[Guide] Hosting your own free Ventrilo Server

[Professor Banana]

Allright, this is my guide on making a vent server. I'm typing this all myself right now.

First, go to Ventrilo - Surround Sound Voice Communication Software and download the latest version of the server program (this guide is for windows XP)

Run the installation wizard. (I expect you all don't need me to hold your hand through this)

next, after it's installed, you want to test that it works.

start up your vent server (start > All Programs > VentSrv > Ventrilo Server) and ventrilo client, and make a new server. call it "my vent" or something along those lines. the Hostname or IP is "127.0.0.1" and the port is "3784"



see if you can connect. If you can, you're golden.

next, click start > All Programs > VentSrv > Edit INI file


yours will look like this:

[Server]

Name=Server 1
Phonetic=Server 1
Auth=0
Duplicates=1
AdminPassword=
Password=
SendBuffer=0
RecvBuffer=0
Diag=0
LogonTimeout=5
CloseStd=1
TimeStamp=0
PingRate=10
ExtraBuffer=0
ChanWidth=0
ChanDepth=0
ChanClients=0
DisableQuit=0
VoiceCodec=0
VoiceFormat=1
SilentLobby=0
AutoKick=0

You don't really have to change anything, but you can.

[Server]

Name=Server 1
Phonetic=Server 1
Auth=0
Duplicates=1
AdminPassword=youradminpassword
Password=password
SendBuffer=0
RecvBuffer=0
Diag=0
LogonTimeout=5
CloseStd=1
TimeStamp=0
PingRate=10
ExtraBuffer=0
ChanWidth=0
ChanDepth=0
ChanClients=0
DisableQuit=0
VoiceCodec=0
VoiceFormat=1
SilentLobby=0
AutoKick=0

change the dark red to whatever you want your server's name to be.

change the youradminpassword to whatever you want your admin password to be.

change the password to the password you want people to have to enter to get in (for no password, leave blank)

you don't really need to know anything else as far as your INI file goes, just know that 1 means on and 0 means off.

For other people to connnect, you need to give them your IP. to find this out, go to What Is My IP Address? - IP Address Lookup, Internet Speed Test, IP Info, plus more

they will put your IP in the hostname/IP sectin (where you put 127.0.0.1 (127.0.0.1 is the localhost, it bounces itself back to your computer))

Lastly, no one will be able to connect to your server if your running it through a router and you don't foreward the port 3784.

Go to your router's setup (192.168.1.1 for me, yours might be different) usually port forewarding is under Applications and Gaming, or something along those lines.

you need to foreward the internal and external port 3784. use "both" for protocal if you can, mess around with it if you don't have that option. for the "to IP" part have the suffix be 100



save your changes, and happy venting!

(FYI, this can only have 8 ppl in it at one time)



Since i'm feeling in the happy mood, i'll also tell you guys how to make new channels.

so after you're connected to your server, you need to log in as an admin. Right click the little computer icon, Server Admin > Log in

use the admin password you made in your INI file.

there whould be an "A" in front of your server's name now.


Next, right click the computer icon, and go Channel admin > Create...



it'll open the channel creation wizard. It's pretty self explanitory, but here's a pic anyway:

You can put a password in, and people will have to enter that password to get into that channel.


Hope that helped everyone!

[Broken Shadows]

I wish you could like host it, but then give it to people.
I dunno if it works, seems good.

[[ Prototype ]]

Yes! Finally

Thanks man, +6 rep from me. I think you're out of leecher now :3

[madshald]

I only read about ½ of the guide, but seems to be a imba step by step guide, + rep indeed

[Drakketh]

Aren't free Ventrilo servers limited to only a few people that can be on at once?

Great guy nonetheless, +rep from me

[Lafie]

3.0 free versio, you can only host for 8 players, get 2.1 server, unlimited.

[skiierx131]

I know a guide like this was posted a long long time ago and I was searching the other day to no avail. So I thank you OP for making this. Inc rep.

[Gripen2]

The bad is no other people can join it.

[Professor Banana]

the only problem with hosting a 2.1 server, is i'm pretty sure to connect you need to have a copy of the 2.2 client.

[Arieth]

Other people can join your own Ventrilo, you just need to foward your ports and set up a DNS with your IP and give your DNSIP out to the people that you want to join =P

I've been hosting my own Ventrilo for the past couple weeks and I have my friends log into it =D.

[Vragoth]

If you want to find out your router ip to forward your ports....

1) Start menu
2) run
3) cmd
4) Type Ipconfig
5) where it says default gateway thats your router ip.
6) Now enter that on your internet browser

[Lemonnns]

Great guide, +2 rep.

[ace_012]

Sweet nice guide +rep
I wanna try it with the 2.1 client as well, anyone know if u need the 2.2 client to connect to it for sure or not?

[lalaa]

Good guide
If anyone's having trouble port forwarding check this link, got guides to pretty much all routers
PortForward.com - Free Help Setting up Your Router or Firewall

[Kuula]

Not when you are hosting the server yourself. But the speed will probably be slow unless you have a really good network. It's like running a private server or something on your computer. It'll be slow if you don't have a good upload speed/download speed. That said if you can't pay for a vent server this can be a great alternative.