Gamearena Steam Content Server Help

From Whisper's Wiki

Contents 1 The Quick Method 2 Step 1 - Ensure you are allowed to use the GameArena Steam Servers 3 Step 2 - Shutdown Steam 4 Step 3 - Block non-GA Content Servers 5 Step 4 - Download TCP Optimiser 6 Step 5 - Set Steams Internet Connection Speed 7 Step 6 - Delete clientregistry.blob 8 Step 7 - Find what Steam is trying to connect to 9 Step 8 - Attempt to update/download new game content

The Quick Method

This is a short explanation of how to quickly force Steam to use GameArena servers using only TCPView. If you intend to update lots of games or update large amounts, then this method isn't for you. I suggest you move on to step 1. If you have small updates to do, then this method could be for you.

You will need to download the TCPView application shown in step 4 below. Open this application up after opening Steam. Set your download speed as shown in step 5. If you can't find where to change it in the settings area for later versions of steam then try in the "Downloads" tab. Close steam, wait 30 seconds, and re-open it.

Watch in TCPView the steam.exe application. Start your update in Steam. You should see green and red flashes. Green representing the start of a connection and red representing the closing of a connection. You should see some connections being made in the "Remote Address" column. This is where Steam is contacting to download the update from. If it dosen't say GameArena in the name (eg. ga2.gamearena.com.au:27030)then right click it and click "close connection". Confirm if it asks for confirmation.

Keep repeating until you have only GameArena sources. For me, there are always 2 connections to servers and are automatically set to gamearena when I start Steam. However, sometimes another connection will be made and a GameArena one will drop out. I then keep closing the connections being made (as one will be made when you end one) until the GameArena connection is shown again.

In this way you won't need to download and install a firewall just to download a small patch etc. You can just store the TCPView application away in your "My Documents" folder or some other location and when Steam releases a new patch you don't have to download/install/reconfigure a firewall. It can be used for reasonably larger patches but if you were to download a very large one or ones for multiple games, then don't bother with the above method. The GameArena connections will keep closing while you'll have to keep checking and rotating the connections to GameArena.

Quick guide by KaLibuR.

Step 1 - Ensure you are allowed to use the GameArena Steam Servers

Only people on BigPond Cable/ADSL (NOT ISDN, Dialup or Satellite!) are allowed to use the content servers (This is BigPonds decision, not GameArenas). If you meet the above requirements, visit this page to confirm you can access the content servers.

Step 2 - Shutdown Steam

Close steam (right click the tray icon > Exit) in order to continue. Wait 15 seconds to ensure Steam actually closes, it takes a few moments.

Step 3 - Block non-GA Content Servers

You should only need to block the following content servers. You will need to use a software firewall (Such as Norton Personal Firewall, Zone Alarm, or IPSec in Windows XP/2000) or a hardware firewall such as your router if you have one to prevent Steam from finding and using these servers.

IP's to block:

1. Internode (steam1.games.internode.on.net): 203.26.94.251
2. Internode (steam1.adl6.internode.on.net): 150.101.135.1
3. 3FL (steam-wa.3fl.net.au): 202.72.191.174

Those IPs belong to Internode/3FL Content Servers.

These following IP's are courtesy of KaliBuR:

1. 3FL: 202.173.128.178

These IP's are American servers, so you shouldn't have to block these:

1. Valve 10: 69.28.151.26
2. Valve 12: 69.28.151.28
3. Valve 13: 69.28.151.29
4. Unknown (Valve?): 69.28.181.180
5. Unknown (Valve?): 208.111.144.134
6. Unknown (Valve?): 208.111.144.14
7. Unknown (Qwest?): 72.165.61.151
8. Unknown (Qwest?): 63.145.202.2
9. Unknown (Qwest?): 72.165.61.150
10. Unknown (Qwest?): 63.145.202.3

Steam locates content servers based off which servers have the required content (eg, to download Half-Life 2), and then chooses the servers with the lowest ping time.

Servers in America/overseas (Such as Valve content servers) will have ping times much higher (200ms+) than GameArena (and other local ISP) servers (~20ms), and therefore do not need to be blocked for this to work. This is because if the content can't be found locally, it will need to jump overseas to grab the required content in which point it's pointless to block them as you won't be able to grab the content and you'll get a message saying that Steam content servers are busy and that you should try again later.

Once you have blocked them, make sure by pinging them (Start Menu->Run and type 'cmd'), then type: ping 203.26.94.251 or use PingPlotter Freeware to ping them as it also resolves the IP back to who owns it.

Repeat this for each server listed above to be blocked.

You should not get any ping replies - If you do, they are not blocked yet, read your firewall documentation in order to block them correctly.

Step 4 - Download TCP Optimiser

Follow this link and download TCP Optimiser (600Kb)

TCP Optimizer is a free, easy Windows program that provides an intuitive interface for tuning and optimizing your Internet connection. There is no installation required, just download and run.

