Server is binding to internal IP rather than external

[Spinner0205]

First;
BASIC INFO
Server OS: Windows Vista Ultimate 32 bit
Processor: AMD Turion Mobile TL-60 2.0Ghz Dual Core
Ram: 4GB (3GB in 32 bit)
Game(s): Team Fortress 2
Start Up Command: C:\Server Administrator\TAGServer1 -console -game tf -secure +map cp_dustbowl +maxplayers 24 -port 27017 +exec server.cfg
Admin Mods: SourceMod

NETWORK AND BANDWIDTH INFO
Bandwidth:
Router: Belkin F5D9231-4v1(01)
Local IP of Server: 192.168.2.12
External IP: 76.31.111.228
Port Forwarding Rules: Click Here

Okay so the problem is I have forwarded all necessary ports on my router as shown above. I have tried running the Server in DMZ mode, have turned off the router firewall all together, turned off the windows firewall, and disabled DHCP, also I dont even use the +ip in the command line. If I use it with the internal IP it works fine for me, but with the external IP it spits out:

Quote:Couldn't allocate any server IP port

None of these solutions work for my server because with sv_lan set to 0 it still binds to the internal IP of the server rather than the external which means nobody but me can connect. What I have to do is completely bypass the router all together and hook up to the modem directly to get it to run like a real internet server and then it works perfectly, binds to my external IP and anybody can connect. Is there anything else I can do to get it working through the router without having to go straight to the modem?

Edit: So from reading a previous post I learned that the master servers can see a server bound to an internal IP and still see and use the external IP. However mine is not doing that and no matter what I do with the router, it still uses the internal IP.

Second Edit: Possibly as a better explanation here is the two instances of what my server says when starting up:
Behind the router:
Network: IP 192.168.2.12, mode MP, dedicated Yes, ports 27017 SV / 27005 CL

and straight to the modem:
Network: IP 76.31.111.228, mode MP, dedicated Yes, ports 27017 SV / 27005 CL

PLEASE know that before you give me a very simple suggestion like set sv_lan 0 that I have tried every simple solution I could find on the internet. Just a FEW are detailed above. I am wondering if I have overlooked anything but either way feel free to toss out any ideas.

[loopyman]

In a NAT scenario ( your network ) you WANT your game server to bind to your local IP address...

Then users should be able to connect to your server using your external IP while you yourself will have to use your internal IP.
As long as you did your port forwarding correctly it should work fine.

[Spinner0205]

(01-22-2011, 06:19 PM)loopyman Wrote:  In a NAT scenario ( your network ) you WANT your game server to bind to your local IP address...

Then users should be able to connect to your server using your external IP while you yourself will have to use your internal IP.
As long as you did your port forwarding correctly it should work fine.

So what then what do you think could be causing users to not be able to connect. Because all they get it Server not responding.

[loopyman]

Allow all outbound connections on your routers firewall ( if you have one ) *IMPORTANT* It's pointless to firewall outbound connections on a home network.
and forward ONLY 27015 TCP and UDP to your server.

[lol554]

Turning off the firewall on your router doesn't mean that you are opening the necessary ports. You still need to forward them.

[na33m]

well you can always use +ip prefix in your shortcut's target command line field to have it use your external ip...

[Spinner0205]

(01-26-2011, 12:00 AM)na33m Wrote:  well you can always use +ip prefix in your shortcut's target command line field to have it use your external ip...

I refer you to what I said in bold in my original post.

---

(01-25-2011, 05:55 PM)lol554 Wrote:  Turning off the firewall on your router doesn't mean that you are opening the necessary ports. You still need to forward them.

Like I said I have tried all simple solutions and have included a picture of my port forwarding. I am wondering if I have missed any other things or done something wrong.

[lol554]

(01-26-2011, 06:43 AM)Spinner0205 Wrote:  

(01-26-2011, 12:00 AM)na33m Wrote:  well you can always use +ip prefix in your shortcut's target command line field to have it use your external ip...

I refer you to what I said in bold in my original post.

---

(01-25-2011, 05:55 PM)lol554 Wrote:  Turning off the firewall on your router doesn't mean that you are opening the necessary ports. You still need to forward them.

Like I said I have tried all simple solutions and have included a picture of my port forwarding. I am wondering if I have missed any other things or done something wrong.

Hey... Sorry about that, it was difficult to see the link (mostly i just skip most of the topic text when reading. )

You have forwarded the ports to 192.168.1.4, but your server has the ip 192.168.2.12 - You need to forward the ports to the correct address.

[Spinner0205]

Quote:You have forwarded the ports to 192.168.1.4, but your server has the ip 192.168.2.12 - You need to forward the ports to the correct address.

Oh I know that's just an old pic of some ports being forwarded to another address but my forwarding now is exactly the same except the .12 address.

---

I suppose its just my router because like I said it works fine straight to the modem. Not about to go get a new router just to test it. So Friend and I are gonna buy dedicated box soon anyways. Thanks everybody for your help though.

[a7m1]

its NAT enabled router so you will get internal ip's all over your home network, you should specify -ip only in case if you have multiple NIC's installed otherwise the internal ip would be automaticly detected , Also : don't use DMZ and port forwarding together to single IP over your network it causes issues due to my experience .
Also Set up Static ip below the DHCP Range
EX : Your router has dhcp range of 192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.200 use 192.168.1.2 as static ip in order to not to confuse in port forwarding at every new leasing
Hope That Helps , Kind Regards , Ahmad