FAQ

General

• How does XBSlink work?

• On which Windows versions does XBSlink run?

• Can i run XBSlink as a console command line (non-GUI) application?

• When i connect to a Cloud , XBSlink connects to less nodes then listed in the cloud list - why?

• Why do i get the message "Your XBSlink is not reachable from the internet (port closed)" when i start the XBSlink engine?

• Why can't other XBSlink users connect to me when they join the same cloud?

• I don't have any entries in the capture device list! (starting WinPCap automatic & manually)

• Can i use my wireless connection as the "capture device" in XBSlink?

• Does XBSlink work with the Playstation 3/2 (PS3/PS2)?

• Awesome, can i run this on a JTAGed XBox360 directly?

• How do i start XBSlink and join a XBSlink network?

• Do i have to know the hostname/ip of another host running XBSlink to join a network?

• How can i see what the ping time to other XBSlink hosts are?

• Is the ping delay lower as with Xlink Kai?

• How is XBSlink different to Xlink Kai/xbconnect?

• Is there a list of Xbox360 / PS3 games compatible with XBSlink?

• Will this work with all XBox SystemLink games?

• Do i need to forward a port on my router?

• Is there a way to run XBSlink directly on my router (eg. dd-wrt), eliminating the need of a PC?

• How much does XBSlink cost?

• How many clients can connect to a XBSlink P2P network?

• Will it work if I plug my Xbox 360 into the ethernet port on the back of my computer, and have my computer connecting to the internet wirelessly?

• Is there a linux version?

• Why do i need to run XBSlink on Linux with root privileges?

• I have a different libpcap version installed in my system. How can i run XBSlink?

How does XBSlink work?

This software uses the WinPcap Packet capture library to capture packets from the XBox locally connected to your network. All packets are then forwarded to the correct clients.

On which Windows versions does XBSlink run?

Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7. Probably on the never Windows Server versions too.

Can i run XBSlink as a console command line (non-GUI) application?

Yes! The XBSlink executable is a dual mode program and can be run in GUI and non-GUI mode. If your run XBSlink with at least one command line parameter the program will switch to non-GUI mode. Please see the "Usage" Page for more information.

When i connect to a Cloud , XBSlink connects to less nodes then listed in the cloud list - why?

Most likely some of the nodes are behind a firewall or a home router and didn't set up a port forwarding. ("They can establish a connection to you, but you can't connect to them.")

Why do i get the message "Your XBSlink is not reachable from the internet (port closed)" when i start the XBSlink engine?

XBSlink uses a peer to peer (P2P) protocol. If you are behind a NAT Firewall (like a home dsl router) a port has to be forwarded to your computer in the LAN. XBSlink can do this for you if UPnP is enabled on your router or you can do it manually. The standard port for XBSlink is 31415. To disable this warning uncheck the "use cloud server to check incoming port" option in the XBSlink settings. If you try to join a cloud as a "port closed" node, you will not be able to connect to other "port closed" XBSlink nodes.

Why can't other XBSlink users connect to me when they join the same cloud?

This happens if UPnP is not enabled/working in your network and you don't have an incoming port forwarded from your router. Please ensure that XBSlink on your computer is reachable from outside your LAN.

I don't have any entries in the capture device list! (starting WinPCap automatic & manually)

This is the case, when the WinPcap capture device was not started. (maybe you unchecked "automatic start" during installation?)
A easy workaround is to start XBSlink as Administrator, which is not recommended.

You can change the start settings of the NPF service (WinPcap device) to "automatic" or "system" at any time using the following methods:
From the Device Manager you can select View->Show hidden devices, then open Non-Plug and Play Drivers and right click on NetGroup Packet Filter Driver. In the driver properties you can set the startup type as well as start and stop the driver manually.
From the command line you can run
sc config npf start= auto
(This must be run as Administrator under Vista.)
In the registry you can change HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NPF\Start from 0x3 (SERVICE_DEMAND_START) to 0x2 (SERVICE_AUTO_START) or 0x1 (SERVICE_SYSTEM_START).

