Member Avatar for Djmann1013

My mom, I admit is so uninformed about LAN game servers, and is not tech-savvy. She thinks that a LAN server is a public server where people outside on the internet can access my LAN server.

She is misinformed, and I can't dumb it down, since she automattically thinks "A server is for everyone to access. This puts my computer at risk of getting comprimised"

I don't know how to talk to her in a way that she can understand that a local IP is not a public IP and that a server hosted on a LAN network cannot be accessed without port forwarding..

I tried to explain, but she thinks that hosting a LAN server allowes people on the internet to access it without portforwarding the router. I also tried to say that someone has to be connected to our network to access the server - she thinks the server can be accessed on the internet. I have no ideas on how to dumb it down that LAN servers cannot be accessed from outside of the network.

Can someone help me on how to dumb it down so she can understand?

Thanks

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Member Avatar for gusano79

If you're not using any wireless connections, you can do a simple physical demonstration: "Nothing is connected to anything outside the room."

Even more (somewhat over-) simplified explanation: it's a mini-Internet that only you guys are on.

Good luck :]

Member Avatar for Unimportant

The problem is that the LAN is infact exposed to external connection through routing.
You would have to explain to her the principles of routing and how the router's firewall really operates.
To be fair, it is possible to make your server public (as I'm sure you're aware). I don't know your mother and so I have no idea how I would teach her subtle concepts if she isn't willing to learn them in the first place.

Perhaps set up some way that she could prove her point (in this case, fail to).

Member Avatar for pierogen

your situation is similar to a hotel I've visited recently. Everyone can enter the lobby and all the guests are given a key card. Non-guests can go down the halls to the meeting rooms and open the doors to the meeting rooms. But they can't go into your room without posessing a card to let them in. Even if they find a card on the floor, it has no markings (IP addr.) so they would have to try each room to see if it opens the door. The internet has a lot of rooms, and the key cards should be re-programmed (read as "password") periodically. Of course all guests are allowed to wander back down to the lobby and meeting rooms, (read as "Daniweb").

Member Avatar for Rik_

How about saying to her "LAN stands for Local Area Network" and place an emphasis on the "Local".

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