself may have some sort of firewall built in. Contact your service provider for more information on the device, and how to configure it.
2. Connection via a router
In virtually all situations the router will need to be configured to forward the applicable ports (what is a port) to the computer running eDonkey. Several examples for different router models are linked on the left side. If you don't see your specific model try looking at the other ones listed, configuration between different models is often quite similar.
You may also have a firewall running, in which case both the router, and the firewall will need to be configured. For more information on how to configure your firewall software, see the links on the left side, or check the documentation that came with the firewall. Windows XP users should note that Windows XP has a firewall built in, you can also find configuration information for it on the left.
3. Connection via an uncontrolled network
This is one of the most difficult, if not impossible situations to resolve Unreachable status. Try talking to your network administrator, or other people who use the same network, they should be able to offer some advice on how to connect to the network. You may or may not be able to receive 'Reachable' status.
A final step: Change Ports
If previous steps have failed, changing ports may work for you. You can change ports via the Options menu, Network selection. Try entering Port 80 for your TCP port. Then visit the connection tester again. Entering 80 in the port box this time and click test again. Hopefully this time it reports okay.
Any port is fine, 80 is chosen as a good test as it is the port used for web transfers, and hence is generally left open. You can try any port you wish. For long term use, it is strongly recommended to chose a port above 1024, as many of the ports below this number are specifically assigned to a certain purpose.
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