To manually start/stop the NPF (NetGroup Packet Filter) driver open a console and run:
runas /u:administrator "net start npf"
or to stop the driver
runas /u:administrator "net stop npf"

Can i use my wireless connection as the "capture device" in XBSlink?

On most available wireless adapters it won't work. Injecting packets on wireless devices (in Windows) is not very well supported. You might have more luck with the linux port of XBSlink. Using your wireless connection for the internet uplink is no problem.

Does XBSlink work with the Playstation 3/2 (PS3/PS2)?

Yes. It was tested and working by entering the Playstation MAC address in the "always forward Mac List" in XBSlink. It might also work by enabling the "advanced forwarding of broadcasts" option in XBSLink. Please make sure that all PS3 consoles are configured to be in the same IP range.

Awesome, can i run this on a JTAGed XBox360 directly?

Sorry, there is now knowledge or intentions about developing native software for JTAGed XBoxes.

How do i start XBSlink and join a XBSlink network?

Start the program, select the Capture Device (network adapter) where the XBox packets will come in, select the correct internal IP address and "Start engine" ! XBSlink is now in listen mode and will wait for incoming requests. To join another XBSlink node/network enter a hostname and click "Announce".

Do i have to know the hostname/ip of another host running XBSlink to join a network?

Yes. XBSlink is based on a P2P (Peer to Peer) protocol. It doesn't matter to which host you send an announce in an existing XBSlink network (aka "XBSlink cloud"). It doesn't have to be the masterbrowser. Its easy to use a service like http://www.dyndns.org or http://www.no-ip.com

How can i see what the ping time to other XBSlink hosts are?

Ping times are shown in the main info area (center of XBSlink), next to each node entry.

Is the ping delay lower as with Xlink Kai?

XBSlink is designed to be very fast in processing the XBox data packets. It's just not possible to magically lower the ping time by half, but i might give you the milliseconds you were looking for ;)

How is XBSlink different to Xlink Kai/xbconnect?

In difference to other Systemlink proxies, XBSlink is purely P2P with no server infrastructure. No server connection or specialized game browser service is necessary. You are not dependent on any other factors. All packets in and out are 100% between the client nodes itself. The program was developed to get the last bit of speed/ping time thats possible. And to know, that no other data than the game packets itself is send to the internet.

Is there a list of Xbox360 / PS3 games compatible with XBSlink?

XBox360 Game List: 1 / 2 / 3
PS3 Games List: 1

Will this work with all XBox SystemLink games?

In general, yes. There is always a but... XBox games enforce a ping limit. If your internet connection has a high latency, it might not be possible to join games. The ping limit does not apply to jtag boxes with ping-patch.

Do i need to forward a port on my router?

If your router supports dynamic port mapping via UPnP, no. XBSlink can automatically open a port for you. If your router does not have this ability, you have to manually add a port forwarding.

Is there a way to run XBSlink directly on my router (eg. dd-wrt), eliminating the need of a PC?

Short answer: no (not yet). This is in theory possible but the XBSlink core needs to be rewritten in C.

How much does XBSlink cost?

Nothing :) XBSlink is free for personal use. If you wish to use this software in a commercial project, please contact the author.

How many clients can connect to a XBSlink P2P network?

The XBSlink software has no limits on clients. However, your computer does...

Will it work if I plug my Xbox 360 into the ethernet port on the back of my computer, and have my computer connecting to the internet wirelessly?

Yes! This is how XBSlink was tested locally most of the time. It might increase your ping time though.

Is there a linux version?

Yes. You can download it on the download page. XBSlink for Linux requires mono and libpcap to be installed on your system.

Why do i need to run XBSlink on Linux with root privileges?

XBSlink uses the pcap library. Sniffing & injecting ethernet packets with libpcap is only possible with root privileges on Linux. As an alternative you can give mono low-level network priviledges with this command: sudo setcap 'CAP_NET_RAW+eip CAP_NET_ADMIN+eip' /PATH/TO/MONO With this you can run any mono app as non-root and still use low-level network functions like libpcap.

I have a different libpcap version installed in my system. How can i run XBSlink?

Go to the XBSlink directory and open the file "SharpPcap.dll.config". Change the "libpcap.so.1.1.1" entries to whatever version you have on your system.