Once downloaded, open the application and click the 'Optimal Settings' button. It's the small one in the bottom right hand corner.

Example:

Please note that I use Bigpond Cable, so the slider on the Connection Speed may vary. Please leave it as it is.

Click 'Apply Changes' and then 'OK'. This will bring up a window that says 'Would you like to reboot for the changes to take effect?' Select yes and reboot your PC.

Step 5 - Set Steams Internet Connection Speed

Launch Steam. Right-click on the Steam system tray icon and select 'Settings'. Click the 'Internet' tab and select the Internet speed: 'DSL > 768K' regardless if you have Cable or ADSL. Select Ok and exit Steam. Wait 15 seconds or so for it to shut down before proceeding with the next step.

Step 6 - Delete clientregistry.blob

Delete the file C:\Steam\ClientRegistry.blob (If C:\Steam is your installation folder). Other default install paths are C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam and C:\Program Files\Steam.

Deleting this file will force Steam to look for new content servers. Steam will then begin to redownload that file again, and will show an 'Updating platform' message while doing so.

This is very important as when this file doesn't exist, Steam will search for new content servers and use the most suitable one accordingly. On occasion you can just constantly start and stop Steam while deleting this file each time and you may just hit the GA content server.

Step 7 - Find what Steam is trying to connect to

Download TCP View (94Kb)

TCPView is a Windows program that will show you detailed listings of all TCP and UDP endpoints on your system, including the local and remote addresses and state of TCP connections. On Windows Server 2008, Vista, NT, 2000 and XP TCPView also reports the name of the process that owns the endpoint. TCPView provides a more informative and conveniently presented subset of the Netstat program that ships with Windows. The TCPView download includes Tcpvcon, a command-line version with the same functionality.

You can use this handy little program to see what Steam is trying to connect to. Follow the next step and come back to this step if you don't get the GameArena content server.

Step 8 - Attempt to update/download new game content

It is important to note that GameArena does not have every Steam game/content file installed on its content servers.

This means, that you cannot have GA as the content server for every game/content you want to download off Steam (such as Opposing Force for an example).

Valve have purposly placed all HL2/CS/CSS related content on the GameArena servers as these games are the most popular, no more space is available for any other content (Deathmatch Classic, Codename Gordon etc), more physical hardware would need to be used (currently, GA has 5 servers - matching Internode).

The following English versions of the Steam content is available for download off the GA Content Servers:

1. All Source (HL2) related content (Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, Half-Life: Source)
2. Counter-Strike (1.6)
3. Counter-Strike: Condition Zero (NOT Deleted Scenes)
4. Day of Defeat

NOTE

As of 3th June 2006, ALL Source related content has been placed on the GA Content Servers. Rag doll kung foo and Darwinia have also been placed on there.

NOTE: KaLibuR has reported that the following are available for download on GA servers:

1. Counter-Strike: Source
2. Day of Defeat: Source
3. Half-Life 2
4. Half-Life 2: Deathmatch
5. Half-Life 2: Episode One
6. Half-Life 2: Episode Two
7. Half-Life 2: Lost Coast
8. Portal
9. Team Fortress 2
10. Peggle Extreme

Any other content attempting to be downloaded (such as Opposing Force) will not be done via GameArena as the content does not exist on GA servers, it will be downloaded off a Valve/other server, since you cannot get it from GameArena.

Now to test the download. I am going to use Half-Life: Source in this test, you may use CS 1.6 or DoD as a test if you do not have access to HL: Source.

1. If you already have Half-Life: Source installed, rightclick the game under 'My Games' in Steam, select Properties. Click the 'Local Files' tab and then click 'Delete local game content...' and click OK to the confirm message.
2. Return to the games list, rightclick Half-Life: Source and click 'Install game...'
3. Click next until the local cache is created and you have the option of 'Playing the game now'. Ensure the box is checked (by default) and click Next/OK.
4. The game should now be launching, and will soon popup with 'Ready to play in ...' dialog. You should see the GA Content server logo on this screen.
5. You now should be downloading at a fast speed, which you can tell by clicking View → Bandwidth Monitor.

It should be updating at 1Mbps+ if you are on Cable, or 64kbps if you are on 512 ADSL - Speed may vary though

If you see the logo now, all should be good, and you will get updates for CSS/1.6/DOD etc from the GameArena content servers!

If you're still getting an Australian content server, then please get its IP and note it here.

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Thanks to the following people

• Plasma, for writing the original to this guide
• Catalyst for the hosts blocking method
• Whisper for the IPSEC blocking method
• INsane for his guide
• KaLibuR for adding IPs to block & games available from GA

They are all valuable contributors who wrote various methods on how to get GA content servers!

- WaLLy3K