Can you use UPNP & DMZ together? Plus other Questions..

Hi All,

I have a few questions regarding UPNP and DMZ in a home NAT LAN which is
connected to the internet via a Cable modem and I am using a Linksys Befsr41
router. I've split my questions up into a series of numbered smaller
questions...

1) Does upnp work with a dmz ip?

2)If yes, will upnp override the dmz? My understanding of of upnp is that it
will set port forwarding automatically as and when a client requires. As dmz
automatically forwards all ports to a given ip, will upnp override this and
send the port forwarding to another ip (which is using upnp)?

3)Is there any benefit of using upnp if you have dmz enabled? i.e will
anything work with upnp which wouldn't work with dmz? I've heard reports
that messenger works fine with upnp but if dmz is enabled aswell, the speed
of video/file transfers increases? Is this true and if so why?

4) Essentially I ask these questions because I play alot of games (both
connecting to other game servers and hosting my own) plus I use various
video conferencing/sharing software. I'm forever trying to get programs to
work correctly by setting up port forwarding etc. What I want is to have the
router setup so as many programs/games will work as possible without me
having to change settings. Ideally as if I had no NAT at all and was
connected directly to the interent. Security is a secondary issue here.

Many Thanks for any help!

Simon

*remove the SPAM bit to reply via email

"Simon Bussey" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:C5tKc.2468$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi All,
>
> I have a few questions regarding UPNP and DMZ in a home NAT LAN which is
> connected to the internet via a Cable modem and I am using a Linksys
> Befsr41 router. I've split my questions up into a series of numbered
> smaller questions...
>
> 1) Does upnp work with a dmz ip?
>
> 2)If yes, will upnp override the dmz? [...]

Both will depend on the router.

> 3)Is there any benefit of using upnp if you have dmz enabled? i.e will
> anything work with upnp which wouldn't work with dmz?

Yes, there is potential for UPnP-aware applications to work where they
wouldn't with "DMZ"[1] enabled. However, only a moron would create an
UPnP-aware application that didn't work equally well with "DMZ" enabled
instead.

> I've heard reports that messenger works fine with upnp but if dmz is
> enabled aswell, the speed of video/file transfers increases? Is this true
> and if so why?

MSN/Windows Messenger transfers files through the server if a direct
connection cannot be made[2]; doing this is likely to slow down transfers
but there is no other reason for any difference.

[1] In quotes because enabling "DMZ" does not create a DMZ.
[2] Sadly, last time I checked the network code still seemed crap as server
transfers were used when not strictly necessary.

Alex